Book excerpt: The perfect tool for course review and exam preparation! This brand-new resource is a companion to Dr. Murray's best-selling Medical Microbiology, 5th Edition. It features more than 550 USMLE-style questions, with answers and rationales that examine bacteriology, virology, mycology, and parasitology. Like its parent text, this review guide focuses on how microbes cause disease in humans and emphasizes facts vital to clinical practice. Readers will find the latest knowledge and advances in the field ... page references to the 5th Edition ... and full-color illustrations. Makes an excellent study tool for the microbiology portion of the USMLE Step 1 exam. Presents questions in the USMLE style to familiarize readers with the exam format. Includes correct answers for every questions, plus rationales that explain why those answers are correct. Features page references to the main text for each answer, making more information easy to find. Integrates 70 color illustrations that demonstrate complex concepts and the appearance of disease. Considers etiology, epidemiology, host defenses, identification, diagnosis, prevention, and control for a broad range of pathogens.