The Human Microbiome: The Germs That Keep You Healthy

Gr 7 Up—It's hard to think of oneself as a mere physical plant for trillions and trillions of microbes—microscopic creatures in a custom-individualized mixture (like a fingerprint) existing on us and in us, acting beneficially, neutrally, pathogenically, part and parcel of our personal selves. Hirsch's readable, lucid text introduces us to these colonizers/hitchhikers/attackers, where they live on/in us, what they do, how they benefit (mostly) or harm us, and—equally important—how we affect them and what it all means to our health in general. She discusses the "golden age" of antibiotics and the dangerous land mines implanted by their overuse—the "superbugs" that have erected defenses against the best medicines we have to offer and the effects of antibiotic overuse on our food supply. And the author writes of how probiotics assist our bodies in providing a safe haven for our "bugs of choice." Information boxes abound on such interestingly diverse topics as "Solving Murders with Microbes," "The Strange Case of the Disappearing Helicobacter Pylori," and the "Penicillin Girls." Advice boxes give instructions on "Tending Your Microbial Garden," handwashing, and taking your DNA "fingerprint."