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Key Features

• This is probably the first Postgraduate Microbiology book in India written exclusively for—General Bacteriology.
• Sections: Organized into four major sections—Fundamentals of Bacteriology; Genetics and Pathogenesis; Bacterial Culture and Identification; Antibacterial Agents and Susceptibility Testing.
• Section I: Fundamentals of Bacteriology – Provides an in-depth foundation covering the introduction and historical evolution of bacteriology, microscopy, bacterial taxonomy, morphology, physiology, metabolism, normal human microbiota, and the epidemiology of infectious diseases.
• Section II: Genetics and Pathogenesis – Offers comprehensive coverage of bacterial genome replication, gene expression and regulation, mechanisms of horizontal gene transfer, virulence determinants, molecular mechanisms of pathogenesis, secretion systems, biofilm biology, quorum sensing, and pathogenicity islands.
• Section III: Bacterial Culture and Identification – Focuses on laboratory practice, including biosafety cabinets, biosafety levels, and biosecurity; laboratory instrumentation; specimen collection; staining and direct detection techniques; culture media preparation; conventional and automated culture methods; colony morphology and motility testing; biochemical identification of Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria; automated identification platforms; and phenotypic typing methods.
• Section IV: Antibacterial Agents and Susceptibility Testing – Presents a detailed account of antibacterial agents with emphasis on classification and PK-PD principles, mechanisms of antimicrobial resistance, cell wall–active and cell membrane–acting agents, protein synthesis inhibitors, nucleic acid and folate pathway inhibitors, antimicrobial susceptibility testing methodologies, direct susceptibility testing, detection of specific resistance mechanisms, and quality control in AST.
• Figures: More than 700 figures have been incorporated, including (i) schematic diagrams illustrating key topics such as metabolic pathways, complex concepts in bacterial genetics, secretion systems, and other core mechanisms, and (ii) high-quality photographs of microscopy culture media and methods, laboratory instruments, and biochemical reactions etc. Most images are drawn from the author’s own departmental collection, together forming an atlas-like visual resource in bacteriology.
• Tables: Over 400 well-structured tables facilitate rapid comparison between entities, effectively summarizing key concepts and enhancing clarity, learning, and long-term retention.
• Bacterial taxonomy: This chapter has been systematically adapted from authoritative reference sources, including the.
• References for this volume have been drawn from authoritative standard textbooks, including Prescott’s Microbiology for bacterial genetics, replication, morphology, physiology, metabolism, and microscopy; Jawetz, Melnick & Adelberg’s Medical Microbiology for core conceptual frameworks; Mackie & McCartney for culture media, culture techniques, and staining methods; MacFaddin’s book for Biochemical reactions; and Koneman, Bailey & Scott, and Murray (ASM) for laboratory diagnosis, NCBI Taxonomy and the Genome Taxonomy Database (for bacterial taxonomy) and preservation of bacteria, along with other established reference sources and high-quality peer-reviewed journals such as Nature, Frontiers in Microbiology, and related international publications.
• Most features of author’s popular MBBS book has been maintained in this book
• o Concise, bulleted format and to-the-point text—easy to read during examination
• o Simple and lucid language—makes the understanding easy
• o Separate highlighted boxes—for important topics for quick review.