PART I. INTRODUCTION
CHAPTER 1.THE GREAT EPIDEMIC BATTLES
Bubonic Plague
Smallpox
Tuberculosis
Malaria
Influenza Virus
HIV/AIDS
Yellow Fever
Polio
Cholera
Hepatitis C
Measles
Ebola
Zika
Coronavirus – SARS, MERS, and COVID-19
- Why do some diseases die out while others become endemic?
CHAPTER 2. THE NOT-SO-GREAT BIOWARFARE BATTLES
PART II. KNOW YOUR GERM ENEMY
CHAPTER 3. GERM STRATEGY
Germ Size and Number
Bacterial Structure
Viral Structure
COVID-19
Protozoan, Worm, and Prion Structures
CHAPTER 4. WEAPONS THAT GERMS USE
Weapons that Bacteria Use
Weapons that Viruses Use
Weapons that Protozoans and Helminths Use
Weapons that Fungi Use
Bacteriophages
PART III. KNOW YOURSELF
The Human Strategy
CHAPTER 5. THE IMMUNE SYSTEM
Innate (natural) Immunity
Cells of Innate Immunity
Molecules of Innate Immunity
- Adaptive (Acquired) Immunity
- Humoral (antibody-mediated) Immunity (B-lymphocytes)
Monoclonal Antibodies
Primary and Secondary Response
Cell-mediated Immunity (T-lymphocytes)
When Things Go Wrong
Microorganism Adaptation
Insufficient Immune Response
Excessive Immune Response (Cytokine Storm)
CHAPTER 6. ANTIMICROBIAL DRUGS
Antibiotics
Antiviral Drugs
Antiprotozoan Drugs
Antihelminth Drugs
Antifungal Drugs
Drug Resistance
CHAPTER 7. ACTIVE AND PASSIVE IMMUNIZATION
Active Immunization (Vaccination)
- “Hey, does the COVID vaccine really work!? I got COVID again, even after taking the booster shot!”
Future Vaccines
- Why by now don’t we have a vaccine for every type of invading organism?
Passive Immunization (Antibodies)
Immunosuppression
CHAPTER 8. ALLEVIATING THE PATIENT’S SYMPTOMS
CHAPTER 9. PERSONAL AND COMMUNITY PREVENTIVE ACTIONS
How effective are masks?
Contact Tracing
How effective are lockdowns?
PART IV. BIOWARFARE
Category A, B, and C Diseases
CHAPTER 10. BIOWARFARE OFFENSE STRATEGY
Biological Weapons
Chemical Weapons
Cyber Weapons
CHAPTER 11. BIOWARFARE DEFENSE STRATEGY
Government Measures
Treatment Strategy
Should bioweapons research be banned?
Final Thoughts
CHAPTER 12. LABORATORY TESTING FOR ANTIGEN AND ANTIBODY
Sensitivity vs. Specificity
Testing for Antigen
What does a positive antigen test mean?
What does a negative antigen test mean?
Testing for Antibody
What does a positive antibody test mean?
What does a negative antibody test mean?
APPENDIX I. DNA REPLICATION, TRANSCRIPTION,
AND TRANSLATION
CHAPTER 13. DNA REPLICATION
What is a protein?
What is a gene?
Mitosis
Replication of DNA
Transposons and Plasmids
CHAPTER 14. TRANSCRIPTION OF DNA INTO RNA
Introns
CHAPTER 15. TRANSLATION OF RNA INTO PROTEINS
Protein Function
Protein Modification
APPENDIX II. HOW TO EVALUATE A NEW TREATMENT
Is it safe?
Does it really work?
GLOSSARY
INDEX
