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Overview
An increase in global transportation has helped the tiniest of organisms-the microbes-find their way to new environments. Avian flu, which originated in Asia, is making its way to new countries as a result of commerce. Some experts anticipate an avian flu pandemic in the near future. Invasive microbes, which include viruses, bacteria, protists, and fungi, can have devastating impacts on their hosts, causing illness, death, and deformities. This book looks at the most threatening of today's invasive microbes. Their origins, strategies for control, and future trends are discussed.About the Author:
Suellen May worked in the environmental field for 15 years, including management of invasive species for Larimer County Open Lands in Colorado
Synopsis
An increase in global transportation has helped the tiniest of organisms-the microbes-find their way to new environments. Avian flu, which originated in Asia, is making its way to new countries as a result of commerce. Some experts anticipate an avian flu pandemic in the near future. Invasive microbes, which include viruses, bacteria, protists, and fungi, can have devastating impacts on their hosts, causing illness, death, and deformities. This book looks at the most threatening of today's invasive microbes. Their origins, strategies for control, and future trends are discussed.
About the Author:
Suellen May worked in the environmental field for 15 years, including management of invasive species for Larimer County Open Lands in Colorado
Children's Literature
May provides a clear description of invasive microbes for students in upper elementary, middle and high school. So clear, in fact, that readers may wonder about the cleanliness of the environment, their food sources, and the surfaces of everyday objects. Part of the "Invasive Species" series, May covers a basic description of a microbe, alerting readers to the difference between a microbe and a germ, as well as information about how microbes spread and what we can do to keep them from spreading. She also discusses several instances in which microbes have caused sicknesses at epidemic levels, including bird flu and soybean rust. Readers cannot be squeamish since May is frank in descriptions of the diseases caused by microbes: death from cholera is gruesome. Additional information is given in large sidebars, while picture captions help readers to understand the text. Notes, a glossary, an index, a bibliography, and suggestions for further reading are provided. The page design, though not striking, is clean and easy-to-read. The writer has followed a clear outline, which helps readers build understanding as they read through each section. Readers who are interested in the topic or completing research projects will find this useful, but we all would benefit from reading this book. After all, May demonstrates through examples such as zebra mussels and invasive plant species that it is people who are responsible for the transportation of microbes from place to place.