Ultrastructure Techniques For Microorganisms

The modem microbiologist is often a real specialist who has difficulty under standing and applying many of the techniques beyond those in his or her own immediate field. On the other hand, most benefits to modem microbiology are obtained when a broad spectrum of scientific approaches can be focused on a problem. In early studies, electron microscopy was pivotal in understanding bacterial and viral morphology, and we still feel that we will understand a disease better if we have seen an electron micrograph of the causative agent. Today, because there is an increased awareness of the need to understand the rela tionships between microbial structure and function, the electron microscope is still one of the most important tools microbiologists can use for detailed analysis of microorganisms. Often, however, the aforementioned modem microbiologist still thinks of ultrastructure as involving negative staining or ultrathin sectioning in order to get a look at the shape of a "bug. " Many of the newer ultrastructure techniques, such as gold-labeled antibody localization, freeze-fracture, X-ray microanalysis, enzyme localization, and even scanning electron microscopy, are poorly under stood by, and therefore forbidding to, the average microbiologist. Even many cell biologists admit to having difficulty staying in touch with current develop ments in the fast-moving field of electron microscopy techniques.

1. Initial Handling and Diagnosis of Diseased Invertebrates / Lawrence A. Lacey and Leellen Solter -- 2. Basic Techniques in Insect Virology / Karolin E. Eberle, Jorg T. Wennmann, Regina G. Kleespies and Johannes A. Jehle -- 3. Isolation, Culture, Preservation, and Identification of Entomopathogenic Bacteria of the Bacilli. / Tanja W. Fisher and Steven F. Garczynski -- 4. Bioassay of Bacterial Entomopathogens Against Insect Larvae / Maureen O'Callaghan, Travis R. Glare and Lawrence A. Lacey --5. Bacteria for use Against Soil-Inhabitating Insects / Albrecht M. Koppenhofer, Trevor A. Jackson, and Michael G. Klein -- 6. Identification of Entomopathogenic Fungi / Richard A. Humber -- 7. Laboratory Techniques Used for Entomopathogenic Fungi: Hypocreales / G. Douglas Inglis, Juerg Enkerli, and Mark S. Goettel -- 8. Mass Production of Entomopathogenic Hypocreales / Stefan T. Jaronski and Mark A. Jackson -- 9. Methods for the Study of Entomophthorales / Ann E. Hajek, Bernard Papierok, and Jurg ...

Electron microscopy is frequently portrayed as a discipline that stands alone, separated from molecular biology, light microscopy, physiology, and biochemistry, among other disciplines. It is also presented as a technically demanding discipline operating largely in the sphere of "black boxes" and governed by many absolute laws of procedure. At the introductory level, this portrayal does the discipline and the student a disservice. The instrumentation we use is complex, but ultimately understandable and, more importantly, repairable. The procedures we employ for preparing tissues and cells are not totally understood, but enough information is available to allow investigators to make reasonable choices concerning the best techniques to apply to their parti cular problems. There are countless specialized techniques in the field of electron and light microscopy that require the acquisition of specialized knowledge, particularly for interpretation of results (electron tomography and energy dispersive spectroscopy immediately come to mind), but most laboratories possessing the equipment to effect these approaches have specialists to help the casual user. The advent of computer operated electron microscopes has also broadened access to these instruments, allowing users with little technical knowledge about electron microscope design to quickly become operators. This has been a welcome advance, because earlier instru ments required a level of knowledge about electron optics and vacuum systems to produce optimal photographs and to avoid "crashing" the instruments that typically made it difficult for beginners.

A first source for traditional methods of microbiology as well as commonly used modern molecular microbiological methods. • Provides a comprehensive compendium of methods used in general and molecular microbiology. • Contains many new and expanded chapters, including a section on the newly important field of community and genomic analysis. • Provides step-by-step coverage of procedures, with an extensive list of references to guide the user to the original literature for more complete descriptions. • Presents methods for bacteria, archaea, and for the first time a section on mycology. • Numerous schematics and illustrations (both color and black and white) help the reader to easily understand the topics presented.

Molecular Methods in Plant Pathology covers methods in phytopathology at the molecular level, including PCR techniques, electron microscopy, tissue culturing, and the cloning of disease-resistant genes. Phytopathologists, botanists, horticulturists, and anyone working in agriculture will find this a useful reference on biophysical, biochemical, biomolecular, and biotechnological methods.