Microbiology Nuts & Bolts: Key Concepts of Microbiology & Infection - Tapa blanda

--- Please note there is a newer edition of this book, published March 2019 ---

A clinically focused, no-nonsense pocket book to the key elements of microbiology and infection. A must-have guide to stop common and often unnecessary mistakes that occur in everyday medicine and antibiotic prescribing. Microbiology Nuts & Bolts, now in its second edition, has been written to provide doctors and healthcare staff with the ability to confidently identity the microorganisms that are the cause of a patient’s infection and how to treat them. The book is set out by condition rather than microorganism allowing for quick reference in a clinical setting. However, it is not an all-encompassing reference text and has deliberately not been referenced extensively in order to keep its presentation simple. It is intended to be concise enough to be of use on a daily basis, be it on a ward or in a clinic, yet detailed enough to promote a thorough understanding of microorganisms, their management and ultimately patient treatment. The book is divided into six parts: Basic Concepts, Microbiology, Infection Control, Clinical Scenarios, Antibiotics and Emergencies. It is best to read Basic Concepts and Microbiology thoroughly first, as this will give the building blocks to understanding infections. After that, dipping into the Clinical Scenarios and Antibiotics sections will aid the diagnosis and management of patients with specific infections.

Emergencies have been separated into their own section to ensure they can be found quickly. Flowcharts help guide initial emergency treatment, which often needs to be implemented immediately in order to save lives, although they are not a replacement for experienced senior support. Infection Control does not go into depth regarding policies and politics but gives practical advice about preventing the spread of infections and what to do when you have too many patients for the side rooms available.

The first edition was well received by doctors and healthcare staff and their valuable feedback has been instrumental in this second edition, which has been fully up-dated with new antibiotics and updates for the management of Hepatitis C, C. difficile and STDs. Fever in a returned traveller has been expanded and a new section added on Malaria. Antibiotic Stewardship is explained along with a simple method of remembering how antibiotics work and how antibiotic resistance occurs.

The ultimate aim of the book is to empower doctors and healthcare staff to manage patients with infections better; if it achieves this then it will be a success.

"A well-written book...concise, well set out and easy to use. It contains a wealth of useful information and is a valuable resource. Would recommend this book to trainees in any specialty including microbiology and to students wishing to improve their knowledge of microbiology". The Royal College of Pathologists

"This book delivers a uniquely relevant and accessible take on microbiology and does an excellent job of bridging the gap between the dry lists of pathogens learnt at medical school and the clinical reality of infection...I would recommend it to medical students and junior doctors in all specialties". The Royal College of Physicians

"This book provides an impressively broad coverage of microbiology in theory and practice and I can see uses for it for students, junior doctors and general practitioners. In the Proteus-like swarm of handbooks this one has found its niche...it still has a place in my bag several weeks after I first picked it up". The British Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy