This completely updated fifth edition of Bacterial Fish Pathogens is a comprehensive discussion of the biological aspects of the bacteria which cause disease in farmed and wild fish. Since the 4th edition was published in 2007, there has been an upturn in the application of molecular approaches to taxonomy, diagnosis and vaccine development. New pathogens, e.g. Aeromonas schubertii, have been described. Also, there has been the emergence of diseases caused by bacteria which have not been cultured, and which have been equated with new taxa, i.e. 'Candidatus'. Consideration is given to all the bacterial fish pathogens, including primary pathogens and opportunists.

This book introduces Planctomycetes bacteria and deals in detail with their unusual structure, physiology, genomics and evolutionary significance. It is a definitive summary of recent knowledge of this important distinctive group of bacteria, microorganisms which challenge our very concept of the bacterium. Planctomycetes, and their relatives within the PVC superphylum of domain Bacteria, including verrucomicrobia and chlamydia, challenge our classical concept of the bacterium and its modes of life and provide new experimental models for exploring evolutionary cell biology and the full diversity of how living cells can be organized internally. Unique among bacteria, they include species possessing cells with intracellular membrane-bounded compartments and a peptidoglycan-less cell wall, and bacteria such as the anammox organisms performing unique anaerobic ammonium oxidation significant for global nitrogen cycle.

This book will cover both the evidence for biofilms in many chronic bacterial infections as well as the problems facing these infections such as diagnostics and treatment regimes. A still increasing interest and emphasis on the sessile bacterial lifestyle biofilms has been seen since it was realized that that less than 0.1% of the total microbial biomass lives in the planktonic mode of growth. The term was coined in 1978 by Costerton et al. who defined the term biofilm for the first time.In 1993 the American Society for Microbiology (ASM) recognised that the biofilmmode of growth was relevant to microbiology. Lately many articles have been published on the clinical implications of bacterial biofilms. Both original articles and reviews concerning the biofilm problem are available.

The future of agriculture strongly depends on our ability to enhance productivity without sacrificing long-term production potential. An ecologically and economically sustainable strategy is the application of microorganisms, such as the diverse bacterial species of plant growth promoting bacteria (PGPB). The use of these bio-resources for the enhancement of crop productivity is gaining worldwide importance. Bacteria in Agrobiology: Crop Ecosystems describes the beneficial role of plant growth promoting bacteria with special emphasis on oil yielding crops, cereals, fruits and vegetables. Chapters present studies on various aspects of bacteria-plant interactions, soil-borne and seed-borne diseases associated with food crops such as rice, sesame, peanuts, and horticultural crops. Further reviews describe technologies to produce inoculants, the biocontrol of post harvest pathogens as a suitable alternative to agrochemicals, and the restoration of degraded soils.

The future of agriculture strongly depends on our ability to enhance productivity without sacrificing long-term production potential. An ecologically and economically sustainable strategy is the application of microorganisms, such as the diverse bacterial species of plant growth promoting bacteria (PGPB). The use of these bio-resources for the enhancement of crop productivity is gaining worldwide importance. "Bacteria in Agrobiology: Plant Growth Responses" describes the application of various bacteria in plant growth promotion and protection, including symbiotic, free living, rhizospheric, endophytic, methylotrophic, diazotrophic and filamentous species.

Microbial infection is increasingly seen as a problem as we begin to run out of antibiotics. Understanding how microbes cause disease is essential. In recent years it has begun to emerge that bacteria, fungi, protozoa and viruses can use their cell stress proteins to cause infection. This volume brings together the world's leading experts in the study of the microbial and human cell stress proteins that are involved in enabling microorganisms to infect humans and cause serious disease.

TwentyyearshavegonebysinceJackSokatch?rstpublishedhisoutsta- ingTheBiologyofPseudomonasbackin1986.Thiswasfollowedbytwobooks published by the ASM that contained the presentations of the Pseudomonas meetings held in Chicago in 1989 and Trieste in 1991. The earlier volume of these two was edited by Simon Silver, Al Chakrabarty, Barbara Iglewski, and Sam Kaplan, and the later one by Enrica Galli, Simon Silver, and Bernard Witholt. The time was ripe for a series of books on Pseudomonas because of its importance in human and plant pathogenesis, bio?lms, soil and rhizosphere colonization, etc. Efforts were devoted to produce the ?rst three volumes of the series on the biology of Pseudomonas after a meeting with Kluwer staff members in August 2002 during the XI IUMS conference in Paris (France). In less than a year a group of outstanding scientists in the ?eld, after devoting much of their valuable time, managed to complete their chapters for the three volumes of the series. To ensure the high standard of each chapter, renowned scientists participated in the reviewing process. The three books collected part of the "explosion" of new vital information on the genus Pseudomonas.

Magnetotactic bacteria (MTB) synthesize intracellular nano-sized minerals of magnetite and/or greigite magnetosomes for magnetic orientation. They play important roles in global iron cycling and sedimentary magnetism, and have a broad range of potential applications in both biotechnological and biomedical fields. However, because the majority of MTB in nature remain unculturable, our understanding of these specific bacteria remains fairly limited. This thesis describes the development of a novel approach for effectively collecting, purifying and characterizing uncultivated magnetotactic bacteria. The diversity, genomic information and rock magnetic properties of various uncultivated MTB are investigated and characterized using a combination of biological and geophysical methods. The results will lead to a better understanding of the biogeography and biomineralization mechanisms of MTB in nature, and improve our knowledge of the contributions of MTB to biogeochemical cycles of elements and sedimentary magnetism. Dr. Wei Lin works at the Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China

The future of agriculture greatly depends on our ability to enhance productivity without sacrificing long-term production potential. The application of microorganisms, such as the diverse bacterial species of plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR), represents an ecologically and economically sustainable strategy. The use of these bio-resources for the enhancement of crop productivity is gaining importance worldwide. Bacteria in Agrobiology: Crop Productivity focus on the role of beneficial bacteria in crop growth, increased nutrient uptake and mobilization, and defense against phytopathogens. Diverse group of agricultural crops and medicinal plants are described as well as PGPR-mediated bioremediation leading to food security.

Plant Pathogenic Bacteria includes symposia and research papers presented at the 10th International Conference on Plant Pathogenic Bacteria. The book provides the complete text of 22 symposia papers that summarize the state-of-the-art of the many facets of phytobacteriology including disease control, taxonomy, genetics of pathogenicity, virulence factors, as well as detection and diagnosis. These topics are also included among research papers, presented orally or as posters at the conference, and here presented in research paper format, conveniently separated in different sections by subject matter. This book will be an essential resource for scientists and students with an interest in plant pathogenic bacteria for it provides much new data and summarizes current thinking in almost all areas of the science. Nowhere else can one find so much information on plant pathogenic bacteria in a single resource.

The future of agriculture greatly depends on our ability to enhance productivity without sacrificing long-term production potential. The application of microorganisms, such as the diverse bacterial species of plant growth promoting bacteria (PGPB), represents an ecologically and economically sustainable strategy. The use of these bio-resources for the enhancement of crop productivity is gaining importance worldwide. "Bacteria in Agrobiology: Disease Management" discusses various aspects of biological control and disease suppression using bacteria. Topics covered include: fluorescent pseudomonads; siderophore-producing PGPR; pseudomonas inoculants; bacillus-based biocontrol agents; bacterial control of root and tuber crop diseases; fungal pathogens of cereals; soil-borne fungal pathogens; peronosporomycete phytopathogens; and plant parasitic nematodes.

During the past twenty years Listeria monocytogenes has emerged as one of the most intensely studied bacterial pathogens. New windows are constantly being opened into the complexity of host cell biology and the interplay of the signals connecting the various cells and organs involved in the host response. This volume includes research from studies at the molecular level on the pathogenesis of Listeria monocytogenes and the response of the host to its infections.

The future of agriculture strongly depends on our ability to enhance productivity without sacrificing long-term production potential. An ecologically and economically sustainable strategy is the application of microorganisms, such as the diverse bacterial species of plant growth promoting bacteria (PGPB). The use of these bio-resources for the enhancement of crop productivity is gaining worldwide importance.

""Bacteria in Agrobiology: Plant Probiotics"" discusses the current trends and future prospects of beneficial microorganisms acting as Probiotics. Topics include the application for the aboveground fitness of plants, in mountain ecosystems, in tropical and Mediterranean forests, and in muga sericulture. Further aspects are "Arabidopsis" as a model system for the diversity and complexity of plant responses, plant parasitic nematodes, nitrogen fixation and phosphorus nutrition."

Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) has been used as a biopesticide in agriculture, forestry and mosquito control because of its advantages of specific toxicity against target insects, lack of polluting residues and safety to non-target organisms. The insecticidal properties of this bacterium are due to insecticidal proteins produced during sporulation. Despite these ecological benefits, the use of Bt biopesticides has lagged behind the synthetic chemicals. Genetic improvement of Bt natural strains, in particular Bt recombination, offers a promising means of improving efficacy and cost-effectiveness of Bt-based bioinsecticide products to develop new biotechnological applications. On the other hand, the different Bacillus species have important biotechnological applications; one of them is carried out by producing secondary metabolites, which are the study object of natural product chemistry. The amazing structural variability of these compounds has attracted the curiosity of chemists and the biological activities possessed by natural products have inspired the pharmaceutical industry to search for lead structures in microbial extracts. Screening of microbial extracts reveals the large structural diversity of natural compounds with broad biological activities, such as antimicrobial, antiviral, immunosuppressive, and antitumor activities that enable the bacterium to survive in its natural environment. These findings widen the target range of Bacillus spp., in special B. thuringiensis, besides insecticidal activity and help people to better understand its role in soil ecosystem.

Bacterial infections cause substantial morbidity and mortality in cancer patients. These infections always remained enigmatic due to initial reluctance of cancer researchers in understanding their etiologic potential. Etiological association of bacteria with cancer gained credibility after discovery of carcinogenic potential of Helicobacter pylori. Moreover, other suspected associations including Salmonella typhi and gallbladder cancer, Streptococcus bovis and colon cancer, Chlamydia psittaci and ocular adnexal lymphoma and Chlamydia pneumoniae with lung cancer, etc. are looking for a legitimate appraisal to unravel their etiologic potential without prejudice. In contrary, bacteria also show protective role in certain types of cancer. Certain agents derived from bacteria are successfully in practice for the management of cancer. The integrate association of bacteria and cancer is evident in both positive and negative aspects. The role of bacteria in cancer etiology and treatment is vigorously studied since last few years. Present book tries to provide current status of research undergoing in above direction, with the glimpses of future possibility for using microbiological knowledge in the management of this deadly killer. This book will interest specialists dealing with cancer associated infectious complications, researchers working in the field of cancer biology, teachers and scientists in the field of microbiology, biotechnology, medicine and oncology. The unique coverage of bacteriology and cancer association in both positive and negative way can usher into development of novel thrust area for microbiology students and experts.

The future of agriculture strongly depends on our ability to enhance productivity without sacrificing long-term production potential. An ecologically and economically sustainable strategy is the application of microorganisms, such as the diverse bacterial species of plant growth promoting bacteria (PGPB). The use of these bio-resources for the enhancement of crop productivity is gaining worldwide importance. "Bacteria in Agrobiology: Plant Nutrient Management" focus on the management of plant nutrient to support plant growth and development. The topics treated in this book include mechanisms of plant growth promoting rhizobacteria, zinc and phosphate solubilizing microorganisms, sulfur oxidizing bacteria, ACC deaminase, siderophores, phytohormones, quorum-sensing, biofilms, antibiotics, volatiles, denitrification and integrated nutrient management.

7th Jenner Glycobiology and Medicine Symposium Sunday5-W Wednesday 8 September 2004 John S. Axford StGeorge's, University of London, UK The potential for glycobiology to improve the practice of medicine has been well recognised, which is why biannual meetings concerning the association have been taking place for the last 14 years. The science of glycobiology has matured rapidly, and with it the far reaching clinical implications are becoming understood. The next decade is going to see this ?nal frontier of science conquered. The impact this understanding of glycobiology will have upon our practice of medicine is going to be exciting. The 7th Jenner Glycobiology and Medicine Symposium was designed tore?ecttheseadvances.Allthemajorclinicalareaswereinvolved,withcontributions from pivotal players in science and medicine. As with our previous meetings, junior scientists were involved as we recognise that at the end of the next decade they will be in the driving seat. This introduction serves as a taster to whet your appetite. From embryogenesis to pathogenesis, glycosylation plays a pivotal role. Complex and hybrid N-glyans and O-fucose glycans are critical in oocyte devel- ment and function. This area must surely be a fertile ground for glycosylation research.

During the last decade a wealth of new data has arisen from the use of new fluorescent labelling techniques and the sequencing of whole microbial genomes. One important conclusion from these data is that bacterial cells are much more structured than previously thought. The wall and the outer membrane contain topological domains, some proteins localize or move in specific patterns inside the cells, and some genes appear clustered in the chromosome and form conserved evolutionary units. Many of these structures are related to the cell cycle and to the process of cell morphogenesis, two processes that are themselves related to each other. From these observations the dcw gene cluster appears as a phylogenetic trait that is mainly conserved in bacilli. Molecules in Time and Space reviews the data on the formation of subcellular patterns or structures in bacteria, presents observations and hypotheses on the establishment and the maintenance of cell shape, and on the organization of genetic information in the chromosome.

The future of agriculture strongly depends on our ability to enhance productivity without sacrificing long-term production potential. An ecologically and economically sustainable strategy is the application of microorganisms, such as the diverse bacterial species of plant growth promoting bacteria (PGPB). The use of these bio-resources for the enhancement of crop productivity is gaining worldwide importance. "Bacteria in Agrobiology: Stress Management" covers the major aspects on PGPR in amelioration of both abiotic and biotic stresses. PGPR mediated in priming of plant defense reactions, nutrient availability and management in saline and cold environment, hormonal signaling, ACC deaminase and its role in ethylene regulation under harsh conditions are suitably described.

Biofilms are implicated in many common medical problems including urinary tract infections, catheter infections, middle-ear infections, dental plaque, gingivitis, and some less common but more lethal processes such as endocarditis and infections in cystic fibrosis. However, the true importance of biofilms in the overall process of disease pathogenesis has only recently been recognized. Bacterial biofilms are one of the fundamental reasons for incipient wound healing failure in that they may impair natural cutaneous wound healing and reduce topical antimicrobial efficiency in infected skin wounds. Their existence explains many of the enigmas of microbial infection and a better grasp of the process may well serve to establish a different approach to infection control and management. Biofilms and their associated complications have been found to be involved in up to 80% of all infections. A large number of studies targeted at the bacterial biofilms have been conducted, and many of them are referred to in this book, which is the first of its kind. These clinical observations emphasize the importance of biofilm formation to both superficial and systemic infections, and the inability of current antimicrobial therapies to 'cure' the resulting diseases even when the in vitro tests suggest that they should be fully effective. In veterinary medicine the concept of biofilms and their role in the pathogenesis of disease has lagged seriously behind that in human medicine. This is all the more extraordinary when one considers that much of the research has been carried out using veterinary species in experimental situations. The clinical features of biofilms in human medicine is certainly mimicked in the veterinary species but there is an inherent and highly regrettable indifference to the failure of antimicrobial therapy in many veterinary disease situations, and this is probably at its most retrograde in veterinary wound management. Biofilms and Veterinary Medicine is specifically focused on discussing the concerns of biofilms to health and disease in animals and provides a definitive text for veterinary practitioners, medical and veterinary students, and researchers.

Over the last few years, bacterial adhesion has become a more and more important and active scientific area, but the field lacks communication and scientific exchange between medical and microbiology researchers who work with the relevant biological systems, and biochemists, structural biologists and physicists, who know and understand the physical methods best suited to investigate the phenomenon at the molecular level. The field consequently would benefit from a cross-disciplinary conference enabling such communication. This book tries to bridge the gap between the disciplines.

This volume contains the contributions from the speakers at the NATO Advanced Research Workshop on "Structure of the Photosynthetic Bacterial Reaction Center X-ray Crystallography and Optical Spectroscopy with Polarized Light" which was held at the "Maison d'Hotes" of the Centre d'Etudes Nucleaires de Cadarache in the South of France, 20-25 September, 1987. This meeting continued in the spirit of a previous workshop which took place in Feldafing (FRG), March 1985. Photosynthetic reaction centers are intrinsic membrane proteins which, by performing a photoinduced transmembrane charge separation, are responsible for the conversion and storage of solar energy. Since the pioneering work of Reed and Clayton (1968) on the isolation of the reaction center from photosynthetic bacteria, optical spectroscopy with polarized light has been one of the main tools used to investigate the geometrical arrangement of the various chromophores in these systems. The recent elucidation by X-ray crystallography of the structure of several bacterial reaction centers, a breakthrough initiated by Michel and Deisenhofer, has provided us with the atomic coordinates of the pigments and some details about their interactions with neighboring aminoacid residues. This essential step has given a large impetus both to experimentalists and to theoreticians who are now attempting to relate the X-ray structural model to the optical properties of the reaction center and ultimately to its primary biological function.

The electrocardiogram (ECG) remains the most accessible and inexpensive diagnostic tool to evaluate the patient presenting with symptoms suggestive of acute myocardial ischemia. It plays a crucial role in decision making about the aggressiveness of therapy especially in relation to reperfusion therapy, because such therapy has resulted in a considerable reduction in mortality from acute myocardial infarction. Several factors play a role in the amount of myocardial tissue that can be salvaged by reperfusion therapy, such as the time interval between onset of coronary occlusion and reperfusion, site and size of the jeopardized area, type of reperfusion attempt (thrombolytic agent or an intracoronary catheter intervention), presence or absence of risk factors for thrombolytic agents, etc. Most important in decision making on reperfusion therapy and the type of intervention is to look for markers indicating a higher mortality rate from myocardial infarction. The ECG is a reliable, inexpensive, non-invasive instrument to obtain that information. Recently it has become clear that both in anterior and inferior myocardial infarction, the ECG frequently allows not only to identify the infarct related coronary artery, but also the site of occlusion in that artery and therefore the size of the jeopardized area. Obviously, the more proximal the occlusion, the larger the area at risk and the more aggressive the reperfusion attempt.

The recent sequencing of mycoplasma genomes has marked a turning point in the molecular genetic analysis of these microorganisms. Transcriptome and proteome analyses promise to provide the first definition of the total protein complement of a cell. The mycoplasma group includes the smallest known self-replicating organisms carrying the smallest number of genes. No wonder, therefore, that mycoplasmas have a special appeal to those interested in deciphering the minimal set of genes essential for life. Mycoplasma genomics facilitated better understanding of mycoplasma pathogenesis. Most impressive are the findings concerning the interaction of mycoplasmas with the immune system, macrophage activation, cytokine induction, mycoplasma cell components acting as superantigens, and autoimmune manifestations. The molecular definition of mycoplasmal adhesins responsible for mycoplasma attachment to host cells and evasion of the host immune system by antigenic variation of mycoplasmal surface components are other 'hot' subjects of research.Demonstration of the ability of mycoplasmas to enter host cells, cause fusogenic, apoptotic and oncogenic effects, as well as the possible association of mycoplasmas with arthritis, had their share in intensifying research on mycoplasma pathogenesis, bringing more researchers into the circle of those interested in this group of organisms. The present book is a comprehensive, up-to-date, multi-authored treatise.

Systematic investigations of the structure, mechanics, and dynamics of biological surfaces help us understand more about biological processes taking place at cell and bacteria surfaces. Presented here is a study of the role membrane-bound saccharides play in the modulation of interactions between cells/bacteria and their environments. In this thesis, membrane structures were probed perpendicular and parallel to the surface, and sophisticated planar models of biomembranes composed of glycolipids of various structural complexities were designed. Furthermore, specular and off-specular X-ray and neutron scattering experiments were carried out. This research has led to the development of several new methods for extracting information on the structure and mechanics of saccharide-rendered biomembranes from the measured scattering signals. In fact, more is now known about the influence of the saccharide structure. These results demonstrate that the study of planar model systems with X-ray and neutron scattering techniques can provide comprehensive insight into the structure and mechanics of complex biological surfaces.