"This advanced textbook provides a unique overview of the microbial communities inhabiting those regions of the human body that are exposed to the external environment; these include the skin, eyes, oral cavity, and the respiratory, urinary, reproductive, and gastrointestinal tracts. To understand why particular organisms are able to colonize an anatomical region and why the resulting microbial community has a particular composition, an ecological approach is essential. Consequently, the key anatomical and physiological characteristics of each body site are described to show how these influence the nature of the environment at that site. Microbial Inhabitants of Humans is a core text-book for advanced students taking courses in microbiology, medical micro-biology, microbial ecology, and human biology."--BOOK JACKET.