Biofilms are the default mode-of-life for many bacterial species. The three-dimensional structure of the biofilm provides the associated microbial communities with additional protection from predation, toxic substances, and physical perturbation. The variety of microniches provided by the biofilm also promotes a huge diversity of microbial life and metabolic potential. These complex and highly structured communities help to maintain the health of soils and waters. Current applications of biofilms include the degradation of toxic substances in soil and water, the commercial production of chemicals, and the generation of electricity. However, biofilm-based infections cause harm to millions of humans annually. In addition, biofilms can affect the quality and yield of crops and cause biofouling and microbially-induced corrosion. In this book, leading scientists provide an up-to-date review of the latest scientific research on these fascinating microbial communities and predict future trends and growth areas in biofilm-related research. The book will be essential for everyone interested in biofilms and their applications. It is also highly recommended for environmental microbiologists, soil scientists, medical microbiologists, bioremediation experts, and microbiologists working in biocorrosion, biofouling, biodegradation, water microbiology, quorum sensing, and many other areas.

Microbial Syntrophy-Mediated Eco-enterprising summarizes and reviews possible microbial applications for eco-industrial sustainability. The book emphasizes a wide spectrum of experimental and theoretical contributions from eminent researchers in the field. In 13 chapters, there is a focus on the microbial intrusions for remediating sites by accumulated pesticides, heavy metals, polyaromatic hydrocarbons, and other industrial effluents. Moreover, the potentiality and key mechanisms used by microorganisms for sustainable environmental management and their prospects are also considered in this new release. The term syntrophy for nutritional interdependence is often used in microbiology to describe the symbiotic relationship between bacterial species. Understanding such interactions can be of considerable interest when we come to manipulate microbes to our own benefit, such as by disrupting pathogenic communities with antibiotics or by promoting efficiency in communities that produce energy or break down waste.

Written by a team of acknowledged experts, this book provides an up-to-date overview of our current understanding of bacterial glycomes, describes the main analytical methods in use and discusses recent and novel applications. The book is divided into three sections. The first section includes overviews of microbial glyconjugates, lipopolysaccharide, capsular polysaccharide, lipoarabinomannan biosynthesis, cell wall metabolism, and glycosylation of bacterial and archaeal proteins. The second section reviews the analytical approaches used in the characterization of the bacterial glycome. The final section describes applications of bacterial glycomics, including metabolic oligosaccharide labeling, the synthesis of bioactive glycans and the potential for glycoconjugate vaccines.

Macrocyclic lactones are chemical compounds that represent the main treatment for parasitic diseases of animals, not only for helminth infections, but also a number of major ectoparasitic infestations. There has been no comprehensive book on this subject for more than a decade and this book fills this gap and provides detailed coverage of the basic science of these drugs and their mode of action, as well as their clinical use in farm and companion animals and in humans.

Produced by microbes on a large scale, methane is an important alternative fuel as well as a potent greenhouse gas. This volume focuses on microbial methane metabolism, which is central to the global carbon cycle. Both methanotrophy and methanogenesis are covered in detail. Topics include isolation and classification of microorganisms, metagenomics approaches, biochemistry of key metabolic enzymes, gene regulation and genetic systems, and field measurements. The state-of-the-art techniques described here will both guide researchers in specific pursuits and educate the wider scientific community about this exciting and rapidly developing field.

Topics include isolation and classification of microorganisms, metagenomics approaches, biochemistry of key metabolic enzymes, gene regulation and genetic systems, and field measurements The state-of-the-art techniques described here will both guide researchers in specific pursuits and educate the wider scientific community about this exciting and rapidly developing field

Coronavirus Disease: From Origin to Outbreak provides a comprehensive review of coronaviruses, particularly COVID-19, its transmission, and disease pathology. The book covers the viral structure and genetics of coronaviruses, the pathogenesis and unique characteristics of coronavirus infection, and the evolving nature of our understanding of coronaviruses and disease. It also looks at the history of SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV infections and its global spread. The book examines the effectiveness of various preventive measures and new therapeutic agents that are either currently available or expected to available. Finally, it details the psychological and societal impact the virus and disease has in outbreak regions and what the financial impact an outbreak has on the healthcare system and local economies.

Extremophiles are organisms that live in extreme conditions. Their ability of surviving in extreme environments is due to their unique physiological and genetic adaptations. Extremophiles are harnessed for their extremozymes that have wide applications in biotechnology, pharmaceutics and industry. Recent developments in genomics and proteomics have helped unravel the mechanism of survival, physiological adaptation and genomics structure of extremophiles. This book covers the latest developments in understanding the physiology and biochemistry of extremophiles. It gives a complete idea about the microorganisms in these groups along with their biotechnological applications and also discusses the molecular genomics and molecular aspects of the extremophiles. It also presents detailed aspects related to newer applications of extremophiles in the industry will also be covered. The study of extremophiles is gaining wide interest and this book bridges the critical gap in knowledge related to extremophiles. This book is essential to anyone who is interested in studying the microbiology, biochemistry and application of these microorganisms.

Basic and applied microbiology gives a fresh perspective on microbiology. It deals with some of the important issues of the day, including genetically modified food; the increased incidence of food- and waterborne diseases and their control; the introduction of HACCP legislation worldwide; microbial resistance to antimicrobial compounds and the development of multiple drug-resistant organisms; the alleviation of environmental pollution using bioremediation and biofouling; and biocorrosion in water systems, to mention just a few. The title is supported by an e-learning platform with a comprehensive set of animations explaining the basic concepts. The Web portal accompanying the book also provides a gateway to carefully selected Internet sites, unlocking the world of microbiology for the experienced microbiologist and the uninitiated alike.

Fuelled by the application of omics and reverse genetics technologies, impressive progress has been achieved in the field of molecular and cellular biology of Bunyaviridae in recent years. In this book, a panel of international experts review the most important findings, providing a timely and coherent overview of the field. All five genera - i.e. Orthobunyavirus, Hantavirus, Nairovirus, Plebovirus, and Tospovirus - are covered in separate chapters. Genetics and the evolution of hantaviruses are given a special treatment. Additionally, current advances in diagnostics are reviewed in detail. The book closes with an excellent overview of the remaining challenges and future prospects in this fascinating field. It will be essential reading for everyone working on bunyaviruses and related viruses and is a recommended text for all virology libraries.

Published since 1953, "Advances in Virus Research" covers a diverse range of in-depth reviews providing a valuable overview of the current field of virology. The impact factor for 2007 is 3.120, placing it 9th in the highly competitive category of virology.

* Contributions from leading authorities * Informs and updates on all the latest developments in the field

Metagenomics is one of the fastest advancing fields in biology. By permitting access to the genomes of entire communities of bacteria, viruses, and fungi - otherwise inaccessible - metagenomics is extending our comprehension of the diversity, ecology, evolution, and functioning of the microbial world, as well as contributing to the emergence of new applications in many different areas. The continual and dynamical development of faster sequencing techniques, together with the advancement of methods to cope with the exponentially increasing amount of data generated, are expanding our capacity for the analysis of microbial communities from an unlimited variety of habitats and environments. The synergism with the new emerging omics approaches is showing the path to functional metagenomics and to adopting integrative, wider viewpoints, like systems biology. This book covers the most innovative and recent advances in theoretical, methodological, and applied areas of metagenomics. The topics covered include: metagenomics integration with complementary technologies * bacterial genealogy * viral metagenomics * the regulation of prokaryotic communities * functional metagenomics * systems biology * next-generation sequencing * stable isotope probing * DNA sequencing of uncultured microbes * cyberinfrastructure resource * identification of novel viruses * metagenomics of fungal communities * the human microbiome * microbial bioremediation * metagenomic enzyme discovery * quorum-sensing * plant-pathogen interactions * metagenomics of belowground microbial communities. The book is aimed at researchers and environmental managers involved in metagenomics, students starting research in this field, and teachers interested in the new developments.

Microorganisms that convert gaseous nitrogen (N2) to a form suitable for use by living organisms are pivotal for life on Earth. Another set of microbial reactions utilize the bio-available nitrogen creating N2 and completing the cycle. This crucial nutrient cycle has long been the subject of extensive research, and recent advances - in studying the biochemistry, bioinformatics, cell biology, and the physiology of bacterial nitrogen cycling processes, alongside the advent of the omics age - have had a massive impact, enabling us to fully appreciate the sheer diversity of approaches adapted by individual organisms. Research in this area is at a very exciting stage. This timely book provides comprehensive reviews of current nitrogen cycle research and gives a broader perspective on the state of our understanding of this key biogeochemical cycle. With contributions from expert authors from around the world, the topics covered include: the archaean N-cycle * redox complexes N-cycle * organization of respiratory chains in N-cycle processes * Mo-nitrogenase * nitrogen assimilation in bacteria * alternative routes to dinitrogen * nitrite and nitrous oxide reductases * assembly of respiratory proteins * nitric oxide metabolism * denitrification in legume-associated endosymbiotic bacteria * nitrous oxide production in the terrestrial environment * bacterial nitrogen cycling in humans. This book will serve as a valuable reference work for everyone working in this field and will also be of interest to researchers studying symbioses, environmental microbiology, plant metabolism, infection events, and other prokaryote-eukaryote interactions.

Microbial biodegradation of non-metals pollutants plays a pivotal role in the bioremediation of contaminated soil and groundwater sites. Such pollutants include chloroethenes, steroids, organophosphorus compounds, alkanes, PAHs, and PCBs. In this important book, international experts exhaustively review this topic from a biochemical and genetic viewpoint, providing a timely overview of current research. Topics covered include: enzymatic biodegradation reactions * the impact of bioturbation on hydrocarbon dynamics in marine sediments * the structure, function, and biodiversity of ring-hydroxylating dioxygenases involved in PAH biodegradation * strategies to engineer PCB-degrading bacteria * PCB-degrading plant-microbe systems strategies * the structure, regulation, and diversity of microbial genes encoding biodegradative enzymes. In addition, there are excellent reviews detailing the application of the state-of-the-art molecular technologies to study biodegradative processes. The technologies covered are community fingerprinting, molecular detection of degradative genes, and metagenomics for the analysis and monitoring of microorganisms in situ. These are complemented well by the fascinating reviews of the catabolic plasmids and mobile genetic elements involved in bioremediation, including discussions on the origin and evolution of these catabolic pathways to different genera. In addition, the best procedures for the evaluation and design of relevant in situ remediation strategies are examined and classical ex-situ technologies such Landfarming, Composting, Biopiling, and Slurry-phase bioremediation are described. This book is a vital reference resource for research scientists, graduate students, and other specialists interested on microbial bioremediation of organic pollutants, and it is recommended reading for environmental microbiologists, chemists, and engineers.