I wish more undergraduate and postgraduate students will read this book for updating their knowledge and skills.

I wish the book to be a landmark in subject of Microbiology.

It has been kept in mind to condense and include the latest major meaningful advances in medical microbiology in this volume. Distinct feature of this volume is inclusion of updated Medical Parasitology with Entomology. All the chapters are thoroughly revised and updated as highlighted by esteemed readers from time to time. New chapters are included namely; microbiology in the service of human being, molecular techniques in microbiology, emerging and re-emerging infections and laboratory and hospital wastes. Also included in this volume: Biofilm, new methods of disinfection and sterilization, super antigen, Ogawa medium, adenosine deaminase activity, immunological investigations of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Napah virus, pandemic of swine flu (H₁N₁) breakthrough 2009, laboratory diagnosis of septicemia/bacteremia and infective endocarditis and Nobel prize in Medicine etc.

The challenge was to keep the volume comprehensive, profusely colored, beautifully illustrated and still handy maintaining emphasis on the needs of MBBS and BDS students. Several colored figures and photographs, tables and colored illustrations (adjusted appropriately between texts) are included to enhance and intensify the utility of this volume. The chapters pertaining to clinical microbiology are especially addressed to budding doctors (interns and house surgeons/physicians) who usually face problems in collection and transportation of clinical samples for laboratory investigations.

It is the privilege to offer my sincere gratitude to my respected teachers: Professor TD Chugh, Professor Uma Sabharwal, Professor RK Arya and Professor DR Arora for their blessings, encouragement, inspiration and good will. My special thanks to Professor Aruna Aggarwal, Professor BL Sherwal, Professor Jagdish Chander, Professor Prem Narwan, Professor Raj Kumar, Professor Anjum, Professor Bella Mahajan and many others for their best wishes and valuable suggestions in upbringing the current edition of this volume.

I am thankful to Dr GM Warke of Hi Media Laboratory, Mumbai, for kind permission to use some photographs.

I acknowledge the help rendered by faculty of Department of Microbiology, Gian Sagar Medical College and Hospital, (Banur), Patiala in the preparation of this edition. Thanks to Mr Gurpreet Singh for taking responsibility of secretarial work of this volume.

Professor AS Sekhon, Dean and Principal, Gian Sagar Medical College, (Banur), Patiala has encouraged me and enriched me with his good wishes to accomplish the commitment of bringing up this edition to the contentment and expectations of readers. From the core of my heart, I am grateful to him indeed.

My sincere thanks to Shri Jitendar P Vij (Chairman and Managing Director), Jaypee Brothers Medical Publishers (P) Ltd., New Delhi and his dedicated and dynamic team for publishing this book elegantly and speedily.

In true sense I derived much inspiration and blessings from my mother, respected Late Smt. Kaushalya Gupte and respected father Late Shri Charanjit Gupte. Also, I take opportunity to express my thanks to all my family members especially to my wife Mrs Jyotsna Gupte and dear son Anubhav Gupte who actually helped me sincerely while I was simply engrossed in preparing and also during finalizing this manuscript.

Comments, suggestions and constructive criticisms towards improvements of future editions of this volume are very much welcomed. In fact, they underline the shortcomings which are looked into and rectified in the interest of our esteemed readers.

The Short Textbook of Medical Microbiology attempts to fill that long-left gap. In spite of great deal of expansion in all branches of microbiology, I have tried to make it concise yet comprehensive, handy and up-to-date. The stress has been on contemporary medical microbiology's relevance for today's needs in our set-up. A large number of line diagrams and tables are included to simplify the points. Also, the language has been simple, easy and straightforward. In line with our requirements more emphasis has been laid on practical aspects. A strong point of the digest is a special stress on the mechanism of production of disease by the microbes and laboratory diagnosis.

In writing this volume, I have considerably counted on the superb teaching of my teachers, namely Prof TD Chugh, Prof RK Arya and Prof (Mrs) Uma Sabharwal. The goodwill and wise counsels of Dr DR Arora, Dr Ashok Malik, Dr (Mrs.) Santhosh Saini, Dr Satish Walia, Dr RL Kaul, Dr (Mrs) Sudershan Kumari Gupta and Dr Satish Sharma proved a source of much stimulation.

Lastly, I express my appreciation for the various favors extended by the family folk at various stages of publication.

With this, let me hope that this little book makes its modest contribution by presenting the subject of medical microbiology in an easy, simple and straightforward form helping the undergraduates to imbibe basic and applied things on the subject.