Microbiology

Reviewed by Shabana Malik, Adjunct Instructor, College of DuPage on 4/19/21

Comprehensiveness rating: 5 see less

The textbook is divided into acellular and cellular microorganisms where acellular is focused on viruses and prions and cellular with the rest of the microbes. This textbook has embedded web links instead of pictures which take students directly to the web page with visuals as well as more explanation. These are some of the best educational materials links. Diagrams are supplemented with real pictures (as in the microscopes chapter) making it more helpful to visualize the actual product. Each chapter has study and explanatory questions as well as keywords at the end. Book summarizes key differences between bacteria and archaea. The virus chapter has a khan academy video link provided. Besides covering topics on structure, function, taxonomy, evolution, nutrition, etc. this book also encompasses genetic engineering techniques and microbial genomics.

Content Accuracy rating: 5

The textbook is accurate, with no errors and is unbiased.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 5

The text has all the basic information listed about the microbes, microscopes, red-ox reaction, taxonomy and evolution, genetic engineering, etc. The text is organized in a way that new information can be easily added, for e.g. in the chapter on viruses, new information about the corona virus can be easily updated.

Clarity rating: 4

In some places, the technical terms are used without abbreviations. If the reader continues, they might encounter the abbreviations and have to read back to see what the abbreviation stands for.

Consistency rating: 4

The book uses long sentences to describe concepts, shorter sentences would have been easier to understand.

Modularity rating: 5

The text is nicely divided into heading and subheadings and information flows in an organized manner.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5

The last two chapters (Bacterial Pathogenicity and Viruses) should have been placed along side bacteria and viruses Introduction chapters so as to maintain a continuous theme.

Interface rating: 5

The text is easily navigated and links are all working and updated. All weblinks, hyperlinks, images, charts, and pictures are clearly inserted at the right spot.

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

Text conains no grammer error.

Cultural Relevance rating: 5

The text cites examples from scientists from different backgrounds. The text also gives examples from common-day English language grammar and spellings as a way to introduce the topics to the students.

Comments

I think a text has a screenshot of BLAST results which is an excellent strategy to introduce students and get them excited about genome sequencing.

Reviewed by Robyn Roberts, Assistant Professor, Colorado State University on 12/8/20

Comprehensiveness rating: 3 see less

This book does a good job of introducing the basic field of microbiology. Some books I’ve seen are very heavily focused on bacteria, and this one is a bit more comprehensive with sections on archaea and viruses. I wish it had sections on fungi and protists as well since they were specifically listed in the introduction, and these systems would fit well as mentions in specific topical sections, such as protists in the Phototrophy section and fungi in the Nitrogen fixation section (e.g. Mycorrhizae) (only bacteria are mentioned). Oomycetes and nematodes should be mentioned since they are microbes as well.

Like many general microbiology books, this book is heavily focused on microbes that interact with humans/mammals. It would also be good to mention that microbes associate with all domains of life (for example, viruses infect animals, plants, fungi, protists, etc). Included should be more examples of microbes that associate with plants, and explain that certain classes of microbes or descriptions of microbes are specific for their hosts. For example, retroviruses and the lytic/lysogenic descriptions do not apply to viruses that infect plants. More classification, and a broader view of what it means to be a “microbe” outside of the narrow view of mammals, would be a nice addition. One specific section that could highlight important plant-microbe interactions is the symbiosis section—only the human microbiome, quorum sensing, and biofilms are covered. Symbiosis plays a huge role in agriculture through rhizobial and mycorrhizal interactions that are important for nitrogen fixation and nutrient uptake, and play major roles in crop rotation decisions. The bacterial pathogenicity section is also very focused on bacterial-animal pathogenicity and does not mention plants. Bacterial plant pathogens have huge impacts on agriculture and food security and should be mentioned in this section. Introducing agricultural/plant topics in introductory classes is important to expose students to fields outside of medicine, which is particularly important for biology majors (who seem to be the target of this textbook).

Content Accuracy rating: 4

The content itself is accurate, but is biased toward mammalian microbiology.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 4

Topics covered are foundational and should not need much updating over time. Needed updates will be relatively easy and straightforward to implement.

Clarity rating: 5

The cartoons/diagrams are beautiful, clean, and easy to understand. The style of writing is interesting and should keep the attention of an introductory class.

Consistency rating: 5

The terminology and framework are consistent.

Modularity rating: 5

The sections are appropriate and it should be pretty easy to jump between sections after the introductory topics.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5

The book is well organized and presented in a logical, clear fashion.

Interface rating: 5

The interface works well.

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

The book is well-written and free from grammatical errors.

Cultural Relevance rating: 3

The book does not highlight the work of many authors, and the authors that are highlighted are mostly men. It could be useful to include examples of discoveries made by women and underserved groups.

Comments

This book seems to be targeted to non-microbiology majors and would work well for a general undergraduate course for biology majors (a 200-300 level class).

The study questions are a nice addition to help guide students in their studies of the subject, as well as the key words. This helps replace a course study guide and could also serve as homework problems.

Reviewed by Debby Filler, Professor, Minnesota State - Anoka Ramsey Community College on 7/1/19

Comprehensiveness rating: 4 see less

Missing a section on Eukaryotic microbes - but interestingly, they are referred to fairly often - without actually explaining about them.

Content Accuracy rating: 5

Seems reasonably accurate for the level that it is written.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 4

Missing discussion about antibiotic resistance - critically important in my opinion.

Clarity rating: 4

Reasonably clear.

Consistency rating: 3

Too much detail on the constructs of more advanced microscopes, but brightfield microscopes (which are the only type most students will encounter) are presented as a line drawing. Inconsistent also in the depth of various concepts. In the diagram for Lactic Acid Fermentation, NAD+ is missing the plus (+) in one place.

Modularity rating: 4

I'm not wild about what goes into each module. For example, the chapter called Environmental Factors covers some factors relating to growth (but not all the ones I prefer to cover), but also factors relating to controlling microbial growth. I would prefer those to be in different chapters to emphasize what is required for growth, and then emphasizing what can be used to interrupt necessary factors.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 4

See modularity. Introduction to Viruses is surprisingly far away from the chapter called Viruses. Why?

Interface rating: 4

Too many references to outside sources, requiring the reader to leave the textbook and go elsewhere for critical information.

Grammatical Errors rating: 3

I found the informal tone extremely distracting and unprofessional. When I'm teaching, I want my students to learn to read, write, and speak as professionals. Informal chatty tone is ok in the classroom when trying to help them understand complex concepts. But I find that if they never read professional writing, they will never write professionally.

Cultural Relevance rating: 4

See comments about unprofessional tone. I think that the unprofessional tone borders on cultural insensitivity.

Reviewed by Beverly Burden, Associate professor, LSUS on 4/13/19, updated 5/6/19

Comprehensiveness rating: 3 see less

The material shallow, best suited for a community college level course.

Content Accuracy rating: 1

excellent accuracy

Relevance/Longevity rating: 2

I especially liked the chapter on genetic engineering.

Clarity rating: 3

Very clear, I like the small subheadings.

Consistency rating: 3

Each chapter used the same format.

Modularity rating: 3

Very nice in discrete packets.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 4

Why two chapters on viruses?

Interface rating: 3

The microscope chapter could use some images of the bacteria using the different types of microscopes.

Grammatical Errors rating: 1

I did not see any grammatical errors.

Cultural Relevance rating: 1

It was not culturally insensitive.

Reviewed by Jennifer Powell, Associate Professor, Gettysburg College on 3/19/19

Comprehensiveness rating: 3 see less

So many commercial microbiology textbooks devote many chapters to descriptions of specific microbes from many of the major taxa. I really like the fact that this text does not, but rather focuses on the biology of microorganisms. It does a pretty nice job with cell biology; however, there were a few areas of microbiology that I would have loved to see addressed in more depth. For example: Evolution, RNA world, origin of life, endosymbiosis, quorum sensing. Further, there are several other topics that I consider vital in a course on microbial biology but were omitted completely from this text. For example: Secretion, operons, regulation of gene expression, two-component regulators, CRISPR. No microbiology textbook can or should cover all subjects, of course, but these seemed like glaring omissions.

Overall, the level of mechanistic detail seems most appropriate for a really good non-majors class on microbial biology. It is (refreshingly) not targeted for a medical microbiology course for any level. Perhaps it is my own bias, but I would prefer a more comprehensive text, both in terms of the subjects included and the depth of discussion of those subjects, for a microbial biology course targeted for biology majors.

Content Accuracy rating: 4

The accuracy of the text seemed quite good for the level to which it appears targeted. There are plenty of details that are omitted or over-simplified, but I did not find any gross inaccuracies.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 3

I feel that several important missing topics would give this text more contemporary relevance. CRISPR genome editing is one of the most impactful discoveries / inventions in biology in decades, yet it is not even mentioned. Antibiotics are mentioned a few times, but there is no intentional discussion of antibiotic mechanisms of action or mechanisms of resistance. Biofilms and quorum are discussed superficially, but not two-component regulators. Transcription, translation, operons, and the regulation of gene expression are missing.

Clarity rating: 4

The writing style is clear and descriptions good. As mentioned above, I am glad this text does not devote hundreds of pages to cataloging specific microbes. However, the author does make use of specific examples to illustrate general principles – e.g. the classic quorum sensing and symbiosis example of bioluminescent bobtail squid. This is a great way to facilitate student learning.
An extension of this concept that I think would further increase the clarity of the text is to describe more molecular mechanisms. A process described in concrete mechanistic terms may take some extra effort from the student to learn initially, but the students then have a much deeper understanding than if they had just memorized a superficial abstract description of that same process. Molecular mechanism helps students really understand how a process works.

Consistency rating: 5

I did not find any major inconsistencies.

Modularity rating: 5

This text had good modularity. I used it to teach a course with completely different organization but didn’t have trouble assigning sections in a different order.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5

The organization was logical and flowed from one topic to the next reasonably well. As noted above, I would have loved to see more in-depth coverage of several topics, which I think would improve the overall flow by filling in some gaps.

Interface rating: 5

I have no complaints.

Grammatical Errors rating: 4

I was not a huge fan of the informal, conversational style. In my opinion it didn’t fit the charge of a textbook. It is challenging to help students learn to write well and to adapt their written and oral communication styles for different audiences. A textbook is supposed to be an authoritative reference but the more chatty feel of this text undermined its authority.

Cultural Relevance rating: 5

I did not notice any cultural insensitivities.

Reviewed by Michael Chorney, Professor of Biology, Pennsylvania State University on 2/1/18

Comprehensiveness rating: 3 see less

First off, I enjoyed the tome. It was a pleasant read and it covers most areas pertinent to microbiology. I give it reasonably high marks for comprehensiveness, though there are some holes. I also like its straightforward style (though there are some concerns regarding approach) that reduced the essentials to understandable information; this is particularly relevant to today's undergraduates who appreciate direct approaches and the distillation of difficult concepts translated into simple-to-grasp words. I believe Dr. Bruslind accomplishes the creation of a textbook that students would enjoy as a guide through a lower level microbiology course (say 100 to 300 level). That said, I felt at times that some of the text was a tad glossy, and that at other times the topics were quickly broached but void of their broader significance. I do not find this any form of substantive negative, in that I expect students to refer to other sources, including websites, databases, etc.; however, it is clear that in this day, many students want the spoon-feeding approach towards learning in which the meal has all the essentials needed to navigate to and beyond testing time (my opinion). In any event, this is generally a well-written and clear offering, though there are some areas to possibly expand upon in the future, and I offer these for consideration.

Here are a few concerns:

One area I found a bit lacking was Mycobacteria and intracellular parasitism. There is ample evidence that the use of fire in enclosed settings may have promoted the virulence of these bugs in human lungs. Then, there is also leprosy to consider..

Another area I found absent was how microbes have positively selected for many human alleles, i.e., have provided pressures ranging from the overdominant selection of delta 508 for CFTR to other alleles in balancing selection mode (HLA). There is no discussion of evolution and microbes' impact on human diversification/evolution in response to virulence, and no mention of Lenski and long-term evolution experimentation (citrate, glyoxylate intersections relevant to the TCA cycle and carbon source selection).

And.....no protists: Plasmodium, trypanosomiasis, leishmania, etc. and their diseases.

And.....no discussion of the homing of human innate immunity on microbial molecules recognized through toll-reception. LPS is a great opportunity to discuss bacterial impact on the patient (see the amoebocyte lysate test), as was G-C content.

And.....no antibiotic discussion, their overuse, and their rapid evolution.

And.....no mention of restriction/modification systems and CRISPR.

And.....no operons.

I fully realize the book already tackles a panoply of topics, though the above are of importance, some growing rapidly in their popularity.

Content Accuracy rating: 4

Generally, I found few concepts/information/ideas, etc., that were off-base with respect to their accuracy. The information was well-presented with few errors or gaffs. I give high marks for the conveyance of many difficult concepts in a straightforward and understandable fashion, which students should find fully palatable and rewarding in the study of micro-organisms.

In Ch 4, does the author mean to use antibiotics under Gram Negative Cell Walls, but instead is referring to antibodies? This may be the 9th, or so, sentence.

In the same chapter, I believe Braun's proteins attach to the membrane via their own hydrophobic moieties, maybe fatty acids, not a polar head--check this.

The statement that lactams attack the cell wall could be misleading: they inhibit synthesis, so this may be a grammatical consideration needing redress.

Ch 6, the lipid figure shows phosphate as the terminal moiety of the membrane elements: why not include the polar heads, and introduce them in the text. It is not clear as to whom the intended audience is--some of the material is challenging, other discussions are a bit superficial.

Later, there is no mention of Next-Generation Sequencing and the concomitant technological advances associated with these forms of analysis. If memory serves, microarray technology is included; what about discussing the elements of Sanger sequencing, or is the author expecting students to already have this knowledge?

Relevance/Longevity rating: 4

It is my opinion that the topics are contemporary and will readily stand the 'test of scientific time.' The quantum nature (for want of a better term; i.e., the sub-chapter, paragraph parceling) in which the material is presented (and which I find generally helpful), will allow rapid updates and addenda to be accreted down the road without any upheaval.. The topics/chapters constitute traditional, important elements of the field and they are relatively cemented in temporal place with respect to their relevance and value. Overall, fine from my vantage point, and supportive of reasonable longevity of the e-text.

Clarity rating: 4

I have a few suggestions to make, which may aid the author, certainly the student readers may benefit though some of my observations may be minor in scope. I present my feel of the read with respect to areas that I thought a bit rushed.

1. The scale discussion was fine and well-placed, but emphasis should be made on understanding the physical nature of the meter, centimeter and millimeter before going smaller, i.e., give the students a real starting point from which to better comprehend the physical aspects of these distances (they already know foot and inch, etc.). I felt the discussion proceeded too quickly. The Learning Genetics website inclusion was good, and maybe this will substitute for what I found lacking in the 'scale' narrative--this may be minor.

2. I would like a bit more clarity on the surface/volume constrictions, which seem left to the student to draw conclusions. Small is good, big problematic, but where is any sort of cellular line crossed?

3. The membrane fatty acid elements contribute to the fluid mosaic nature of membranes. Why not include the Singer/Nicolson paper reference and discuss lateral mobility related to saturated/unsaturated fats and their melting temps.

4. It was mentioned that the cell wall exists outside the membrane, then later the author proceeds to discuss the Gram -'s and the periplasmic space. A bit illogical. Then, it is mentioned that some bacteria do not have cell walls at all. How many (number) peptidoglycan layers do each Gram type possess?

5. In many instances, it would be advisable to develop tables which will help organize and make the material much clearer and better integrated/related.

6. State what a spore does and how it is important up front. As they say in the military, BLUF, for bottom-line up front.

7. Emphasize why enzymes are physically juxtaposed within the cell--i.e., to bring them together for a common catalysis in the various 'somes--in eukaryotes, you have scaffolding proteins to facilitate metabolite/substrate handoffs (I'm referring to proximity effects).

8. Ch 7 and taxa, a table would greatly help. In the phylogenetic tree in Ch 1, T. celer is used, no genus name. Be consistent.

9. In the surface structure chapter, explain up front how the environment needs to be surveyed and explored related to mobility/chemotaxis, receptors and metabolite transport, etc., by microbes. Maybe minor again, but it seems sometimes that topics are not introduced with respect to broader significance, but one finds, rather, that the material is quickly broached without lead-in.

10. Why have a very general chapter on viruses midway through the book, and then pick things up again in the last chapter. Combine these or juxtapose them. Also, give examples of relevant viruses, like SV40, EBV, hepatitis, flu, etc. I found that much information is presented without the provision of examples, both viruses and bacteria, and their contribution to human health and society.

11. You mention lysogeny in chapter 8, what about random insertions in the human genome by lentiviruses (one need wait until the end of the book as mentioned) and insertional mutagenesis; there is no use of the word tropism.

12. Ch 9 mentions antibiotics, what about colicins?

13. Is cryophile a more apt word for cold-attuned bacteria? Also, 'Bacteria' are given as a domain, what about 'Eubacteria' (I am not fully aware as to the correct terminology, but have been using eubacteria in class--am I wrong?).

14. A question related to pH adaptation is intriguing--would you consider challenging students to consider protein side groups and catalysis as a potential advanced query related to extremophiles (low and high pH dwelling species?

15. Iron is glossed over--what about iron-sulfur centers; what about Mycobacterial need for iron in their intracellular sights, and what about the wonderful, if controversial story of NRAMP1 and iron? Maybe expand on this and include some molecular biology.

16. Electron transport is varied, but a better figure, with clearly marked protein complexes, cytochromes, and their Eo's, would have helped.

17. What makes RNA the prime biochemical moiety considered to be relevant to the first steps in genome replication? This is not broached.

18. What is the relevance of jumping genes to bacteria? Can the students answer this question without a discussion of their relevance to humans (retroviruses and cDNA and random insertion mediated by functional, activated LINE's). Just a thought.

19. The discussion of PCR is the perfect place to discuss the value of thermophiles to this molecular technology.

20. Cytokine production in bacterial systems may be better replaced by the production of insulin, of great medical value.

21. It may be worthwhile to mention genome/protein databases students can access, NCBI, COSMIC, Uniprot, etc.

22. Explain the molecular conversion of lactate to ethanol in fermentation. Structures?

23. While many students may appreciate the lack of molecular structures, some may be of value in appropriate chapters. Undergraduates destined for health professions like the MD and PhD, to name but a few, may find this somewhat of a deficit, though they can look them up (granted).

24. Tables, tables, tables throughout the book. These would help much (sorry to be repetitive about their inclusion), for instance, cloning vectors related to origin and usefulness (how big of an insert can they handle) would have been helpful, as would virulence factors/diseases, etc.

These are some areas in which the author might consider expansion for clarity's sake, although none of these represent the redress of any deal-breakers in the text.

Consistency rating: 5

The consistency doesn't create any major problem. Acronyms are consistently used. The discussion of genus and species were appropriate. I would do the same for genes (wildtype and mutants) and proteins. A few sentences have varied capitalization, like early on with respect to Domain and domain, check this. Some of the charge values, like -2, +1, etc., were juxtaposed to the element number, like NO31-, with no distinction in their subscript/superscript positioning. A few scientist names are mentioned (e.g., McClintock); what about Margulies, Temin, Varmus, Bishop. Importance is also given to the oncoviruses, why not mention papilloma viruses, SV40, EBV, etc. The absence of Peyton Rous's virus and Src in the transducing avian leukosis virus, deserves inclusion in my opinion.

Modularity rating: 4

This is reasonable. The pace if fine, the breaks between major elements allows for reshuffling/reorganization. There is a tidiness within each chapter with minimal reference to others, though I am not sure this is fully a beneficial thing. I would, nevertheless, move some of the material around a bit. The bacterial disease chapter (and virulence) needs to be brought forward, perhaps, as does the final viral chapter. I would group the uses of, and impact by, bacteria on humankind into a section and would include (1) fermentation/food, (2) molecular biology/cloning, (3) health/disease, (4) weaponization (consider this), and maybe others into a section, as I would microbial genomes, genetics and gene expression/control (include a discussion of operons, Jacob and Monod) into another, leaving taxa and biochemistry for the opening of the book.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 3

See above, this needs some revamping. I would begin with discussing structure and function of the archea, bacteria and viruses, with focus on morphology and genomes. This might then segue into taxa, phylogeny and move on to biochemistry and energy production (trophisms) with a discussion of glycolysis, electron transport and terminal electron acceptors, with a branching off to phototrophy. I would next talk about microbes' intersection with Homo sapiens, both positive and negative (utility in the food realm, molecular biology and health/microbiome/disease] and end with a discussion of evolutionary considerations (like intracellular parasitism) and environmental/ecological aspects. Maybe earlier I would also talk about microbe discovery, microscopes (which I liked in toto), and later, the history of the microbial world and its intersection with human existence (pandemics, emerging pathogens etc.). There are many ways to organize the topics, but I believe some novelty is required and some modification is appropriate. It would not be too big of a chore.

Interface rating: 5

This is excellent--there were no issues. All of the websites were quickly accessed and of value to the text. I would add some databases, including the possibility of having students access microbial genomes within the NCBI and actually consider a blast exercise. Uniprot will help with understanding domains of some interesting bacterial sequences. Those sites I went to were crisp, clear and relevant to the discussion. I am wondering if videos exist to complement the fine microscope images early on. I would build on the interface elements that already exist as these were good.

Grammatical Errors rating: 4

Ch 1: Under Hooke, third sentence, drawing should be plural.

A few of the sentences were awkward and inverted; for instance, it was stated that: "The Eukarya Domain includes many non-microbes, such as animals and plants, but there are numerous microbial examples as well, such as fungi, protists, slime molds, and water molds." Why not state that the eukarya domain contains numerous microbial species such as fungi, protists, slime molds and water molds in addition to the larger animal and plant species. A few sentences existed as above.

"But numbers, that is something." Or, but numbers are something, or a comparable subject-verb association.

There are some inconsistencies and a bit closer review/editing needs to be undertaken. Overall, though, the grammar doesn't significantly distract from the text's message.

Cultural Relevance rating: 1

There is nothing major here, but I would argue against the very personable style of the author. It's homey and not untoward, though some may find it distracting (I did). The thought of a 'midlife crisis, not my taxes, E. coli, anyone,' etc., etc. is okay if spoken in the classroom, but these parenthetical phrases detracted from the subject matter and 'authority' of the author (maybe this is a bit severe, but my view). Some of the middle to later chapters take on a more serious overall tenor; however, I would eliminate this sort of friendly/funny dialogue and stick with the science--save it for didactic sessions. Again, this is style-related, and I could be fully wrong. I didn't find anything to be controversial and exclusive with respect to any groups. This latter observation is a plus.

Comments

Again, I liked the book, and would give it a high 3 as it stands. I believe it could use a bit of tweaking in order to improve the content, to make things more flowing and clear, and to focus on a few topical addenda that would improve the breadth of the content and provide some slightly greater contemporary relevance. This shouldn't take much effort. I feel the e-textbook is close to becoming very useful to undergraduate students, and I am generally favorably disposed to the book, its current organization and its content. I feel that it can use some polishing and maybe a small change in the style, things which would enhance the quality of a book with a significant scaffold and much potential.