Microbial Inhabitants of Humans Their Ecology and Role in Health and Disease [Hardcover]

An advanced text on microorganisms indigenous to humans of key importance in health and disease.The microbes that live on humans are discussed in this textbook for advanced students of microbiology. It explains how these indigenous microorganisms come to be on our body and how they can survive there. The benefits of these organisms to humans are described -- they protect us against infectious diseases, provide us with vitamins and nutrients and regulate the development of our immune system and certain tissues. The wide range of diseases that these organisms can cause are discussed, along with the ways in which we can control the types of organisms present for the benefit of human health.The microbes that live on humans are discussed in this textbook for advanced students of microbiology. It explains how these indigenous microorganisms come to be on our body and how they can survive there. The benefits of these organisms to humans are described -- they protect us against infectious diseases, provide us with vitamins and nutrients and regulate the development of our immune system and certain tissues. The wide range of diseases that these organisms can cause are discussed, along with the ways in which we can control the types of organisms present for the benefit of human health.Microbial communities (normal indigenous microbiota) inhabit those regions of the human body that are exposed to the external environment, including the skin, eyes, oral cavity and the respiratory, urinary, reproductive and gastrointestinal tracts. Consequently, the key anatomical and physiological characteristics of each body site are described throughout this book to reveal why particular organisms are able to colonize an anatomical region. The crucial roles of the indigenous microbiota in protecting against exogenous pathogens, regulating the development of our immune system and mucosae, and providing nutrients are also discussed.1. An introduction to the human-microbe symbiosis; 2. The slӑ