Fungal growths affect both human and animal well-being. Many natural pathogens of laboratory animals alter host physiology, rendering the host unsuitable for experimental uses. While the number and prevalence of few pathogens have declined considerably, many still turn up in laboratory animals and represent unwanted variables in research. Investigators using laboratory animals in biomedical experimentation should be aware of the profound effects that many of these agents can have on research. What does the future hold regarding the natural pathogens of laboratory animals? The selection of an animal model must carefully address issues of the type of human disease to mimic, the parameters to follow, and the collection of the appropriate data to answer those questions being asked. Overall, animal models of fungal infection will continue to deepen our understanding of how these infections occur. This book provides a valuable source of information to biological and biomedical scientists and to clinical and doctoral researchers working in the area of fungal infections and diseases of laboratory animal species.

Cyanobacteria constitute the most widely distributed group of photosynthetic prokaryotes found in almost all realms of the earth and play an important role in Earth's nitrogen and carbon cycle. The gradual transformation from reducing atmosphere to oxidizing atmosphere was a turning point in the evolutionary history of the earth and made conditions for present life forms possible. Cyanobacteria: From Basic Science to Applications is the first reference volume that comprehensively discusses all aspects of cyanobacteria, including the diverse mechanisms of cyanobacteria for the advancement of cyanobacterial abilities, towards higher biofuel productivity, enhanced tolerance to environmental stress and bioactive compounds and potential for biofertilizers.

Plant endophytes are a potential source for the production of bioactive compounds that can fight against devastating diseases in both plants and humans. Among these endophytic microorganisms, endophytic fungi are one of the dominant group of microorganisms with a potential role in plant growth promotion and the discovery of noble bioactive natural products. Endophytic fungi possess several bioactivities like anticancer, antimicrobial, insecticidal, plant growth stimulants, crop protection, phytoremediation, etc. Presence of modular biosynthetic genes clusters like PKS and NRPS in several endophytic fungi underscores the need to understand and explore such organisms. This volume presents and demonstrates the applied aspects of endophytic fungi. Practical applications of such endophytes are discussed in detail, including studies in pharmaceutical development and agricultural management of important microbial diseases. The beneficial effects that endophytic fungi provide to host plants-enhancing growth, increasing fitness, strengthening tolerance to abiotic and biotic stresses through secondary metabolites-are also discussed. The reader is provided with a comprehensive and detailed understanding of such relationships between endophytic fungi and their host.

This book gathers selected studies on the industrial applications of glycoside hydrolases (GHs), presenting an updated classification of these enzymes, and discussing their structure, mechanisms, and various approaches to improve their catalytic efficiency. Further, it explains the various industrial applications of glycoside hydrolases in food, effluent treatment, biofuel production, and the paper and pulp industries. Lastly, the book provides a comparative analysis of glycoside hydrolases and discusses the role of metagenomics in the discovery of industrially important enzymes. As such it is a thought-provoking, instructive and informative resource for biochemists, enzymologists, molecular biologists and bioprocess technologists.

This book introduces readers to basic studies on and applied techniques involving lactic acid bacteria, including their bioengineering and industrial applications. It summarizes recent biotechnological advances in lactic acid bacteria for food and health, and provides detailed information on the applications of these bacteria in fermented foods. Accordingly, it offers a valuable resource for researchers and graduate students in the fields of food microbiology, bioengineering, fermentation engineering, food science, nutrition and health.

This book brings together the most recent advances from leading experts in the burgeoning field of environmental biotechnology. The contributing chapters adopt a multidisciplinary approach related to environmental aspects of agriculture, industry, pharmaceutical sciences and drug developments from plant and microbial sources, biochemical chemical techniques/methods/protocols involved in different areas of environmental biotechnology. Book also highlights recent advancements, newly emerging technologies, and thought provoking approaches from different parts of the world. It also discusses potential future prospects associated with some frontier development of biotechnological research related to the environment. This book will be of interest to teachers, researchers, biotechnologists, capacity builders and policymakers, and will serve as additional reading material for undergraduate and graduate students of biotechnology, microbiology and environmental sciences.

Sugarcane enjoys a prominent position among agro-industrial crops and is commercially grown in 115 tropical and subtropical countries around the world. However, fluctuations in sugar prices have forced the sugarcane industry worldwide to broaden its revenue base by moving from single-commodity manufacturing to a range of value-added products. Utilizing the by-products in an innovative manner to create value-added products is the new course of action for sugar-producing countries. For many years sugarcane was regarded as a single-product crop, i.e., only useful for producing sugar. Its actual potential is now increasingly being recognised by the industry and there is a growing trend toward the manufacturing of allied products from sugarcane. Therefore, the focus is now on the establishment of sugar-agro-industry complexes, processing not just sugar but a range of other products. This book provides a comprehensive overview of sugarcane not only as a source of sweetening agents but also for many other uses, including as a source of bio-energy. It also explores the trend of sugar consumption and suggests practices to curb the consumption of sugar products in order to tackle obesity and reduce public health costs. The book underscores the need to diversify sugarcane and highlights means of doing so, while also addressing various innovations and technologies being developed in connection with sugar, sugar derivatives, and sugar industry by-products for sustainable utilization in the sugar-agro industry. Accordingly, it offers a valuable resource for professionals and R&D units in the sugar industry, and for students of agronomy and related fields.

Fungi are eukaryotic microorganisms that include both unicellular and multicellular species. They have a worldwide distribution and a wide range of applications in diverse sectors, from environmental, food and medicine to biotechnological innovations. Fungal biochemical genetics involves the study of the relationships between genome, proteome and metabolome, and the underlying molecular processes in both native and bioengineered fungi. This book provides a valuable resource on the challenges and potential of fungal biotechnology and related bioengineering and functional diversity for various industrial applications in the food, environmental, bioenergy and biorefining, and the biopharma sectors. In comparison to previous and related publications in the area of applied myco-biotech-engineering, this book bridges a knowledge gap in the areas related to prospects and investment as well as intellectual and technical issues. This book also provides information on recent commercial and economic interests in the area by juxtaposing the developments achieved in recent worldwide research and its many challenges.

Viral Polymerases: Structures, Functions and Roles as Antiviral Drug Targets presents in-depth study information on the structure and functions of polymerases and their roles in the lifecycle of viruses, and as drug targets. Viral polymerases constitute a vital component in the lifecycle of many viruses, such as human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), hepatitis viruses, influenza virus, and several others. They are essentially required for the replication of viruses. Thus, the polymerases that can be found in viruses (called viral polymerases) represent favorable targets for the design and development of antiviral drugs.

This book highlights the latest findings on fundamental aspects of composting, the interaction of various microorganisms, and the underlying mechanisms. In addition to addressing modern tools and techniques used for composting research, it provides an overview of potential composting applications in both agriculture and environmental reclamation. Composting is the process of organic waste decomposition, mediated by microorganisms. The end-product is called 'compost' and can be used as a supplement to improve soil fertility. As the municipal waste generated in most developing countries contains a substantial amount of organic matter suitable for composting, this technology offers a win-win opportunity for stakeholders in terms of disposing of organic waste and providing organic fertilizers for agriculture. In addition, using compost reduces the dependency on harmful chemical fertilizers, and represents a sustainable and environmentally friendly alternative.

The book starts with a general introduction into the relevance of systems biology for understanding tuberculosis. This will be followed by several chapters which describe the application of systems biology to various aspects of the study of the pathogen, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, and its interaction with the host. The book provides the reader with an account of how the new science of systems biology is providing novel insights into the ancient scourge of tuberculosis. It will also describe how systems biology can be applied to the control of tuberculosis, including the development of new treatments, vaccines and diagnostics.

Advances in Applied Microbiology, Volume 104, continues the comprehensive reach of this widely read and authoritative review source in microbiology. Users will find invaluable references and information on a variety of areas, with this updated volume including chapters covering Cold Shock Responses in Salmonella, Microbial Processes in Geotechnical Engineering, Microbial Diversity and Functional Analysis, The Mycosphere and Turnover of Contaminants, and the Enhancement of Metallosphaera Sedula Bioleaching by Targeted Recombination and Adaptive Laboratory Evolution.

Retrovirus-Cell Interactions provides an up-to-date review of the interactions between retroviruses and the cells they infect, offering a comprehensive understanding of how retroviruses hijack cellular factors to facilitate virus replication. Drugs targeting viral enzymes have been developed to treat HIV; the next challenge is to inhibit virus-cell interactions as next generation treatment strategies. Organized according to the retrovirus' replication cycle, this book does not focus exclusively on HIV, but rather includes important findings in other retroviral systems, including animal retroviruses, retrotransposons, and endogenous retroelements to allow broad comparisons on important commonalities and differences.

This book provides a straightforward and easy-to-understand overview of beneficial plant-bacterial interactions. It features a wealth of unique illustrations to clarify the text, and each chapter includes study questions that highlight the important points, as well as references to key experiments. Since the publication of the first edition of Beneficial Plant-Bacterial Interactions, in 2015, there has been an abundance of new discoveries in this area, and in recent years, scientists around the globe have begun to develop a relatively detailed understanding of many of the mechanisms used by bacteria that facilitate plant growth and development. This knowledge is gradually becoming an integral component of modern agricultural practice, with more and more plant growth-promoting bacterial strains being commercialized and used successfully in countries throughout the world. In addition, as the world's population continues to grow, the pressure for increased food production will intensify, while at the same time, environmental concerns, mean that environmentally friendly methods of food production will need to replace many traditional agricultural practices such as the use of potentially dangerous chemicals. The book, intended for students, explores the fundamentals of this new paradigm in agriculture, horticulture, and environmental cleanup.

This book provides a multidisciplinary review of antibiotic resistance and unravels the complex and interrelated roles of environmental sources, including pharmaceutical industry effluents, hospital and domestic effluents, wildlife and drinking water. Antibiotic resistance is a global public health issue in which the interface between humans, animals and the environment is particularly relevant. The contrasts seen across different environmental compartments and world regions, which are due to climate, social and policy differences, mean that this problem needs to be analyzed from a multi-geographic and multi-cultural angle. Bringing together contributions from researchers on different continents with expertise in antibiotic resistance in a range of different environmental compartments, the book offers a detailed reflection on the paths that make antibiotic resistance a global threat, and the state-of- the-art in antibiotic resistance surveillance and risk assessment in complex environmental matrices.

With contributions from a broad range of leading researchers, Environmental Microbiology: Current Technology and Water Applications focuses on current technology and its applications. Although aimed primarily at research scientists and graduate students in water microbiology, the topics and techniques are equally applicable to all branches of environmental microbiology. The initial chapters cover the concentration, detection, and characterization of microbes in drinking water. Other chapters are technology focused and cover topics, such as geochips and microarrays and their applications, Raman microspectroscopy and related single cell techniques, the use of amoebae hosts, bacteria and bacteriophage as bioreporters, viability of detected microbes, and fecal source tracking. Environmental Microbiology: Current Technology and Water Applications includes comparative tables and figures that address detection sensitivity, specificity, ease of use, and other criteria. The value of the book em

Advances in Applied Microbiology, Volume 103, continues the comprehensive reach of this widely read and authoritative review source in microbiology. Users will find invaluable references and information on a variety of areas, with this updated volume including chapters on antimicrobial resistance in Campylobacter species, microbial source tracking, modeling phage bacteria interactions, and bacterial anaerobic synthesis gas (syngas) and CO2 + H2 fermentation. Each eclectic volume in this series is supplemented by thematic volumes in areas such as Archaea and sick building syndrome.

Bacteria have evolved with extraordinary abilities to regulate aspects of their behavior (such as gene expression) in response to signals in the intracellular and extracellular environment. Key to this are the diverse macromolecules (proteins or RNA) that sense change through direct interactions with chemical or physical stimuli. In recent years, there have been tremendous advances in understanding the structure and function of these signal receptors, and how interaction with the signal triggers changes in their activity and downstream events. For some systems, this understanding extends to the atomic level. In this unique book, an international team of experts reviews a selection of important model systems, providing a timely snapshot of the current state of research in the field. Sensory Mechanisms in Bacteria opens with an introductory chapter that reviews the diversity of signal recognition mechanisms, illustrating the breadth of the field. Subsequent chapters include descriptions

This book offers a comprehensive introduction to electron-based bioscience, biotechnology, and biocorrosion. It both explains the importance of electron flow during metabolic processes in microorganisms and provides valuable insights into emerging applications in various fields. In the opening section, readers will find up-to-date information on topics such as electron transfer reactions, extracellular electron transfer mechanisms, direct interspecies electron transfer, and electron uptake by sulfate-reducing bacteria. The focus then shifts to state-of-the-art advances and applications in the field of biotechnology. Here, the coverage encompasses e.g. progress in understanding electrochemical interactions between microorganisms and conductive particles, enzymatic reactions and their application in the bioproduction of useful chemicals, and the importance of redox balance for fatty acid production. In closing, the book addresses various aspects of the complex phenomenon of microbiologically induced corrosion, highlighting novel insights from the fields of electromicrobiology and electrochemistry and their implications.

Nitric Oxide and Other Small Signalling Molecules, Volume 72, the latest release in the Advances in Microbial Physiology series, continues the long tradition of topical, important, cutting-edge reviews in microbiology. The book contains updates in the field, with comprehensive chapters covering the Biochemistry of cysteine persulfides, NO signaling in yeast, The Inflammasome: Regulation of Nitric Oxide and Antimicrobial Host Defense, Nitric Oxide, aN Old molecule with NOble functions in Pseudomonas aeruginosa biology, the Emerging roles of nitric oxide synthase in bacterial physiology, and Anaerobic bacterial response to nitrosative stress.

This book provides a detailed review of many different aspects of pathogens, from the effects of single base pair mutations to large-scale control options, bringing into a single volume over 100 years of findings from thousands of researchers worldwide. Diseases caused by soft rot Pectobacteriaceae (SRP) are a major cause of loss to crop, vegetables and ornamental plants worldwide, and have been found on all continents except Antarctica. While different aspects of the SRP have appeared in other books on plant disease, no book, until now, has been dedicated solely to them.