| Summary, etc |
The basic concepts of microbial tools and techniques were assembled in an organized and informative manner in the first edition of “Manual of Microbiology”. Although an attempt was made to include most of the salient information in this book, but later it was felt that the book was still lacking in some areas. So it was decided to bring out the second edition of the book to make it more informative and to rectify the mistakes.<br/><br/>Several additions have been made in the second edition to make it more informative. Additions to the first chapter of revised edition include a concise description of history of Microbiology, structure and reproduction of bacteria, detailed list of differences between Prokaryotes & Eukaryotes, a brief history as well as an overview of Bergey's Manual of Systematic Bacteriology and salient features of some important bacterial groups. Improvements have been made in the second and third chapters also which offer an insight into the various tools and techniques of microbiology.<br/><br/>These additions include description of some new generation microscopes, difference between boiling and autoclaving, substances which should not be autoclaved, testing of autoclave, preparation of specimens for EM viewing, inoculation techniques, preparation, incubation and disposal of used plates, replica plating method etc. All information regarding culture media and methods of isolation, purification and culture of bacteria along with some additions have now been organized together in chapter 4.<br/><br/>A detailed description of different methods used to isolate and identify bacteria according to the Bergey`s manual and to maintain pure cultures of them have been included in Chapters 5 and 6. Some new exercises have been added to Chapters 7 to 15 which already contain several simple experiments that help in understanding the physical and chemical nature of microbes as well as important metabolic processes such as growth, effect of environmental factors on growth, bacterial genetics, control of microbes, water, soil, food and milk microbiology. Chapters 16, 17 and 18 of this book aim to improve the understanding of microbes other than bacteria, similarly Chapters 19 and 20 suggest methods to isolate and study plant and human pathogens especially bacteria. All these experiments can be performed easily in practical classes at graduate as well as postgraduate level and will also be of great use for teachers and students involved in teaching and research.<br/><br/>Chapter 21 “Good Laboratory Practices” is essentially a list of rules and regulations of the laboratory. Apart from these, alphabetically arranged Annexure I to VI contain a list of various microbes and their importance, metric measurements, their conversions, reagents used. New annexures containing names of institutions offering microbiology as a subject as well as a list of Microbiology journals have also been added in this edition.<br/><br/>Hopefully these additions will make this book as informative as possible and it will serve as a stepping stone for students involved in the quest to master one of the most intriguing and challenging subjects of modern day science.<br/><br/>CONTENTS<br/>Foreword<br/>Preface<br/>Acknowledgements<br/>1. INTRODUCTION TO MICROBIOLOGY<br/>2. TOOLS OF MICROBIOLOGY<br/>3. TECHIQUES OF MICROBIOLOGY<br/>4. CULTURE OF MICROORGANISMS<br/>5. ISOLATION, PURIFICATION AND IDENTIFICATION OF BACTERIA<br/>6. MAINTENANCE AND STORAGE OF BACTERIAL STRAINS<br/>7. LABORATORY EXERCISES TO STUDY BACTERIA<br/>8. STUDY OF BACTERIAL GROWTH<br/>9. STUDY OF EFFECT OF ENVIRONMENTAL ON BACTERIAL GROWTH<br/>10. STUDY OF CONTROL OF MICROBIAL GROWTH BY ANTIMICROBIAL AGENTS<br/>11. STUDY OF BACTERIAL GENETICS<br/>12. WATER MICROBIOLOGY<br/>13. SOIL MICROBIOLOGY<br/>14. FOOD MICROBIOLOGY<br/>15. MILK MICROBIOLOGY<br/>16. STUDY OF VIRUSES<br/>17. STUDY OF FUNGI<br/>18. STUDY OF CYANOBACTERIA<br/>19. STUDY OF BACTERIAL DISEASES IN PLANTS<br/>20. STUDY OF MEDICAL MICROBIOLOGY AND IMMUNOLOGY<br/>21. GOOD LABORATORY PRACTICES<br/>Annexure<br/>Index.<br/> |