Features

• A groundbreaking art program engages as it teaches and works hand-in-hand with the text:
  • Half-micrograph, half-illustration cell art illustrates microbial structures in a three-dimensional, visually striking way to draw students' interest while also teaching them what cellular structures really look like (example in Chapter 3).
  • Orientation figures and step-by-step diagrams break complex processes into smaller, more manageable pieces for students. Step numbers in the text are color-coded to correspond with step numbers in the illustrations for seamless text/art integration (example in Chapter 5).
  • Figure legend questions engage students by asking them to use what they've learned in the text to answer questions about topics featured in the art.
  • Color-consistent icons and figures are used throughout the text to make it easier for the student to recognize structures and processes from chapter to chapter.
• The taxonomic organization of the disease chapters presents microbial diseases by type of pathogen so students can better relate the shared characteristics among given types of microorganisms.
• Critical Thinking Questions, located throughout the text and at the end of each chapter, encourage students to apply what they've just read to an additional scenario or case study.
• Case Study boxes (in Chapters 19-25) ask students to apply material they have learned in the text to clinical scenarios, often featuring a micrograph or clinical photo that they are asked to interpret.
• Student-focused pedagogy includes:
  • The pre-tests are designed to be taken prior to reading a given chapter to 1) review topics introduced in previous chapters that are relevant to the chapter at hand, and 2) test students' preconceptions and/or prior knowledge of the chapter's topics.
  • Learning Objectives are integrated throughout each chapter at the beginning of each new section to give students a preview of topics covered.
  • Integrated pronunciation and etymology guides help students with pronouncing and remembering vocabulary.
  • Micrographs and many illustrations include rule bars and TEM/SEM designations to give students a size and scale context for the art.
  • End-of-chapter summaries and review questions help students review the material.
• Chapter-opening vignettes pique students' interest about the topic at hand from page one. Examples: how microbes are used to make chocolate (Ch. 5); how a grilled cheese sandwich allegedly featuring the image of the Virgin Mary may have resisted mold growth for years (new to Ch. 6); contact lens safety (new to Ch 9); SARS (Ch. 14); acne (Ch. 19); plague (Ch. 20); bad oysters (Ch. 21); athlete's foot (Ch. 22); tapeworm (Ch. 23); herpes virus (new to Ch. 24); ebola virus (new to Ch. 25); the role of E. coli in diabetes treatment (Ch. 26.)