The Five-Second Rule and Other Myths about Germs: What Everyone Should Know about Bacteria, Viruses, Mold, and Mildew » (Bargain)

Anne E. Maczulak, Ph.D. has been a microbiologist in industry and academia for 20 years. She currently consults in quality assurance for biotechnology, pharmaceutical, consumer product, and chemical companies. Maczulak’s career has covered research in a range of microbal environments, such as the skin and scalp, kitchen drains, and even the inside of a cow’s stomach. She lives in Novato, CA.

For the closet germaphobe in all of us, a fun, easy-to-understand resource for everything you ever wanted to know about bacteria, viruses, algae, yeasts, mold, and mildew but were afraid to ask

Publishers Weekly

The five-second rule, told to children by generations of mothers, says that if you drop a cookie on the floor, you have five seconds to snatch it up before germs swarm over it and render it unsafe to eat. Microbiologist Maczulak uses this bit of home-spun wisdom to introduce readers to the world of bacteria, viruses and fungi. As the author reminds us, many of the manifold creatures in the microscopic world are needed for our bodies to function normally; only a relatively small number are pathogens. Maczulak reveals the current thinking on how long you're contagious when you have a cold, what's the dirtiest room in the house (not the bathroom) and why your doctor is right in refusing to prescribe antibiotics for the flu. Maczulak's writing can be repetitious and unfocused. Nevertheless, addressing such questions as whether or not to use disinfectants, and with sidebars listing food-borne microbes and antimicrobial essential oils, this may prove a helpful home companion. As to that cookie: as grandma always said, just brush it off. (Nov. 6)

Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information

Introduction: The Microbes in Your Life     vii
What is Microbiology? A Few Basics     1
Microbes in the News     21
We All Live In a Microbial World     47
Eat, Drink, and Be Microbial     85
Clean It Like You Mean It     125
Infections and Disease     153
These Are Microbial Times     195
On the Horizon     221
The Five-Second Finale     243
Twenty-five Frequently Asked Questions     245
Glossary     257
Microbiology Resources     267
Bibliography     269
Acknowledgments     277
Index     279
About the Author     295