The fact that infectious diseases claim over 17 million victims worldwide each year, along with the regular emergence of new drug resistance pathogens, signals that infectious diseases will continue to be a daily concern of the Physician well into the future. This reality requires that today's medical students develop a solid foundation in medical microbiology -- a foundation they can achieved by using IMS: Microbial Pathogenesis.

This book is developed in response to the changing field of medical microbiology. The number of diseases and the diversity of microbial pathogens that cause these diseases are far too many for simple taxonomic organization. As a result, IMS Microbial Pathogenesis focuses on the common principles of infection rather than the old taxonomic organization, enabling a better long term retention of relevant material, and minimizing the short-term memorization of specific "factoids," many of which may become out-dated in a short time.