Chapter 1 : Toward Understanding the Molecular Basis of Bacterial Pathogenicity

Abstract:

This chapter talks about author’s experience in understanding of the molecular basis of bacterial pathogenicity. Observing microbes from individuals with infectious diseases formed the roots of author’s thinking about bacterial pathogenicity. He began his first experiments with the goal of trying to understand the genetic basis of bacterial pathogenicity. Bacterial genetics was still a young field; isolating DNA from bacteria was not a routine procedure. Nevertheless he was able to make some progress in understanding the genetic organization of the Salmonella chromosome. In parallel, he began experiments on the molecular nature of bacterial plasmids (called episomes in those days), particularly the class of plasmids that encode resistance to antibiotics and that became known as the R factors. Over the years, his laboratory has progressed with the goal of gaining understanding of the genetic and molecular basis of bacterial pathogenicity.