A Photographic Atlas for the Microbiology Laboratory 4th Edition

Book Preface

As my fingers hit the keys of my laptop, I realize that I am, after a long, seemingly endless process, within days of completing the fourth edition of A Photographic Atlas for the Microbiology Laboratory. At this stage of a book’s life, a new edition ought to be just a matter of touching up the previous edition. Or so I thought. But, PAML 4e has presented its share of challenges.

First, and foremost, is the fact that this is the first project (out of three previous Atlas editions, three editions of Microbiology Laboratory Theory and Application, one edition of Microbiology Laboratory Theory and Application—Brief Edition, and three editions of Exercises for the Laboratory Manual) I have worked on without my longtime friend and colleague, Burt Pierce. Burt made the courageous and healthy decision to retire and move to Portland, OR, to enjoy life with his wife, three dogs, and two cats (notice the absence of any microbes in the family). Yet, while he was not an active participant, his influence remains in this edition. A majority of his written and photographic contributions are still here, and I have tried to live up to his eye for detail, his demand for excellence, and his dedication to knowing our readership. His philosophy was that even though we were writing for undergraduate students and not professionals, there was no excuse for “dumbing down the material”; he had a steadfast faith in the intelligence of our readers. Long ago, I was impressed by a speech made by a former San Diego City College president, in which she appealed for teamwork between faculty, staff and administration with the phrase, “None of us is as good as all of us.” She was right about the college, and it has been equally applicable to the books Burt and I have co-authored. Our skills complemented one another and the books were clearly better because of it. But beyond the production of books, and the associated blood, sweat, and tears, what mattered most was the friendship and satisfaction of a collective “job well done.” As the old beer commercial said, “(Burt), I love ya, man!”

A second challenge was that the Atlas has slowly accumulated much more text in support of the photos. When we did the first edition, the Atlas broke the mold at Morton Publishing by including much more explanatory text for the photos beyond captions. (In fact, the captions were criticized for not being very informative!) Burt and I maintained that microbiology, by nature, is very different from other disciplines and required background material; a photo album wouldn’t suffice. While we have continued to add photos and expand coverage in each edition, the increase in text has considerably outpaced the photos. (For those of you who have been with us through all four editions, compare photograph sizes in the first edition to this one!) Writing is not easy for me. But, I’ve finished reading the proofs and somehow it got written. Chalk up another challenge being met.

In many ways, this edition is like a first edition. Coverage has expanded from being primarily a book with a medical microbiology emphasis to one with a more balanced emphasis of microbiology in general. Following is a summary of the major changes in this edition.
– The original artwork has been replaced with professional renderings. Many of the older photos have been replaced with newer ones, and many new photos have been added. Between the artwork and photos, over 200 new figures (representing approximately 25% of the total) can be found.
– Four new chapters have been added. Chapter 1 provides an introduction to microbiology and presents a perspective on the places Bacteria and Archaea occupy in the biological world. It also expands the justification for the book’s reorganization (see the following paragraph). Chapter 11 covers some of the most important groups within the Domain Bacteria. Chapters 13 and 14 do the same for the Domains Archaea and Eukarya, respectively.
– Chapters have been resequenced to better reflect the process followed by a working microbiologist, so isolation techniques and selective media have been moved up to Chapter 2. The chapters that follow continue the process: growth patterns (Chapter 3), microscopy and staining (Chapters 4, 5, and 6), biochemical testing (Chapter 7), serological testing (Chapter 8), and molecular techniques (Chapter 9). The next chapters cover the microbes themselves, beginning with viruses (Chapter 10), and followed by chapters on Domain Bacteria (Chapters 11 and 12), Domain Archaea (Chapter 13), and Domain Eukarya (Chapters 14 through 17). The book finishes with chapters on quantitative techniques (Chapter 18), medical, environmental, and food microbiology (Chapter 19), and host defenses (Chapter 20). An appendix illustrating major metabolic pathways combined with tables to show reactants and products of each completes this edition.
– In addition to the brand new chapters, artwork, and photos, some new topics have been added to established chapters. Other topics have been expanded. Chapter 2 now includes Bacteroides Bile Esculin Agar, BIGGY Agar, Columbia CNA Agar, and Pseudomonas Isolation Agar. Cooked Meat Broth was added to Chapter 3 and the anaerobic jar has been updated. Chapter 4 has expanded coverage of electron microscopy. Parasporal crystal stain and cell wall stain have been added to Chapter 6. DNase Test Agar has been expanded in Chapter 7. The Winogradsky column and sulfur cycle have been added to Chapter19, and the nitrogen cycle has been expanded.

Speaking for both Burt and me, we hope you find this edition of the Photographic Atlas for the Microbiology Laboratory more useful than ever.

Mike
La Mesa, CA
December 2010