Microbes - can't live with them, can't live without them. Increasingly, we're finding out that our microbiota (the microbes that live on us) are essential for our wellbeing - they provide us with nutrients and vitamins and play a key role in developing our immune system.  On the other hand, they are responsible for a great deal of misery, as they are major causes of death and debility around the world. As well as our own microbiota turning against us, there are lots of other microbes out in the wider world that can seriously damage, or even kill, those they infect. The current pandemic of COVID-19 shows the devastating effect that an infectious disease can have - our lives have been turned upside down.
If you live in a developed country, you're not likely to get killer diseases such as ebola and cholera, but you do have a high chance of catching other infections that can have a significant impact on your wellbeing. This book focuses on those infections you're most likely to go down with, and supplies the answers to the following questions about them:Which infectious diseases are we likely to come across?How common are they?  What microbes cause them?  What happens to our bodies during an infection? How are the resulting illnesses treated?How can we avoid getting them? This book covers nearly 60 infectious diseases that people living in developed countries are likely to experience at some point during their life. It also has an introductory chapter that describes, in everyday language, the basic principles of microbiology and infectious diseases. Each chapter is lavishly illustrated, has interesting, relevant inserts, and provides a list of web-accessible suggestions for further reading.

Chapter 1.  Microbes and infectious diseases
SECTION 2. SKIN INFECTIONSChapter 2. AcneChapter 3. Skin abscesses (boils)Chapter 4. DandruffChapter 5. Fungal nail infectionsChapter 6. Fungal infections of the skinChapter 7. ChickenpoxChapter 8. ShinglesChapter 9. Common warts
SECTION 3. INFECTIONS OF THE RESPIRATORY SYSTEMChapter 10. The common coldChapter 11. InfluenzaChapter 12. Sore throatChapter 13. Coronavirus disease-2019Chapter 14. Acute sinusitisChapter 15. Chronic sinusitisChapter 16. Otitis media (middle ear infection) Chapter 17. Otitis externa (swimmers ear) Chapter 18. Acute bronchitis (chest cold)
SECTION 4. INFECTIONS OF THE EYEChapter 19. Conjunctivitis (pink eye)
SECTION 5. INFECTIONS OF THE ORAL CAVITYChapter 20. Tooth decay (caries)Chapter 21. Gum diseaseChapter 22. Bad breathChapter 23. Oral thrushChapter 24. Oral herpes
SECTION 6. INFECTIONS OF THE GENITO-URINARY SYSTEMChapter 25. Cystitis (lower urinary tract infection)Chapter 26. VaginitisChapter 27. ChlamydiaChapter 28. GonorrhoeaChapter 29. Genital herpesChapter 30. Genital wartsChapter 31. Syphilis
SECTION 7. INFECTIONS OF THE GASTROINTESTINAL SYSTEMChapter 32. Gastroenteritis due to CampylobacterChapter 33. Gastroenteritis due to SalmonellaChapter 34. Gastroenteritis due to Clostridium perfringensChapter 35. Gastroenteritis due to NorovirusChapter 36. Gastroenteritis due to Rotavirus