Perennial best-seller Alcamo Microbes and Society is the ideal text for non-majors taking a foundational course in the life sciences. The Fourth Edition retains the user-friendly readability of previous editions while incorporating original features and material, including new information on viruses and microbial groups, new data on microbes in agriculture and the environment, current applications of genetic engineering and biotechnology, and fully updated coverage of microbes and the human microbiome. Discussions of the immune system, bacterial growth and metabolism, and viral and bacterial diseases have been revised for clarity and concept retention, and coverage of food microbiology, vaccines, and human health has been expanded. Comprehensive yet accessible for non-science-majors, Alcamo Microbes and Society, Fourth Edition is an essential text for students taking an introductory microbiology course.