Review of: ASM’s MicrobeLibrary Atlas, freely accessible at www.microbelibrary.org.
A number of microbiology photographic atlases are available for use with undergraduate students. They provide additional photographs and figures above and beyond the standard microbiology text and lab manual. These visual resources are extremely beneficial for students who are just beginning to perform microbiology techniques.
The use of online versus print resources is an ongoing debate, but as access to computers in the laboratory increases, resources such as MicrobeLibrary will become increasingly relevant. This online atlas provides numerous examples of results for techniques, and links to related resources such as useful detailed protocols. However, MicrobeLibrary is a work in progress, and not all of the media and assays used in an undergraduate microbiology laboratory are available. In its current form, I recommend it as a supplement for images of various techniques if print atlases are not available.
The new 2011 edition of Leboffe and Pierce’s atlas is the most comprehensive of all the print atlases reviewed. In addition to over 500 photos, detailed descriptions of each technique and media are accompanied by useful diagrams and tables for expected results. A Photographic Atlas for the Microbiology Laboratory stands out because it includes a section on molecular techniques and an updated section on environmental testing and sampling. Besides the techniques and media presented, additional chapters cover viruses, bacterial classification, bacterial pathogens, archaea, microbial eukaryotes, and clinically relevant eukaryotes. All of the material covered in an undergraduate microbiology laboratory is here; however, the order of some of the chapters is not ideal. For example, antimicrobial tests are at the end of the atlas after the survey chapters on the three domains of life. The initial chapters do tie in well, though, with identification of unknown bacteria. I highly recommend this atlas as a comprehensive resource for all undergraduate microbiology students to refer to both in and out of the lab.
Another well-done atlas by Alexander and Strete from 2001 provides detailed descriptions of most standard techniques used in an undergraduate microbiology laboratory. However, Microbiology: A Photographic Atlas for the Laboratory lacks descriptions of molecular techniques and the extensive survey chapters on bacteria, archaea, microbial eukaryotes and viruses. Also, the chemical details are not as extensive as in Leboffe and Pierce. A beneficial feature is the “Tips for Success” section provided for each technique. This more streamlined atlas provides information in an order ideal for bacterial unknown identification, and may be a useful supplement for an introductory microbiology course for less advanced students.
Wistreich’s Microbiology Perspectives emphasizes a photographic survey of bacteria, archaea, microbial eukaryotes, helminthes, and viruses. This survey is much more in-depth than the other atlases; however, Wistreich’s atlas lacks the detailed techniques chapters found in the other print atlases. It does have a chapter on modern imaging techniques and a chapter on bacteriology techniques, but these are not divided into individual sections nor are they alphabetized — a helpful aspect of the other atlases.
Each of these photographic atlases has positive features depending on the needs of the reader. For a comprehensive atlas with detailed techniques and a survey of microbial organisms, I highly recommend Leboffe and Pierce’s atlas. For a more streamlined technique-based atlas for an introductory microbiology course, Alexander and Strete’s atlas is a good choice. Finally, for a detailed survey of microbial organisms to supplement any microbiology text or laboratory manual, Wistreich’s atlas fits the bill.