Whether we realize it or not, microbes play an ever-present role in our daily lives. Foodborne infections, epidemics, and pandemics are frequently headline news. The Microbial Challenge: Science, Disease, and Public Health, Second Edition, presents a fascinating look at human-microbe interactions and examines the disease producers while discussing how, with knowledge-based preparation, we can live in harmony with microbes. It also discusses the ways in which beneficial microbes are involved in the cycles of nature and in the food industry, and how they are used as research tools. Ideal for undergraduate non-science majors and allied and public health students, this unique text is a hybrid of microbiology and public health and includes material on prions, helminths (worms), biological warfare and terrorism, antibiotic resistance, the global impact of microbial diseases, and immunization. The text helps students better understand the biology of the microbial world and the societal factors that are both the cause and consequences of microbial disease. With up-to-date content, current information on health organizations, including the CDC and WHO, and a new chapter on bacterial genetics, The Microbial Challenge provides a gripping account of the burden of microbial diseases throughout the world.