Open a chapter to see its six lessons. Each lesson also sits inside that chapter of the book, right under the section it belongs to.
1The Microbial World and Why It MattersWho the microbes are, and when one of them turns into trouble6 lessons›
Colonization, Infection, Disease
Set the dose and the defenses. Run the days and see which state you get.
Place It on the Tree of Life
Read a cell's features, then place it in one of the three domains.
2Microscopy, Staining & the Microbiology LabHow the lab makes a germ visible and gives it a name6 lessons›
How Small Is a Microbe?
Slide the zoom from millimeters down to nanometers. See why none of them show.
The Light Microscope
Tap the parts. Then dial the lens and the oil and watch the detail sharpen.
From Specimen to Answer
Drive the whole lab path. Collect, plate, streak, identify, then read the zones.
3Prokaryotic vs Eukaryotic CellsThe two ways a cell can be built, inside and out6 lessons›
Inside the Bacterial Cell
Add each part, run the protein factory, then let a drug shut it down.
Gram-Positive vs Gram-Negative
Flip between the two envelopes. Set the wall, then run a Gram stain.
Build the Bacterial Surface
Add a capsule, flagella and pili. Raise the flow and see which cells hold on.
4Bacterial Diversity & ClassificationSorting bacteria by shape, by stain and by the tests they pass6 lessons›
Build a Bacterium
Pick a shape and a grouping. Watch cocci, rods and spirals earn their names.
The Gram-Positive Bench
Pick Staphylococcus, Streptococcus or Clostridium. Run the tests that tell them apart.
Gram-negative Pathogens
Choose E. coli, Salmonella, Pseudomonas or Neisseria. Plate it and read the result.
The Rule-Breakers
Run three stains on three rule-breakers. See which stain makes each one show.
Bacteria & Oxygen
Stab a thioglycollate tube and incubate it. Read where each oxygen group grows.
5Viruses, Fungi & ParasitesThe agents that are not bacteria at all6 lessons›
Anatomy of a Virus
Build a virus part by part. Read its size, and whether hand gel can kill it.
How a Virus Replicates
Step three kinds of virus from landing to release. Watch their paths split.
Yeasts, Molds & Dimorphic Fungi
Pick a fungus. Then drag the heat up and watch its growth form switch.
Protozoan Parasites
Run a parasite through its life cycle. Find the step that breaks the chain.
Roundworms & Flatworms
Compare ten worms at true size. Pick the test that would find each one.
Which Agent Is It?
Work eight cases from the first clue to the answer, with the reasoning shown.
6Microbial Growth & MetabolismWhat microbes eat, and what lets them grow6 lessons›
What Microbes Eat
Pick an energy source and a carbon source. Mix a broth and see if it clouds.
Oxygen and the Thioglycolate Tube
Set the jar and the depth air reaches. See where each oxygen group can grow.
The Growth-Favoring Range
Slide heat and acid together. Read the growth rate each setting gives.
Salt, Sugar and Water
Add salt or sugar, watch water leave the cell, and find the breaking point.
The Bacterial Growth Curve
Set the conditions and press play. Watch the count climb, then crash.
7Microbial Genetics & How Resistance SpreadsHow a gene changes, and how it moves from cell to cell6 lessons›
The Central Dogma: DNA → RNA → Protein
Run a gene from DNA to RNA to protein. Then jam one step with a drug.
Point Mutations: One Base, One Protein
Swap, add or drop one base. See the codons and the protein change.
Horizontal Gene Transfer: Three Ways to Share DNA
Run the three sharing routes side by side. Then block each one in turn.
Selective Pressure: Why Survivors Take Over
Dose a dish of bacteria. Watch the resistant few take over, round by round.
Conjugation: Spreading Resistance Cell to Cell
Build the pilus, nick the plasmid, and pump one strand into the next cell.
8Controlling Microbes — Sterilization, Disinfection & AsepsisWays to kill microbes, and how clean each one leaves a surface6 lessons›
The Spectrum of Microbial Control
Slide from a light clean up to full sterilization. See what survives each step.
Physical Methods of Control
Run an autoclave cycle. Then compare heat, radiation and filters side by side.
The Spaulding Classification
Sort real items into three risk classes. Pick a way to process each one.
Antiseptics & Disinfectants
Mix an agent and set a contact time. See how far up the ladder it reaches.
The Microbial Death Curve
Set the starting load, the D-value and the soil. Chase the survivor curve down.
Medical vs Surgical Asepsis
Set up a sterile field. Then test it against the rules that break it.
9Antimicrobial DrugsWhat the drugs hit, and why some of them stop working6 lessons›
The Five Antibiotic Targets
Send a drug at each of the five targets. Watch that part of the cell fail.
Reading a Susceptibility Report
Measure the zones, read a strip and a tray, then sign each drug out.
Narrow vs. Broad Spectrum
Widen a drug's reach. Watch the good flora fall along with the germ.
How Bacteria Resist Antibiotics
Give a cell each defense. Then send in six drugs and see what gets through.
The Five Rights of Stewardship
Set the five rights for a real case. Run the course and see how it ends.
10How Microbes Cause DiseaseThe tools a microbe uses to get in and do harm6 lessons›
The Virulence Factor Toolkit
Arm a microbe one tool at a time. See which step of the attack fails.
Exotoxins vs Endotoxin
Run a toxin past a cell, an autoclave and a vaccine. Read how the two differ.
Evading the Body’s Defenses
Send the immune system in. Then switch each escape trick on and off.
The Five Stages of Infection
Play an infection forward. Watch germ counts and symptoms rise and fall.
11Infection & EpidemiologyHow infection travels, and how an outbreak is counted6 lessons›
Routes of Transmission
Pick a route and set the distance. Add cover and see if the germ still lands.
Endemic · Epidemic · Pandemic
Add a wave of cases. Watch the curve cross the outbreak line and spread.
Precautions & the Right PPE
Pick a germ and get the precaution level. Then dress the figure correctly.
12Innate ImmunityThe defenses you are born with, ready in minutes6 lessons›
Barriers — the First Line of Defense
Tap a body site to see its barrier. Then damage it and see what is left.
Phagocytosis, Step by Step
Step a phagocyte through the hunt, the meal and the kill. Then time it.
The Inflammatory Response
Step through redness, heat, swelling and pain. Then let it go body-wide.
Fever: Resetting the Thermostat
Set a dose and drag through one fever. Watch the chills, then the sweat.
The Three Outcomes of Complement
Pick a pathway and run the cascade. Count the tags, the alarms and the pores.
Interferons — the Antiviral Alarm
Let a virus loose in a sheet of cells. Race the alarm to the neighbors.
13Adaptive Immunity & ImmunizationThe defense that learns, remembers and can be trained6 lessons›
Helper vs Cytotoxic T Cells
Run an infection. Then drop the CD4 count and watch the whole defense slip.
Anatomy of an Antibody
Take the Y apart, switch between the five classes, and run its four jobs.
The Immunity Grid
Sort ten real cases into the grid. Watch each one's cover switch on and fade.
14Immune DisordersWhen the immune system goes too far, or falls short6 lessons›
The Four Types of Hypersensitivity
Run each of the four types. Then race their four clocks side by side.
Sensitization, Re-exposure, Anaphylaxis
Step from first contact to a severe reaction. Set the dose and read the pressure.
When Self-Tolerance Breaks
Pick one of seven diseases. See which tissue is hit, and watch the damage.
Who Can Donate to Whom
Tap any donor and recipient pair. Hang the unit and watch what happens.
15Infectious Diseases by Body SystemThe usual causes of infection, region by region6 lessons›
Skin & Wound Infections: How Deep?
Pick one of five skin infections. Run the clock and watch it dig in.
Respiratory Infections: Where They Strike
See where each one lands. Set distance, mask and airflow, then breathe.
Gut Infections: Cause & Route
Pick a gut germ and a dose. Read the odds, the clock and the washing that works.
Urogenital Infections & STIs
Watch a UTI climb the tract as catheter days add up. Then screen for quiet cases.
Sepsis & Meningitis: Read the Red Flags
Set the vital signs. Watch the score, the verdict and the odds move with them.