They Won't All Kill You: Living and Working with Pathogens

In 2020, the world got a wake-up call. A new pandemic was upon us, just as had been predicted for many years, and was long overdue. Yet, as it turned out, no one was really ready for it, and few had been concerned about pathogens in general. Now in the spring of 2020 as a retired professor, I realized that I wasn't going to Maui on vacation. In fact, no one was going anywhere, so why not document my academic life. This book provides a compelling story of my life as a teaching and research professor, profiling a number of important pathogens, including those that I worked with during my career. Each of us harbors hundreds of species of bacteria, numerous fungi, half a dozen viruses, and even a few protozoans. Some are permanent residents, and others are transient. Although some microbes are important in maintaining good health, others can cause annoying symptoms or even kill you. We have made great progress in combatting some of these microbial pathogens through vaccines and therapeutics, still others remain refractory. Throughout this book I have tried to make science and scientific research come to life for all readers. Storytelling is interwoven with explanations, and sometimes humor, designed to simplify complex facts and show how science is done. Each chapter documents my personal experiences of living with or working in the laboratory with a well-known pathogen and associated disease. The time period represents my journey from a graduate student through my tenure as a microbiology professor covering a period of over forty years. Graduate training in four different labs, and research in my own laboratory gave me the opportunity to experience a variety of different pathogens in all major microbial groups and techniques to detect and control them. Prevention, safety, diagnosis, and treatment are themes covered throughout the book. Special sections on acquired and natural immunity, vaccine types and efficacy are thoroughly covered. The section on the COVID-19 pandemic alerts the reader to important issues of disinformation about vaccines especially the new mRNA type. Historical references to past and future pandemics provide insight into what we have learned. Both novice and more experienced science readers should enjoy this journey through the often misperceived world of infectious diseases, and hopefully gain a better understanding of pathogens, and how we live with them.