Organize
Learn
Connect
Instructors now have an easy way to collect students’ online quizzes with the Norton Gradebook without flooding their inboxes with e-mails.
Students can track their online quiz scores by setting up their own Student Gradebook.
Chapter 23: Human Microflora and Nonspecific Host Defenses
Study Plan
The human body teems with microbial hitchhikers. Most are harmless as long as they stay where they belong, such as on the skin or in the intestines, and some are even beneficial to their unsuspecting hosts. Consequently, organisms that are part of the normal human microflora typically exist in a symbiotic relationship with us. Of course, the human body is also under constant attack from microbial invaders that inhabit the surrounding environment. Fortunately, we have developed a series of barriers and elaborate fail-safe mechanisms that keep normal flora and invading pathogens at bay. Obstacles such as skin and stomach acid will repel most microorganisms; these are considered nonspecific defenses. But for those microbes able to breach these barriers, there await adaptive and nonadaptive immune defenses.
Organize
- Read the assigned sections from Chapter 23 in your text or ebook and review the bulleted “to summarize” lists that conclude each text section. This will provide an organizing framework for concepts introduced in lecture and help you take better notes.
- Use the flashcards to test your memory for new vocabulary terms.
Learn
- Take the diagnostic quiz to assess your understanding of basic concepts.
- Examine the diagnostic quiz feedback, then review your notes and re-read sections in your textbook or ebook that correspond to questions you missed.
- Study the Process Animations for this chapter. These animations bring key figures from the text to life, presenting key microbial processes in a dynamic format.
- Work through the Thought Questions and Review Questions provided within your textbook.
Connect
- These resources offer compelling opportunities to apply and extend what you’ve learned:
- MicrobeWiki : Refereed by textbook author Joan Slonczewski, this student-edited microbiology forum explores these sub-areas:
- Microbial Biorealm: encyclopedia of bacteria, archaea, and eukaryotic microbes.
- Viral Biorealm: encyclopedia of viruses of animals and plants, and bacteriophages.
- Microbial World News: highlights of microbiology in the news.
- Microbial Mythology: common errors and controversies in microbiology.
- MicrobeWiki : Refereed by textbook author Joan Slonczewski, this student-edited microbiology forum explores these sub-areas:
- Special Topics: these optional in-text boxes use cutting-edge science and historical examples to illustrate the dynamic nature of microbiology research.
- Weblinks: hand-picked by the textbook authors for interest and accuracy, these offer additional information for selected chapter topics.
There are no links for this chapter.