Environmental Microbiology Textbook Published

Feb. 27, 2004

Environmental Microbiology was published in 2000. Two of the three editors of this book are University of Arizona Superfund Basic Research Program investigators, Drs. Raina Maier and Ian Pepper.

This textbook is designed for a senior-level undergraduate class or a graduate-level class in environmental microbiology and to serve as a reference for any scientist interested in this field. The overall objectives of the text are to define the important microbes involved in environmental microbiology, the nature of the different environments in which the microbes are situated, and the methodologies used to monitor the microbes and their activities, and, finally, to evaluate the effects of these microbes on human activities.

This text has five subject areas presented in a logical progression: (i) foundation chapters to provide an adequate background for the advanced material presented in the subsequent chapters; (ii) chapters on microbial environments, including terrestrial, aquatic, and atmospheric; (iii) chapters on detection and quantitation of microbial activity, including cultural, microscopic, physiological, molecular, and immunological approaches; (iv) chapters on the impact of microbial activity on the environment in terms of element cycling and the fate of organic and metal pollutants; and (v) chapters on the transmission, detection, and control of pathogens in the environment.

The chapters in this book include:

  • Introduction to Environmental Microbiology
  • Microorganisms in the Environment
  • Bacterial Growth
  • Terrestrial Environments
  • Aeromicrobiology
  • Aquatic and Extreme Environments
  • Microbial Transport
  • Environmental Sample Collection and Processing
  • Microscopic Techniques
  • Cultural Methods
  • Physiological Methods
  • Immunological Methods
  • Nucleic Acid-Based Methods of Analysis
  • Biogeochemical Cycling
  • Consequences of Biogeochemical Cycles Gone Wild
  • Microorganisms and Organic Pollutants
  • Microorganisms and Metal Pollutants
  • Beneficial and Pathogenic Microbes in Agriculture
  • Environmentally Transmitted Pathogens
  • Indicator Microorganisms
  • Domestic Wastes and Waste Treatment
  • Drinking Water Treatment and Distribution
  • Disinfection
  • Risk Assessment

Reference:
Maier, R. M., Pepper, I. L., and Gerba, C. P.  Environmental Microbiology.  Academic Press, San Diego, 2000.