Don't Touch That Doorknob! How Germs Can Zap You and How You Can Zap Back

by Brown, Jack

• ISBN13: 9780446676342
• ISBN10: 0446676349
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2001-10-01
• Publisher: Grand Central Publishing

Summary

Those seconds on the elevator, those minutes on the checkout line, that evening at the cocktail party. They all bring you up close and personal with your fellow human beings...and with germs. Whatever you call them -- bacteria, viruses, fungi, algae, or protozoa -- these potent microorganisms are on you, in you, and all around you by the trillions. And while many are vital to our very lives, others are dangerous, even deadly.

Table of Contents

Introduction	1	(10)
Microorganisms--The Large World of Small Life	11	(6)
Bacteria--They're Everywhere! They're Everywhere!	17	(7)
Viruses--The Ultimate Internal Alien	24	(8)
Algae, Fungi, and Protozoa--Get to Know Them	32	(9)
Antibiotic, Antiviral, and Antifungal Agents--Sometimes We Can't Do It on Our Own	41	(8)
Our Body--A Microorganism's Motel 6	49	(21)
Colds and Flu--You Can Run but You Can't Hide	70	(24)
Water, Water Everywhere--Be Careful What You Drink	94	(14)
If You Can't Stand the Germs, Stay Out of the Kitchen	108	(43)
Cleaning Up Germs in the Bathroom	151	(8)
Where Germs Make Themselves at Home in Your Home	159	(12)
With Friends Like These--Pets and Other Creatures	171	(21)
Dining Out with Uninvited Guests	192	(11)
Day Care--A Germ's Playground	203	(17)
How Healthy Is Your Health--Care Facility?	220	(11)
The Wide World of Germs--Travel and Vacations	231	(13)
Bioterrorism--When Good Germs Go Bad	244	(11)
Making Peace with the Germs Among Us	255	(12)
Special Thanks	267	(2)
Glossary	269	(27)
Resources	296	(7)
Index	303