Nester's Microbiology: A Human Perspective

Perfect for the non-major/allied health student (and also appropriate for mixed majors courses), this text provides a rock solid foundation in microbiology. It has a concise and readable style, covers the most current concepts, and gives students the knowledge and mastery necessary to understand advances of the future. By carefully and clearly explaining the fundamental concepts, using a body systems approach in the coverage of disease, and offering vivid and appealing instructional art, Microbiology: A Human Perspective draws students back to their book again and again!

Sarah Salm is a Professor at the Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC) of the City University of New York, where she teaches microbiology, anatomy and physiology, and general biology. She earned her undergraduate and doctoral degrees at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa. She later moved to New York, working first as a postdoctoral fellow and then an Assistant Research Professor at NYU Langone Medical Center. Her research has covered a range of subjects, from plant virus identification through prostate stem cell characterization. When not focused on the textbook and her classes, Sarah loves to read, hike, and travel.

Denise Anderson is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Microbiology at the University of Washington, where she teaches a variety of courses including general microbiology, medical bacteriology laboratory, and medical mycology/parasitology laboratory. Equipped with a diverse educational background, including undergraduate work in nutrition and graduate work in food science and in microbiology, she first discovered a passion for teaching when she taught microbiology laboratory courses as part of her graduate training. Her enthusiastic teaching style, fueled by regular doses of Seattle’s famous coffee, receives high reviews by her students. Outside of academic life, Denise relaxes in the Phinney Ridge neighborhood of Seattle, where she lives with her husband, Richard Moore, and dog, Dudley (neither of whom are well trained). When not planning lectures, grading papers, or writing textbook chapters, she can usually be found chatting with the neighbors, fighting the weeds in her garden, or enjoying a fermented beverage at the local pub.

Mira Beins is an Associate Teaching Professor in the Department of Microbiology at the University of Washington, where she teaches general microbiology, medical bacteriology, and medical mycology/parasitology. She completed her undergraduate studies in Molecular Biology and Biotechnology at the University of the Philippines before moving to Wisconsin for graduate work in Microbiology. Her graduate and postdoctoral research both focused on virology, which solidified her belief that viruses are amazing―although she now begrudgingly admits that bacteria, fungi, and eukaryotic parasites are pretty cool, too. Mira lives in Seattle with her husband Mike and two kids, Maya and Noah. When she’s not busy teaching or driving the kids to their many activities, she enjoys reading books, watching movies, hanging out with friends and family, and planning the next family trip (which Denise hopes will be to the Yorkshire Dales!).


Although no longer an active member of the author team, Eugene (Gene) Nester wrote the original version of the present text with Evans Roberts and Nancy Pearsall more than 30 years ago. That text, Microbiology: Molecules, Microbes and Man, pioneered the organ system approachto the study of infectious disease, and was developed specifically for allied health sciences. Gene did his undergraduate work at Cornell and received his Ph.D. in microbiology from Case Western University. He then did postdoctoral work in the Department of Genetics at Stanford University with Joshua Lederberg. Following that, he joined the faculty in the Department of Microbiology at the University of Washington, where he remains active as an emeritus member. His laboratory demonstrated that Agrobacterium transfers DNA into plant cells―the basis for the disease crown gall―a system of gene transfer that has become a cornerstone of plant biotechnology. In recognition of his work, he was awarded the Australia Prize and the Cetus Prize in Biotechnology, and was elected to fellowship in the National Academy of Sciences, the American Academy for the Advancement of Science, the American Academy of Microbiology, and the National Academy of Sciences in India.