Nova Science Publishers Inc Microbiological Clinical Hygiene (Microbiological Hygiene)

This book describes the issues of human health and healthcare from the point of view of hygiene monitoring and maintenance. Also, the perspectives on the effects of microbial cell structures, metabolism, communities and interactions on health and hygiene are included. Besides microbiological screening of patients, surfaces, air space etc. this book introduces some key bacteriological, virological and fungal risks in the clinical setting. It describes routes of contamination inside hospitals, and into our body. The means for prevention of the spreading of unwanted microbes are presented as well. Protection mechanisms of the bodily system and the balances of the human microbiome are discussed with respect to intrusions via the respiratory or digestive systems or damaged skin. The risks during operations or invasive treatments are highlighted, together with means for avoiding them. Examples of biofilm formation on the devices or on the body surfaces, latent infections, contagion mechanisms, as well as prevalent risks such as mycobacterial infections, antibiotic resistant strains, intracellular pathogens, nosocomial viruses, lowered host defences, Clostridium difficile, salmonellas, legionellas are included in the chapters of this book. Important developments such as personalized medicine, point-of-care diagnostics, arthroscopy, improved drug delivery, pre- and probiotic treatments, monitoring of the normal flora and its beneficial effects are also discussed. About the Author Adjunct Professor, Eino Elias Hakalehto, PhD, graduated from the University of Helsinki as a microbiologist in 1983. He was the first chairman the environmental section of the board of the student union of the Helsinki University. Afterwards, DrHakalehto had been involved in environmental protection, research on probiotics, food and clinical diagnostics, microbial detection, and industrial project development. DrHakalehto studied biotechnology in London (University College London, and the Polytechnic of Central London, nowadays Westminster University) and in the University of Kent at Canterbury, UK, 1984-85. DrHakalehto was the first researcher in a joint project between University of Helsinki and Valio Dairy Corporation, regarding the strategies for Valio's positioning at the probiotics sector, leading to the acquisition and promotion of Lactobacillus GG strain. In 1989-90 he carried out research at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel, in the Biotechnology Unit and Hadassah Medical School as a visiting scientist. In 1997 he activated his own company, Finnoflag Oy. DrHakalehto did his PhD Thesis in 2000 at the University of Kuopio on the bacterial surface components, and he carried out many consultations in the fields of microbiology and biotechnology with more than one hundred specified investigation tasks. Some of his recent research activities have been related to the R&D leading to novel concepts in the field of advanced probiotics. He is the author of "Alimentary