Infection: The Uninvited Universe

by Gerald N. Callahan

Gerald Callahan, Ph.D., is Associate Professor of Immunology and the Public Understanding of Science with appointments in the departments of Pathology and of English at Colorado State University—the first person at the university to hold such a joint appointment. He is the author of over fifty academic articles and two books ( River Odyssey , an essay collection about exploring Colorado, and Faith , Madness ,  and Spontaneous Human Combustion , an essay collection about the immune system). He has also published numerous poems and essays in reviews around the country and has appeared on National Geographic television and ABC national news. He has won awards for his scientific and literary writing and teaching. He lives in Fort Collins with his wife and three dogs. We use antibacterial soap to wash our hands. We swab our doorknobs and phones with antibacterial wipes. We pop antibiotics at the first sign of disease—all because of our fear of infection. But we are all infected. From before birth until after death, infection is what makes us human. Veteran immunologist, essayist, award-winning scientist, and author Gerald N. Callahan explores our infectious world to reveal incredible discoveries in the study and treatment of infectious  —Infection plays a significant role in many chronic ailments, including schizophrenia, gastric ulcers, and obsessive-compulsive disorder. —Physicians are successfully treating gastrointestinal and other human diseases by infecting their patients with parasitic worms. —Antibiotic overuse and a false sense of security have led to the resurgence of several diseases we thought were conquered and have created new threats.  Infection is an informative look at the microorganisms that ensure our health and sometimes take it from us. For better or worse, infection shapes our lives. "The good, the bad and the ugly in the world of infection, introducing the microorganisms that are essential to life, those that complicate it and those with the potential to destroy it. Callahan praises the beneficial germs that inhabit us and surround us. To those bent on sterilizing their surroundings in the interest of health—thanks to Pasteur, we have come to think of germs as the enemy—he offers some startling Over 90 percent of the cells in our bodies are bacteria, and even that remaining ten percent contain bacteria. Having informed the reader of the key role played by bacteria in the evolution of mankind and in our continued well-being, he moves on to the darker side. When the balance between our host bodies and their resident microbes is disturbed, immunological diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis and inflammatory bowel disease, result. And while most bacteria are benign, there are rogues to contend with. Infectious diseases, which include anything caused by a bacterium, a parasite, a fungus, a virus or a prion, are the leading cause of death in developing countries, and the leading cause of illness in developed countries. While antibiotics were once thought to have conquered infectious diseases, Callahan reminds the reader of the havoc still created by respiratory infections, diarrhea, tuberculosis, malaria and measles, and he notes the emergence of AIDS, SARS, mad-cow disease and the West Nile virus. Of the coming pandemic of influenza, he says, 'We are standing in the path of a firestorm we can do nothing about, not even imagine.' In the author's view, it is not a question of if, but of when. Add to this the threat of bioterrorism utilizing anthrax, plague, ricin and whatever else genetic engineering concocts, and the story becomes dark indeed . . . [H]uman-interest stories and vivid accounts of historic events enliven his text."— Kirkus Reviews  "Microbiologist-pathologist Callahan has compelling news. Only about 10 percent of the cells of a human body can be called human. The remainder are bacteria. This is a good thing, for without these bacteria, we would surely die. It is the vastly underrated microbiotic system that sustains and even enables life. Lacking a complete set of healthy bacteria allowing us to digest food and fend off illness, individual existence would be impossible. Largely responsible for strengthening the immune system, these good germs ought to be sought after and nourished, Callahan says. Pointing to a number of illnesses, from asthma to acute lymphoblastic lymphoma, that can be at least partially linked to a lack of exposure to certain bacterial infections, Callahan makes a case for lackadaisical housekeeping. Not so sloppy as to foster the germs that deliver infectious diseases such as malaria, AIDS, SARS, or influenza, however, any of which might deal the ultimate blow that cleanses the planet of humanity. Callahan writes of an at-times unpleasant topic in clear, reader-friendly language."— Booklist

Genres: Science, Nonfiction

304 pages, Hardcover

First published November 28, 2006

Reviews

[Nicola Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of those books that you can learn a lot from and in a way that feels easy with how the author delivered and wrote the information. It’s very informative and has plenty of great info (although there are some aspects of science that have advanced since this was written but it still has plenty of great things to learn).

The storytelling in this book is great and it really makes for effortless and enjoyable reading. It was a really well written popular science book on a fantastic topic and I love reading about microbiology. The book covered some amazing areas and was just really interesting to read.

A fab book on a fab topic. I’d definitely recommend if you’re interested in this area and it’s great for scientists and non scientists alike.

[Dragonwarriorsgalore · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's an easy read for a nonfiction science book. It can be finished in a day or two and is friendly for people who don't have a strong science background. It covers a wide array of bacteria and viruses and gets the point across that most microbes are harmless.

It wasn't a bad read, and the author had personality, but there is a fine line in science between injecting personality into your literature in a non biased way and displaying facts in a sensationalist fashion. A little personality is appreciated, but this book is borderline sensationalist at points. It makes wary readers want to keep their computers close to make sure said facts are not being embellished. He is dramatic at some points and goes off on tangents, getting back to his main point towards the end of the chapter at some points. He's also very repetitive. Due to all this, 20 pages could have easily been cut from the book. At the same time, he is good at explaining some scientific concepts some people may not be aware of, and his analogies can be helpful to understand concepts. For those reasons, I wouldn't discourage anyone from reading it

[Micki · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a more in-depth treatment of what the media has been trying to teach us lately: some bacteria is good for us. And the parts about helpful bacteria were really good.

OTOH, I think Callahan indulges in some yellow-journalism and shock-mongering when he talks about the bad bacteria. A big theme is, "a tiny infection can change the course of your life" -- which is true, but he tends to over-emphasize it.

Also, rather annoyingly, Callahan will start on one train of thought, and then get off before providing cites, examples and evidence to support it. Not always, but enough times to be frustrating.

This is a book you'll want to read when you have internet access; I'm sure some of the info is already outdated, but it's a great starting point!

[Michele · Rating 3 out of 5]

Detailed yet easy to read (for someone with a non-scientific mind) discussion of the microscopic organisms that call our bodies home. Also discusses those microorganisms that would like to feed off of us, in one terrible way or another. While reading felt the need to brush off the little critters, but since they are literally everywhere, inside and out, I just shutter and shiver. While I found this topic very interesting, because of these shutters and shivers the next book will have to wait awhile.

[Eric Zulueta · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very engaging book on diseases. What causes them? What our body does and how we (meaning our antibodies, etc.) interact with viruses, bacteria and other "germs"..

The author goes through each type of germ and the diseases that they bring - starting with a story about a person who had the disease.

This is highly recommended to everyone interested in learning how and why we get sick - and what we now know about the disease.

[Eli · Rating 3 out of 5]

Every now and then I decide I want an injection of realty into my so called la la land.
I can't help myself. it just my damn brain.
so, what better place to start than knowing that we are truly a product of our environment.
I'm talking about 60 million years back environment.

This is truly fascinating.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

What I learned from this book is that there are areas of your intenstine that have an inch thick of bacterial mat. And it's pretty important, so don't try getting rid of it. I'm mostly impressed that this book was able to teach this hypochondriac a thing or two about disease without totally freaking me out.

[Ohyassi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully written!