Clinical Microbiology Made Ridiculously Simple, Edition 3

Book Preface

A well-developed knowledge of clinical microbiology is critical for the practicing physician in any medical field. Bacteria, viruses, and protozoans have no respect for the distinction between ophthalmology, pediatrics, trauma surgery, or geriatric medicine. As a physician you will be faced daily with the concepts of microbial disease and antimicrobial therapy. Microbiology is one of the few courses where much of the “minutia” is regularly used by the practicing physician.

This book attempts to facilitate the learning of microbiology by presenting the information in a clear and entertaining manner brimming with memory aids.

Our approach has been to:

1) Write in a conversational style for rapid assimilation.
2) Include numerous figures serving as “visual memory tools” and summary charts at the end of each chapter. These can be used for “cram sessions” after the concepts have been studied in the text.

3) Concentrate more on clinical and infectious disease issues that are both interesting and vital to the actual practice of medicine.

4) Create a conceptual, organized approach to the organisms studied so the student relies less on memory and more on logical pathophysiology. The text has been updated to include current information on rapidly developing topics, such as HIV and AIDS (vaccine efforts and all the new anti-HIV medications), Ebola virus, Hantavirus, E. coli outbreaks, Mad Cow Disease, and brand-new antimicrobial antibiotics.

The mnemonics and cartoons in this book do not intend disrespect for any particular patient population or racial or ethnic group but are solely presented as memory devices to assist in the learning of a complex and important medical subject.

We welcome suggestions for future editions.

MARK GLADWIN, MD
BILL TRATTLER, MD