The second edition of this text, like the first, is designed for the student seeking to understand modern biology in depth, including not only what we know but also how we came to know it. In order to keep the book from expanding, despite the introduction of much new material, nearly every page has been re-written. The blurring of the boundaries between microbiology and related disciplines has led to appreciable changes in the scope and organization of the book. We have introduced a major section on molecular genetics, including a new chapter on protein synthesis and expanded chapters on nucleic acids and on metabolic regulation. Moreover, because such cultures are now the usual hosts for the investigation of viruses, a chapter on animal cell culture has been added. New chapters have also been added on the bacterial cell envelope and on several viruses, and the extensive advances in cellular immunology have led to an expanded chapter on antibody formation and a new one on cell-mediated immunity.

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