Author: Rebecca Bielawski
Publisher: Rebecca Bielawski
ISBN: 1497577802
Category : Juvenile Nonfiction
Languages : en
Pages : 27
Book Description
Peek through the microscope and down into a fantastic world of teeny tiny shapes, amazing colours and little friends who want to say – Hello. Who are these bacteria? Where do they live and what do they do all day? Meet Bacteria! is for little kids brimming with curiosity. It gives them their first basic notions of bacteria; a very interesting topic for children, seldom dealt with in children's books at this level. What we can learn: The idea of the microscope Why we should wash our hands concepts: Basic bacteria shapes Some bacteria habitats new words: Bacteria, Microscope, Rod, Chain, Bunch, Multiply PAGES: 26 WORDS: 253 LEVEL: Preschool - 6yrs Other books in the series: Bees Like Flowers Travelling Seeds MUMMY NATURE series – nurturing children's curiosity Each book in the series is one mini nature lesson wrapped up in colour and rhyme. These books are intended for very young children including toddlers and will give them just a glimpse into some of the wonders of the natural world. Illustrated for maximum vibrancy and visual impact, using rhyme to engage young minds and encourage participation. Read the rhymes to your children and soon they will be reading them to you! The narrator is a small child and keen observer who tells us in short rhyming phrases everything she thinks we should know, and all about the magical things she sees around her. Sometimes she is camouflaged in the long grass and other times she has to climb a tree to get a better look.
Meet Bacteria!
Author: Rebecca Bielawski
Publisher: Rebecca Bielawski
ISBN: 1497577802
Category : Juvenile Nonfiction
Languages : en
Pages : 27
Book Description
Peek through the microscope and down into a fantastic world of teeny tiny shapes, amazing colours and little friends who want to say – Hello. Who are these bacteria? Where do they live and what do they do all day? Meet Bacteria! is for little kids brimming with curiosity. It gives them their first basic notions of bacteria; a very interesting topic for children, seldom dealt with in children's books at this level. What we can learn: The idea of the microscope Why we should wash our hands concepts: Basic bacteria shapes Some bacteria habitats new words: Bacteria, Microscope, Rod, Chain, Bunch, Multiply PAGES: 26 WORDS: 253 LEVEL: Preschool - 6yrs Other books in the series: Bees Like Flowers Travelling Seeds MUMMY NATURE series – nurturing children's curiosity Each book in the series is one mini nature lesson wrapped up in colour and rhyme. These books are intended for very young children including toddlers and will give them just a glimpse into some of the wonders of the natural world. Illustrated for maximum vibrancy and visual impact, using rhyme to engage young minds and encourage participation. Read the rhymes to your children and soon they will be reading them to you! The narrator is a small child and keen observer who tells us in short rhyming phrases everything she thinks we should know, and all about the magical things she sees around her. Sometimes she is camouflaged in the long grass and other times she has to climb a tree to get a better look.
Publisher: Rebecca Bielawski
ISBN: 1497577802
Category : Juvenile Nonfiction
Languages : en
Pages : 27
Book Description
Peek through the microscope and down into a fantastic world of teeny tiny shapes, amazing colours and little friends who want to say – Hello. Who are these bacteria? Where do they live and what do they do all day? Meet Bacteria! is for little kids brimming with curiosity. It gives them their first basic notions of bacteria; a very interesting topic for children, seldom dealt with in children's books at this level. What we can learn: The idea of the microscope Why we should wash our hands concepts: Basic bacteria shapes Some bacteria habitats new words: Bacteria, Microscope, Rod, Chain, Bunch, Multiply PAGES: 26 WORDS: 253 LEVEL: Preschool - 6yrs Other books in the series: Bees Like Flowers Travelling Seeds MUMMY NATURE series – nurturing children's curiosity Each book in the series is one mini nature lesson wrapped up in colour and rhyme. These books are intended for very young children including toddlers and will give them just a glimpse into some of the wonders of the natural world. Illustrated for maximum vibrancy and visual impact, using rhyme to engage young minds and encourage participation. Read the rhymes to your children and soon they will be reading them to you! The narrator is a small child and keen observer who tells us in short rhyming phrases everything she thinks we should know, and all about the magical things she sees around her. Sometimes she is camouflaged in the long grass and other times she has to climb a tree to get a better look.
The Bacteria Book
Author: Steve Mould
Publisher: National Geographic Books
ISBN: 146547028X
Category : Juvenile Nonfiction
Languages : en
Pages : 0
Book Description
In this fun, fact-packed science book for kids, young readers will discover the bacteria, viruses, and other germs and microbes that keep our bodies and our world running, as well as how and when they can be harmful and the precautions we can take to prevent them from becoming so. Meet a glowing squid, traveling fungus spores, and much more. The Bacteria Book walks the line between "ew, gross!" and "oh, cool!," exploring why we need bacteria and introducing readers to its microbial mates—viruses, fungi, algae, archaea, and protozoa. The Bacteria Book is a fun and informative introduction to a STEM subject that brings kids up-close to the big world of tiny science. With remarkable photography, kooky character illustrations, and lots of fun facts, this book uses real-life examples of microbiology in action to show how tiny microbes affect us in big ways.
Publisher: National Geographic Books
ISBN: 146547028X
Category : Juvenile Nonfiction
Languages : en
Pages : 0
Book Description
In this fun, fact-packed science book for kids, young readers will discover the bacteria, viruses, and other germs and microbes that keep our bodies and our world running, as well as how and when they can be harmful and the precautions we can take to prevent them from becoming so. Meet a glowing squid, traveling fungus spores, and much more. The Bacteria Book walks the line between "ew, gross!" and "oh, cool!," exploring why we need bacteria and introducing readers to its microbial mates—viruses, fungi, algae, archaea, and protozoa. The Bacteria Book is a fun and informative introduction to a STEM subject that brings kids up-close to the big world of tiny science. With remarkable photography, kooky character illustrations, and lots of fun facts, this book uses real-life examples of microbiology in action to show how tiny microbes affect us in big ways.
Meet Your Bacteria
Author: Catherine Whitlock
Publisher: Cassell
ISBN: 1788401123
Category : Health & Fitness
Languages : en
Pages : 392
Book Description
Meet Your Bacteria introduces you to all of your tiny tenants, and reveals the fascinating inner workings of your body, and the importance of these usually helpful (but sometimes harmful) microbes. Highly topical and accessible, this book: - Explores the different bacteria that live on and in various parts of your body (not just in the gut) - Explains what they do, and why some are beneficial and some harmful - Offers practical advice for promoting the good and inhibiting the bad bacteria - Examines the latest thinking on good and bad dirt, and the links between bacteria and disease Including in-depth profiles on each of the most important families of bacteria living in the human body, and helpful advice on how you can look after your own health through greater knowledge of your microbial friends, this is a wide-ranging introduction to the secret world inside your own body.
Publisher: Cassell
ISBN: 1788401123
Category : Health & Fitness
Languages : en
Pages : 392
Book Description
Meet Your Bacteria introduces you to all of your tiny tenants, and reveals the fascinating inner workings of your body, and the importance of these usually helpful (but sometimes harmful) microbes. Highly topical and accessible, this book: - Explores the different bacteria that live on and in various parts of your body (not just in the gut) - Explains what they do, and why some are beneficial and some harmful - Offers practical advice for promoting the good and inhibiting the bad bacteria - Examines the latest thinking on good and bad dirt, and the links between bacteria and disease Including in-depth profiles on each of the most important families of bacteria living in the human body, and helpful advice on how you can look after your own health through greater knowledge of your microbial friends, this is a wide-ranging introduction to the secret world inside your own body.
Never Home Alone
Author: Rob Dunn
Publisher: Basic Books
ISBN: 154164574X
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 343
Book Description
A natural history of the wilderness in our homes, from the microbes in our showers to the crickets in our basements Even when the floors are sparkling clean and the house seems silent, our domestic domain is wild beyond imagination. In Never Home Alone, biologist Rob Dunn introduces us to the nearly 200,000 species living with us in our own homes, from the Egyptian meal moths in our cupboards and camel crickets in our basements to the lactobacillus lounging on our kitchen counters. You are not alone. Yet, as we obsess over sterilizing our homes and separating our spaces from nature, we are unwittingly cultivating an entirely new playground for evolution. These changes are reshaping the organisms that live with us -- prompting some to become more dangerous, while undermining those species that benefit our bodies or help us keep more threatening organisms at bay. No one who reads this engrossing, revelatory book will look at their homes in the same way again.
Publisher: Basic Books
ISBN: 154164574X
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 343
Book Description
A natural history of the wilderness in our homes, from the microbes in our showers to the crickets in our basements Even when the floors are sparkling clean and the house seems silent, our domestic domain is wild beyond imagination. In Never Home Alone, biologist Rob Dunn introduces us to the nearly 200,000 species living with us in our own homes, from the Egyptian meal moths in our cupboards and camel crickets in our basements to the lactobacillus lounging on our kitchen counters. You are not alone. Yet, as we obsess over sterilizing our homes and separating our spaces from nature, we are unwittingly cultivating an entirely new playground for evolution. These changes are reshaping the organisms that live with us -- prompting some to become more dangerous, while undermining those species that benefit our bodies or help us keep more threatening organisms at bay. No one who reads this engrossing, revelatory book will look at their homes in the same way again.
The Good Germ Hotel
Author: Kim Sung-Hwa
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781913750152
Category : Bacteria
Languages : en
Pages : 48
Book Description
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781913750152
Category : Bacteria
Languages : en
Pages : 48
Book Description
Bees Like Flowers
Author: Rebecca Bielawski
Publisher: Rebecca Bielawski
ISBN: 1502481316
Category : Juvenile Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 26
Book Description
Watch our happy, helpful friend the Honey Bee, always so busy and buzzy and find out why bees and flowers are such good friends. Illustrations using vivid colours include many real flower species which children may recognise from their garden or have seen growing in the wild, 3 of them are named at the end of the book too. The narrator shows us what these fascinating bugs have been getting up to in her garden. What we can learn: concepts: Simple ideas about the life of a bee Bees are insects Some common flowers: Daisy, Poppy, Sunflower new words: Insect, Pollen, Nectar, Hive, Honeycomb, Blossoms PAGES: 26 WORDS: 262 LEVEL: Preschool to 6yrs Other books in the series: Meet Bacteria! Travelling Seeds MUMMY NATURE series – nurturing children's curiosity Each book in the series is one mini nature lesson wrapped up in colour and rhyme. These books are intended for very young children including toddlers and will give them just a glimpse into some of the wonders of the natural world. Illustrated for maximum vibrancy and visual impact, using rhyme to engage young minds and encourage participation. Read the rhymes to your children and soon they will be reading them to you! The narrator is a small child and keen observer who tells us in short rhyming phrases everything she thinks we should know, and all about the magical things she sees around her. Sometimes she is camouflaged in the long grass and other times she has to climb a tree to get a better look. tags: free kids books, free childrens books, books for kids, books for children, free educational books, stories for kids, early reader, children's stories, bedtime stories, kids ebooks, kids book about animals, beginning reader, free ebooks, preschool, ages 3-5, ages 6-8, childrens books ages 4-8, childrens nature books, kids nature, free animal books for kids, free childrens books ages 2-4, childrens free epub, kids box set, childrens non-fiction
Publisher: Rebecca Bielawski
ISBN: 1502481316
Category : Juvenile Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 26
Book Description
Watch our happy, helpful friend the Honey Bee, always so busy and buzzy and find out why bees and flowers are such good friends. Illustrations using vivid colours include many real flower species which children may recognise from their garden or have seen growing in the wild, 3 of them are named at the end of the book too. The narrator shows us what these fascinating bugs have been getting up to in her garden. What we can learn: concepts: Simple ideas about the life of a bee Bees are insects Some common flowers: Daisy, Poppy, Sunflower new words: Insect, Pollen, Nectar, Hive, Honeycomb, Blossoms PAGES: 26 WORDS: 262 LEVEL: Preschool to 6yrs Other books in the series: Meet Bacteria! Travelling Seeds MUMMY NATURE series – nurturing children's curiosity Each book in the series is one mini nature lesson wrapped up in colour and rhyme. These books are intended for very young children including toddlers and will give them just a glimpse into some of the wonders of the natural world. Illustrated for maximum vibrancy and visual impact, using rhyme to engage young minds and encourage participation. Read the rhymes to your children and soon they will be reading them to you! The narrator is a small child and keen observer who tells us in short rhyming phrases everything she thinks we should know, and all about the magical things she sees around her. Sometimes she is camouflaged in the long grass and other times she has to climb a tree to get a better look. tags: free kids books, free childrens books, books for kids, books for children, free educational books, stories for kids, early reader, children's stories, bedtime stories, kids ebooks, kids book about animals, beginning reader, free ebooks, preschool, ages 3-5, ages 6-8, childrens books ages 4-8, childrens nature books, kids nature, free animal books for kids, free childrens books ages 2-4, childrens free epub, kids box set, childrens non-fiction
Wastewater Bacteria
Author: Michael H. Gerardi
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
ISBN: 0471979899
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 267
Book Description
A practical guide to wastewater bacteria and the roles they perform in wastewater treatment Communicating material in a practical manner for operators and technicians who regulate and troubleshoot their wastewater treatment processes, Wastewater Bacteria discusses the effective control and proper operation of aerobic (activated sludge) and anaerobic (anaerobic digesters) biological treatment units to ensure that an adequate, active, and appropriate population of bacteria is present in each treatment unit. It is a hands-on guide to understanding the biology and biological conditions that occur at each treatment unit. Avoiding unnecessary technical jargon and chemical equations, Wastewater Bacteria, the fifth book in the Wastewater Microbiology Series, explores and explains: * Bacteria and the wastewater environment * Enzymes and sludge production * Nitrogen, phosphorus, and sulfur bacteria * Floc formation and filamentous organisms * Nitrification and denitrification * Sulfate reduction, fermentation, and methane production * Toxicity * Foam and malodor production The goal of Wastewater Bacteria is to enable plant operators to achieve the twofold basic objectives of wastewater treatment-to degrade organic wastes to a level where a significant, dissolved oxygen demand is not exerted upon receiving waters and to remove nutrients to levels where photosynthetic organisms in receiving waters are limited in their growth. This straightforward manual equips plant technicians to meet these objectives with essential information to understand the biological processes and organisms involved in wastewater treatment.
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
ISBN: 0471979899
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 267
Book Description
A practical guide to wastewater bacteria and the roles they perform in wastewater treatment Communicating material in a practical manner for operators and technicians who regulate and troubleshoot their wastewater treatment processes, Wastewater Bacteria discusses the effective control and proper operation of aerobic (activated sludge) and anaerobic (anaerobic digesters) biological treatment units to ensure that an adequate, active, and appropriate population of bacteria is present in each treatment unit. It is a hands-on guide to understanding the biology and biological conditions that occur at each treatment unit. Avoiding unnecessary technical jargon and chemical equations, Wastewater Bacteria, the fifth book in the Wastewater Microbiology Series, explores and explains: * Bacteria and the wastewater environment * Enzymes and sludge production * Nitrogen, phosphorus, and sulfur bacteria * Floc formation and filamentous organisms * Nitrification and denitrification * Sulfate reduction, fermentation, and methane production * Toxicity * Foam and malodor production The goal of Wastewater Bacteria is to enable plant operators to achieve the twofold basic objectives of wastewater treatment-to degrade organic wastes to a level where a significant, dissolved oxygen demand is not exerted upon receiving waters and to remove nutrients to levels where photosynthetic organisms in receiving waters are limited in their growth. This straightforward manual equips plant technicians to meet these objectives with essential information to understand the biological processes and organisms involved in wastewater treatment.
Size Limits of Very Small Microorganisms
Author: National Research Council
Publisher: National Academies Press
ISBN: 0309172748
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 171
Book Description
How small can a free-living organism be? On the surface, this question is straightforward-in principle, the smallest cells can be identified and measured. But understanding what factors determine this lower limit, and addressing the host of other questions that follow on from this knowledge, require a fundamental understanding of the chemistry and ecology of cellular life. The recent report of evidence for life in a martian meteorite and the prospect of searching for biological signatures in intelligently chosen samples from Mars and elsewhere bring a new immediacy to such questions. How do we recognize the morphological or chemical remnants of life in rocks deposited 4 billion years ago on another planet? Are the empirical limits on cell size identified by observation on Earth applicable to life wherever it may occur, or is minimum size a function of the particular chemistry of an individual planetary surface? These questions formed the focus of a workshop on the size limits of very small organisms, organized by the Steering .Group for the Workshop on Size Limits of Very Small Microorganisms and held on October 22 and 23, 1998. Eighteen invited panelists, representing fields ranging from cell biology and molecular genetics to paleontology and mineralogy, joined with an almost equal number of other participants in a wide-ranging exploration of minimum cell size and the challenge of interpreting micro- and nano-scale features of sedimentary rocks found on Earth or elsewhere in the solar system. This document contains the proceedings of that workshop. It includes position papers presented by the individual panelists, arranged by panel, along with a summary, for each of the four sessions, of extensive roundtable discussions that involved the panelists as well as other workshop participants.
Publisher: National Academies Press
ISBN: 0309172748
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 171
Book Description
How small can a free-living organism be? On the surface, this question is straightforward-in principle, the smallest cells can be identified and measured. But understanding what factors determine this lower limit, and addressing the host of other questions that follow on from this knowledge, require a fundamental understanding of the chemistry and ecology of cellular life. The recent report of evidence for life in a martian meteorite and the prospect of searching for biological signatures in intelligently chosen samples from Mars and elsewhere bring a new immediacy to such questions. How do we recognize the morphological or chemical remnants of life in rocks deposited 4 billion years ago on another planet? Are the empirical limits on cell size identified by observation on Earth applicable to life wherever it may occur, or is minimum size a function of the particular chemistry of an individual planetary surface? These questions formed the focus of a workshop on the size limits of very small organisms, organized by the Steering .Group for the Workshop on Size Limits of Very Small Microorganisms and held on October 22 and 23, 1998. Eighteen invited panelists, representing fields ranging from cell biology and molecular genetics to paleontology and mineralogy, joined with an almost equal number of other participants in a wide-ranging exploration of minimum cell size and the challenge of interpreting micro- and nano-scale features of sedimentary rocks found on Earth or elsewhere in the solar system. This document contains the proceedings of that workshop. It includes position papers presented by the individual panelists, arranged by panel, along with a summary, for each of the four sessions, of extensive roundtable discussions that involved the panelists as well as other workshop participants.
Missing Microbes
Author: Martin J. Blaser, MD
Publisher: Henry Holt and Company
ISBN: 0805098119
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 289
Book Description
“In Missing Microbes, Martin Blaser sounds [an] alarm. He patiently and thoroughly builds a compelling case that the threat of antibiotic overuse goes far beyond resistant infections.”—Nature Renowned microbiologist Dr. Martin J. Blaser invites us into the wilds of the human microbiome, where for hundreds of thousands of years bacterial and human cells have existed in a peaceful symbiosis that is responsible for the equilibrium and health of our bodies. Now this invisible Eden is under assault from our overreliance on medical advances including antibiotics and caesarian sections, threatening the extinction of our irreplaceable microbes and leading to severe health consequences. Taking us into the lab to recount his groundbreaking studies, Blaser not only provides elegant support for his theory, he guides us to what we can do to avoid even more catastrophic health problems in the future. “Missing Microbes is science writing at its very best—crisply argued and beautifully written, with stunning insights about the human microbiome and workable solutions to an urgent global crisis.”—David M. Oshinsky, author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning Polio: An American Story
Publisher: Henry Holt and Company
ISBN: 0805098119
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 289
Book Description
“In Missing Microbes, Martin Blaser sounds [an] alarm. He patiently and thoroughly builds a compelling case that the threat of antibiotic overuse goes far beyond resistant infections.”—Nature Renowned microbiologist Dr. Martin J. Blaser invites us into the wilds of the human microbiome, where for hundreds of thousands of years bacterial and human cells have existed in a peaceful symbiosis that is responsible for the equilibrium and health of our bodies. Now this invisible Eden is under assault from our overreliance on medical advances including antibiotics and caesarian sections, threatening the extinction of our irreplaceable microbes and leading to severe health consequences. Taking us into the lab to recount his groundbreaking studies, Blaser not only provides elegant support for his theory, he guides us to what we can do to avoid even more catastrophic health problems in the future. “Missing Microbes is science writing at its very best—crisply argued and beautifully written, with stunning insights about the human microbiome and workable solutions to an urgent global crisis.”—David M. Oshinsky, author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning Polio: An American Story
Bugs as Drugs
Author: Robert A. Britton
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
ISBN: 1683673026
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 725
Book Description
Examining the enormous potential of microbiome manipulation to improve health Associations between the composition of the intestinal microbiome and many human diseases, including inflammatory bowel disease, cardiovascular disease, metabolic disorders, and cancer, have been elegantly described in the past decade. Now, whole-genome sequencing, bioinformatics, and precision gene-editing techniques are being combined with centuries-old therapies, such as fecal microbiota transplantation, to translate current research into new diagnostics and therapeutics to treat complex diseases. Bugs as Drugs provides a much-needed overview of microbes in therapies and will serve as an excellent resource for scientists and clinicians as they carry out research and clinical studies on investigating the roles the microbiota plays in health and disease. In Bugs as Drugs, editors Robert A. Britton and Patrice D. Cani have assembled a fascinating collection of reviews that chart the history, current efforts, and future prospects of using microorganisms to fight disease and improve health. Sections cover traditional uses of probiotics, next-generation microbial therapeutics, controlling infectious diseases, and indirect strategies for manipulating the host microbiome. Topics presented include: How well-established probiotics support and improve host health by improving the composition of the intestinal microbiota of the host and by modulating the host immune response. The use of gene editing and recombinant DNA techniques to create tailored probiotics and to characterize next-generation beneficial microbes. For example, engineering that improves the anti-inflammatory profile of probiotics can reduce the number of colonic polyps formed, and lactobacilli can be transformed into targeted delivery systems carrying therapeutic proteins or bioengineered bacteriophage. The association of specific microbiota composition with colorectal cancer, liver diseases, osteoporosis, and inflammatory bowel disease. The gut microbiota has been proposed to serve as an organ involved in regulation of inflammation, immune function, and energy homeostasis. Fecal microbiota transplantation as a promising treatment for numerous diseases beyond C. difficile infection. Practical considerations for using fecal microbiota transplantation are provided, while it is acknowledged that more high-quality evidence is needed to ascertain the importance of strain specificity in positive treatment outcomes. Because systems biology approaches and synthetic engineering of microbes are now high-throughput and cost-effective, a much wider range of therapeutic possibilities can be explored and vetted. If you are looking for online access to the latest clinical microbiology content, please visit www.wiley.com/learn/clinmicronow.
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
ISBN: 1683673026
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 725
Book Description
Examining the enormous potential of microbiome manipulation to improve health Associations between the composition of the intestinal microbiome and many human diseases, including inflammatory bowel disease, cardiovascular disease, metabolic disorders, and cancer, have been elegantly described in the past decade. Now, whole-genome sequencing, bioinformatics, and precision gene-editing techniques are being combined with centuries-old therapies, such as fecal microbiota transplantation, to translate current research into new diagnostics and therapeutics to treat complex diseases. Bugs as Drugs provides a much-needed overview of microbes in therapies and will serve as an excellent resource for scientists and clinicians as they carry out research and clinical studies on investigating the roles the microbiota plays in health and disease. In Bugs as Drugs, editors Robert A. Britton and Patrice D. Cani have assembled a fascinating collection of reviews that chart the history, current efforts, and future prospects of using microorganisms to fight disease and improve health. Sections cover traditional uses of probiotics, next-generation microbial therapeutics, controlling infectious diseases, and indirect strategies for manipulating the host microbiome. Topics presented include: How well-established probiotics support and improve host health by improving the composition of the intestinal microbiota of the host and by modulating the host immune response. The use of gene editing and recombinant DNA techniques to create tailored probiotics and to characterize next-generation beneficial microbes. For example, engineering that improves the anti-inflammatory profile of probiotics can reduce the number of colonic polyps formed, and lactobacilli can be transformed into targeted delivery systems carrying therapeutic proteins or bioengineered bacteriophage. The association of specific microbiota composition with colorectal cancer, liver diseases, osteoporosis, and inflammatory bowel disease. The gut microbiota has been proposed to serve as an organ involved in regulation of inflammation, immune function, and energy homeostasis. Fecal microbiota transplantation as a promising treatment for numerous diseases beyond C. difficile infection. Practical considerations for using fecal microbiota transplantation are provided, while it is acknowledged that more high-quality evidence is needed to ascertain the importance of strain specificity in positive treatment outcomes. Because systems biology approaches and synthetic engineering of microbes are now high-throughput and cost-effective, a much wider range of therapeutic possibilities can be explored and vetted. If you are looking for online access to the latest clinical microbiology content, please visit www.wiley.com/learn/clinmicronow.