INDEX

Acinetobacter spp., 67–68

Adams, Rachel, 110–111

aesthetic values, 140–141

Agelenopsis sp. (American grass spider), 156 (fig.)

air-conditioning, 254

fungi and, 107, 116

alcohol, 234

allergens

in drywall, 112

in German cockroach, 163

IgE antibodies and, 70

allergies, 56

biodiversity and, 66–68

from black mold, 114, 115

from fungi, 102, 112, 115–116

from German cockroaches, 139

IgE antibodies and, 64, 66

immune system and, 115

increases of, 58

to peanuts, 64

from pets, 209

American cockroach, 162–163, 164, 173

American grass spider (Agelenopsis sp.), 156 (fig.)

Amish

asthma in, 69–72

dust and, 70–71, 209

immune system of, 70

anaerobic bacteria, 13

Andersen, Birgitte, 103–117

animals

antibiotics for, 227

bathing by, 85–86

in caves, 92, 120

for emotional support, 188

in houses, 119–141

See also specific types and species

antibiotics, 46, 154–155

animals and, 227

bacteria adapting to, 225–229, 232

bacteria producing, 91

exploitative competition and, 215

fungi killed by, 154

for Mycobacterium tuberculosis, 79, 109

from Penicillium spp., 109, 145

resistance to, 79, 154, 224–229

for Staphylococcus aureus, 220

antibodies, 62

for heartworms, 206, 207

to Toxoplasma gondii, 190

See also immunoglobulin E antibodies

antigens

inflammatory diseases and, 62–63

to Toxoplasma gondii, 195

antimicrobials, 3, 155

See also antibiotics

ants

antibiotics from, 154–155

Argentine, 168–169, 177

Asian needle, 33, 34

bacteria in, 147

beetles and, 186–187

exoskeletons of, 155

fruit for, 169

fungi in, 104

giant bulldog, 154

odorous house, 169, 177

thief, 137, 155

tiger, 33–34, 41

aphids, wasps and, 15, 134, 137

Aprostocetus hagenowii, 173

aquatic insects, 176

aquifers, 90, 91, 92, 99, 255

archaea, 20, 27–28

Argentine ants (Linephithema humile), 168–169, 177

armpit bacteria, 50, 88, 250

Artemyev, Oleg, 48

arthropods, 2

ancient, 135–136

antibiotics from, 154–155

brushes on, 154

camel crickets and, 129–141, 131 (fig.)

in groundwater, 91–92

in houses, 129–141, 131 (fig.), 135 (fig.), 159–160

on sloths, 42

Asian needle ant (Brachyponera chinensis), 33, 34

Aspergillus spp., 107

asthma, 56

in Amish and Hutterites, 69–72

egg proteins and, 70–71

in Finland, 64

from fungi, 102, 115–116

heartworms and, 207

increases of, 58, 73

atopic dermatitis, 209

atranones, 114

Bacillus subtilis, 50

Bacillus thuringiensis, 144–145

bacteria, 3

anaerobic, 13

antibiotics for, 225–229, 232

antibiotics from, 91

in ants, 147

armpit, 50, 88, 250

benign, 16, 39

biodiversity hypothesis and, 209

biodiversity of, 210

of biofilm, 77–78

in bloodstream, 223

bodily, 37, 39, 42, 51 (fig.), 215

in camel crickets, 146, 150

on cats, 208–209

cellulose and, 149–150

in Chimpanzee nests, 42

disease from, 16, 47

DNA sequencing of, 26–29, 104

from dogs, 208

in dust, 253

fecal, 37, 49, 56, 61, 210

in food, 40, 253

gram-negative, 21

in groundwater, 91

in hide beetles, 152

in house fly, 154

in houses, 35–50, 105

on human body, 37, 39, 42, 51 (fig.), 215

immune system and, 71–72

inflammatory diseases and, 56–72

in insects, 146–147

on ISS, 47–51, 50 (fig.)

Leeuwenhoek’s first sighting of, 8, 11

lignin and, 149–151

mutations of, 226–227

new discoveries of, 21

pathogens and, 216

in salt, 40–41

16S rRNA gene of, 27–28

on skin, 66–68, 214

in sourdough starter, 249

in tapeworms, 144

in termites, 101–102

thermophilic, 20–27

unculturable, 25–29

vaginal, 50

viruses and, 91

in water, 77, 253

See also soil bacteria; specific species

bacterial interference, 214

bacteriocins, 215

bacteriology, 13

bacteriophages, 91

Bacteroidetes, 71

bad odors, disease from, 54

bakers’ hands, sourdough starter and, 250–255

Bartonella spp., 204

basements

camel crickets in, 123–126, 145, 150

carbon in, 145–146

bat bugs, 183

bathing, 75–99

by animals, 85–86

history of, 86–88

wealth and, 88–90

bats, 32

Baym, Michael, 225

Bdellovibrio spp., 91

bearded lacewing, 137

beauty, 140–141

Beauveria bassiana, 174

bed bugs, 4, 139, 170, 174, 183

beer, 3, 75, 157–158, 234, 240

bees, 10, 128, 137

beetles

ants and, 186–187

dung, 57–59, 67

grain, 154

hide, 148, 150, 152

in houses, 134

in outhouses, 136

as pets, 186–187

Bégouën, Jacques, 120–121, 140

Bégouën, Louis, 120–121, 140

Bégouën, Max, 120–121, 140

Bertone, Matt, 130–132, 131 (fig.), 137, 138

Bieman, Don, 165–166

biocides

adaptation to, 169–171

used in drinking water, 93–94

See also pesticides

biodiversity

allergies and, 66–68

of bacteria, 210

of butterflies, 73–74

food and, 231–256

in groundwater, 91, 92, 93 (fig.)

in houses, 223, 232, 253

immune system and, 47, 61–71, 232, 247

inflammatory diseases and, 59–61

of insects, 137

invasive species and, 220–221

pathogens and, 222–223, 230

pesticide resistance and, 171

of plants, 68–69

of skin bacteria, 66–68

of spiders, 232

of tap water, 82

of wasps, 232

in water, 232, 255

biodiversity hypothesis, 65, 115–116, 209

biofilm, 77–99, 214, 219

biofuels, 150, 152

biomass

in groundwater, 92

of insects, 171

in showerheads, 82

in tap water, 82

black liquor, 148–149

black mold (Stachybotrys chartarum), 102–103, 108

allergies from, 114, 115

disease from, 114–115

on drywall, 110–117

in dust, 115

black rats (Rattus rattus), Toxoplasma gondii in, 191

black widow spiders, 175

Blattella germanica. See German cockroach

bleach, 95

Blochmannia spp., 147

bodily bacteria, 37, 39, 42, 51 (fig.), 215

Bodo spp., 11

Booker, Matthew, 242

Borel, Brooke, 19

Boylen, Kathryn, 23–24

Brachyponera chinensis (Asian needle ant), 33, 34

bradyzoite, 194

Brain and Behavior Research Foundation, 98

bread, 40, 234–255, 253 (fig.)

brewer’s yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae), 107, 240, 251

bristletails, 152

Broadsides from the Other Orders (Hubbell, S.), 122

Brock, Thomas, 20–27

brown cockroach, 164

butterflies, 58, 60, 73–74

Camel, Francois, 121

camel crickets, 122 (fig.), 126 (fig.)

arthropods and, 129–141, 131 (fig.)

bacteria in, 146, 150

in houses, 120–130, 124 (fig.)

from Japan, 125–126, 128

in Manhattan, 128–129

value of, 145–152

Camponotus spp., 147

cancer drugs, 159

carbon, in caves and basements, 145–146

cats

bacteria on, 208–209

heart attacks and, 188

house mice and, 196–197

immune system and, 209–210

parasites from, 188–203

pesticides on, 208

Toxoplasma gondii from, 188–203

Cattel’s16 Personality Factors survey, 195

cave bears (Ursus spelaeus), 120

caves, 43

animals in, 92, 120

bed bugs and, 183

camel crickets in, 123

carbon in, 145–146

fungi in, 109

Trois-Frères, 121

Cedecea lapagei, 150–151

cellulose

bacteria and, 149–150

in black liquor, 151

drain flies and, 152 (fig.)

in drywall and wallpaper, 110

fungi and, 108, 109–110

silverfish and, 152

cement, fungi on, 109

Ceuthophilus spp., 123

Chaetomium globosum, 112

cheese, 15, 238, 239 (fig.)

chemical warfare agents, 148

chemotrophs, 20

chimpanzees, 42, 67, 86

chloramine, 94–95, 97

chlordane, 162, 171

chlorine, 94–95, 96, 97

choanoflagellates, 91

cholera, 53–56, 55 (fig.), 73

beer and, 234

from fecal bacteria, 56, 61

from water, 56, 61

chromium, 24

cicadas, 155

cilia, 11

ciliates, 91

Cladosporium spp., 107

clean water, 89, 232

Clostridium difficile, 72

clothing, fungi on, 110–111

cockroach

communication by, 176–177

pheromones of, 177

wasps and, 174–175

“wild type,” 178, 179

See also German cockroach

Cohn, Ted, 123

competitive release, 94

Corynebacterium spp., 50, 88, 250

cows, 78

crickets. See camel crickets

Crohn’s disease, 56, 73, 210

crustaceans, 77, 99

cyanobacteria, 20

Cyclidium spp., 11

daddy long-legs, 139

Danoff-Burg, Jim, 186–187

Darwin, Charles, 31, 79, 161, 183, 211, 231

DDT, 162, 171

de Graaf, Regnier, 10, 15

decolonization, 228

Delftia acidovorans, 77

Delftia spp., 251

Dermestes maculatus (hide beetle), 148, 150, 152

desquamation, of skin, 39

detritivores, 39

diazinon, 162, 171

dieldrin, 171

Diestrammena asynamora, 125–125, 126 (fig.), 127

Diestrammena japonica, 126

dilan, 171

Dillard, Annie, 134

Dirofilaria immitis (heartworms), 205–207

Discothyrea testacea (tiger ant), 33–34, 41

disease, 47

absence as, 53–74

from bacteria, 16

from bad odors, 54

from black mold, 114–115

from pathogens, 16, 57

See also inflammatory diseases

dishwashers, 40

Dittmar, Caroline, 216–218

DNA sequencing, 26–29, 36, 37 (fig.), 104, 248–249

dogs, 203–210

bacteria from, 208

fecal bacteria from, 210

fleas on, 204

heartworms in, 205–207

immune system and, 209–210

parasites on, 204–207

soil bacteria from, 208

stress and, 187–188

tapeworms in, 204–205

dopamine, 198

dragonflies, 155

drain flies, 41, 152 (fig.)

drinking water, 39, 46, 91–94, 232

Driscoll, Katherine, 33–34, 41

dry rot fungus (Serpula lacrymans), 110

drywall, 110–117

dung beetles, 57–59, 67

dust, 104, 253

Amish and, 70–71, 209

black mold in, 115

Hutterites and, 70–71

dust mites, 42, 63, 115

dwarf centipede (Nannarrup hoffmani), 138

Echinococcus spp., 204–205

The Ecology of Invasions by Animals and Plants (Elton), 220

eczema, 64

egg proteins, 70–71

Eichenwald, Heinz, 212–228

Eisen, Jonathan, 48, 49

Elizabeth I (queen), 75

Elton, Charles, 220–221, 223

enemy-free space, 175

Enterobacter spp., 49

eosinophils, 62, 70, 71

Ephestia kuehniella (mill moths), 144–145

Epps, Mary Jane, 125–127, 148

Escherichia coli, 49, 221–222, 227, 229, 250

The Essential Haiku: Versions of Bashō, Buson, and Issa (Hass), 143

Evania appendigaster, 173

evolution

of bed bugs, 183

of German cockroaches, 162–184

of heartworms, 206

of insects, 161–162

Exodus 8:24, 119

exploitative competition, 215

extremophiles, 40

face mites, 203

families, 38

farsighted ecologist syndrome, 128

fecal bacteria, 37, 49, 56, 61, 210

fecal transplant, 72

fenthion, 162

fermentation

of beer, 240

of food, 234–240

Fierer, Noah, 35–36, 76–77, 80–95, 104, 242, 248, 250

Firmicutes, 71

flagellum, 11

fleas, 3

on dogs, 204

on guinea pigs, 136–137, 203

Leeuwenhoek and, 9–10

parasites on, 204

Flegr, Jaroslav, 189–202, 189 (fig.)

Fleming, Alexander, 109, 224, 225

flies

drain, 41, 152 (fig.)

fruit, 145

house, 154, 171, 174 (fig.)

in houses, 133–134

maggots from, 14

phorid, 138

Trautwein and, 129, 130

food

bacteria in, 40, 253

biodiversity and, 231–256

bread, 40, 234–255, 253 (fig.)

fermentation of, 234–240

kimchi, 234, 235–238

Formicidae family, 133

Frederick, Jonathan, 157

freezers, 40

fructose, 168, 178, 180

fruit flies, 145

fundamental niche, 23

fungi, 3

air-conditioning and, 107, 116

allergies from, 102, 112, 115–116

antibiotics for, 154

asthma from, 102, 115–116

atranones from, 114

on bakers’ hands, 252

for bed bugs, 174

biodiversity hypothesis and, 115–116

in caves, 109

cellulose and, 108, 109–110

on cement, 109

on clothing, 110–111

on drywall, 110–117

in houses, 102–117

on human body, 105

hyphae of, 102

on ISS, 105–109, 117

lignin and, 148–149

macrocyclic trichothecenes from, 114

on Mars, 106

on Mir, 106–109

naming and classification of, 103–104

as parasites, 104

as pathogens, 104

in sourdough starter, 249, 251

spores of, 102

as technophiles, 107

on wallpaper, 110

in water, 102, 116–117

white rot, 149

on wood, 108, 109–110, 149

See also black mold; yeast

Galileo, 15

Gammaproteobacteria, 67, 68–69, 71

Gebert, Matt, 83

genera, 38

genital louse, 144

“The Georgia Epidemic” (Eichenwald and Shinefield), 218

germ theory, 16, 57, 59, 215

German cockroach (Blattella germanica), 3, 167 (fig.)

allergens on, 163

allergies from, 139

in China, 164–165

courtship of, 177–178

evolution of, 162–184

fructose and, 168, 178, 180

glucose and, 165–168, 178–180

in houses, 162

nuptial gift of, 178

pathogens on, 163

pesticides for, 162–184

reproduction by, 167

Seven Years War and, 164

geysers, 19–20

giant bulldog ants (Myrmecia spp.), 154

Glanville fritillary (Melitaea cinxia), 58

glucose, 165–168, 178–180

goats, 78, 205

gold, 77, 251

goldenrod, 220

grain beetles, 154

gram-negative bacteria, 21

Greene, Harry, 140

Grew, Nehemiah, 12–13

Grinnell, Joseph, 23

groundwater, 64, 89–93, 93 (fig.), 95

See also aquifers

Grunden, Amy, 147–151

Guenard, Benoit, 33

guinea pigs, 136–137, 203

Gulliver’s Travels (Swift), 3

Haahtela, Tari, 58–69

habitat fragmentation, 58

hand washing, 46, 228

for Escherichia coli, 250

for pathogens, 232, 250

Hansen, Emil Christian, 240

Hanski, Ilkka, 57–74

Harrison, Jim, 231

Hass, Robert, 143

Hay, J., 188, 189–190, 191, 192, 198

hay fever, 64

head lice, 170

heartworms (Dirofilaria immitis), 205–207

Henley, Jessica, 37 (fig.), 248

heptachlor, 171

Herodotus, 119, 185

Herzog, Werner, 101

hide beetle (Dermestes maculatus), 148, 150, 152

Hixson, Jane, 22

Holmes, Hannah, 36

Homer, 231

Homo heidelbergensis, 43

honeybees, 128, 137

Hooke, Robert, 9, 11–12, 13, 109

hot water heaters, 22–27

house fly (Musca domestica), 154, 171–173, 174 (fig.)

house mice (Mus musculus)

cats and, 196–197

for experimentation, 145

Toxoplasma gondii in, 188–189, 191, 193

houses, 63–66

animals in, 119–141

arthropods in, 129–141, 131 (fig.), 135 (fig.), 159–160

bacteria in, 35–50, 105

bees in, 137

beetles in, 134

biodiversity in, 223, 232, 253

camel crickets in, 120–130, 124 (fig.)

dust in, 104

flies in, 133–134

fungi in, 102–117

German cockroach in, 162

spiders in, 134

termites in, 139

hsp65 gene, in Mycobacterium spp., 83

Hubbell, Sue, 122, 123, 139

Hubbell, Theodore Huntington, 123–124

human body

bacteria on, 37, 39, 42, 51 (fig.), 215

fungi on, 105

human botfly, 144

Hutterites, 69–72

hydramethylnon, 165

hygiene hypothesis, 61–62

hyphae, 102

IgE antibodies. See immunoglobulin E antibodies

immune system

allergies and, 115

of Amish and Hutterites, 70

bacteria and, 71–72

biodiversity and, 47, 61–71, 232, 247

biodiversity hypothesis and, 115

cats and, 209–210

dogs and, 209–210

heartworms and, 206–207

Mycobacterium tuberculosis and, 78–79

peacekeeper pathway of, 63

regulatory pathway of, 62–63

of rodents, 193

immunoglobulin E antibodies (IgE antibodies), 62, 63

allergies and, 64, 66

in Hutterites, 70

industrial waste, 152

Infested: How the Bed Bug Infiltrated Our Bedrooms and Took Over the World (Borel), 19

inflammatory bowel disease, 56, 210

inflammatory diseases, 63–68

antigens and, 62–63

bacteria and, 56–72

biodiversity and, 59–61

butterflies and, 60

germ theory and, 57, 59

increases of, 58–59, 59 (fig.)

inflammatory T cells, 193

insects, 2

antimicrobials from, 155

aquatic, 176

bacteria in, 146–147

biodiversity of, 137

biomass of, 171

evolution of, 161–162

natural selection in, 161

pathogens from, 46

pesticide resistance of, 170

See also specific types and species

Insinger Papyrus, 119

interference competition, 215

International Space Station (ISS), 47–51, 50 (fig.), 105–109, 117

invasive species

biodiversity and, 220–221

See also camel crickets

isodrin, 171

isopods, 92

ISS. See International Space Station

Issa, Kobayashi, 143

Janzen, Dan, 65

Kafka, Franz, 185, 190

Kant, Immanuel, 140

Kaplan, Stephen, 61

Kercsmar, Carolyn, 116

kimchi, 234, 235–238

Kishony, Roy, 225

Klebsiella oxytoca, 154

Koch, Robert, 56

Komodo dragons, 170

Korean food, 234–235

Kwon, Joe, 233–234

Kwon, Soo Hee, 233–234, 236, 241

Lactobacillus spp.

on bakers’ hands, 251

bread and, 239

fermentation from, 234

on ISS, 50

kimchi and, 236–237

in sourdough starter, 249, 250–251

Landis, Liz, 242

Lang, Jenna, 49

LaSala, Nathan, 126–127

LeBlanc, Nicholas, 87

Leeuwenhoek, Antony van, 2, 75, 232

bathing and, 88

death of, 15–16

discoveries of, 139

first sighting of bacteria by, 8, 11

fleas and, 9–10

microscopes of, 7–16, 12 (fig.)

pepper experiment of, 7–8, 10

Legionella pneumophila, 83

Legionella spp., 78, 99

leopard frog (Rana kauffeldi), 138

leukopenia, 114

lignin

bacteria and, 149–151

drain flies and, 152 (fig.)

fungi and, 148–149

lindane, 171

Linepithema humile (Argentine ants), 168–169, 177

Linnaeus, Carl, 164

Liometopum spp., 186–187

Lit, Ari, 129

“The Louisiana Epidemic” (Eichenwald and Shinefield), 218

Lowry, Christopher, 97–98

macrocyclic trichothecenes, 114

Madden, Anne, 157–158, 241, 246–248

maggots, from flies, 14

malaria, 46, 160

malathion, 162, 171

Mallos gregalis, 173

Manhattan, 4, 5(table), 128–129

Mars, 106

Marschalk, Susan, 84

Mastracchio, Rick, 48

Mathews, Stephanie, 148–151

McKenney, Erin, 242

Melitaea cinxia (Glanville fritillary), 58

Messier, Sam, 31–32, 35

metals, 99, 107

The Metamorphosis (Kafka), 185, 190

methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), 4, 224, 227

spider bites and, 175

thief ants and, 155

miasma theory, 54

mice. See house mice

Micrographia (Hooke), 9, 11–12, 109

microscopes

beauty in, 140

of Leeuwenhoek, 7–16, 12 (fig.)

mill moths (Ephestia kuehniella), 144–145

Mir, 106–109

mold, 10

See also black mold

monocytes, 70

The Monographic Revision of the Genus Ceuthophilus (Hubbell, T.), 123–124

monosodium glutamate (MSG), 235

mosquitoes, 160, 170, 206, 207

MRSA. See methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus

MSG. See monosodium glutamate

Mucor spp., 109

multiple sclerosis, 56, 73

Mus musculus. See house mice

Musca domestica (house fly), 154, 171, 174 (fig.)

Mycobacterium bovis, 78

Mycobacterium caprae, 78

Mycobacterium spp.

in biofilm, 77–78

bleach and, 95

chlorine and chloramine tolerance of, 94–95, 97

hsp65 gene in, 83

in showerheads, 83, 95, 96, 98

sourdough starter and, 251

in water, 77–78

Mycobacterium tuberculosis

antibiotics for, 79, 109

immune system and, 78–79

tuberculosis from, 56, 78–79

Mycobacterium vaccae, 97–98

Myrmecia spp. (giant bulldog ants), 154

Myrmecophilus spp., 137

Myrothecium spp., 113

Nannarrup hoffmani (dwarf centipede), 138

Napoleon Bonaparte, 161

NASA. See National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Nasutitermes corniger, 31–32

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), 47–51

natural selection, 161, 170, 183

nature deficit disorder, 61

Neosartorya hiratsukae, 112

neutrophils, 70

niches

narrowness of, 41

of soil bacteria, 222

for Thermus aquaticus, 23

Nichols, Lauren, 242

Niebhur, David, 201–202

Niphargus bajuvaricus, 93 (fig.)

nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM), 78, 79–80, 81 (fig.)

Norway rats (Rattus norvegicus)

for experimentation, 145

Toxoplasma gondii in, 191, 193, 198, 200–201

NTM. See nontuberculous mycobacteria

nucleotides, 28

nuptial gift, of German cockroaches, 178

odorous house ant (Tapinoma sessile), 169, 177

The Odyssey (Homer), 231

Oldenburg, Henry, 10

Oliveira, Angela, 242, 248

On the Origin of Species (Darwin), 231

oocysts, 191–192

orders, 38

outhouses, 126, 136

Panagiotakopulu, Eva, 135–136

paper mill waste, 148

parasites

on dogs, 204–207

on fleas, 204

fungi as, 104

wasps as, 173–174

See also Toxoplasma gondii

parathion, 171

Parkinson’s disease, from fungi, 112

Pasteur, Louis, 16, 215, 240

pathogens

bacteria and, 216

benign bacteria and, 39

biodiversity and, 222–223, 230

decolonization of, 228

disease from, 16, 57

in drinking water, 91–92, 232

of fecal bacteria, 56

fungi as, 104

germ theory for, 215

on German cockroach, 163

in groundwater, 91

hand washing for, 232, 250

from insects, 46

Staphylococcus aureus and, 215

vaccination for, 232

in water, 90

PCR. See polymerase chain reaction

peacekeeper pathway, of immune system, 63

peanut allergies, 64

penicillin, 212, 224, 227

Penicillium glandicola, 107

Penicillium spp., 109, 145

pepper experiment

of Hooke, 13

of Leeuwenhoek, 7–8, 10

pesticides, 3

Bacillus thuringiensis as, 144–145

on cats, 208

detoxification from, 148

enemy-free space from, 175

for German cockroach, 162–184

resistance to, 162–184

for spiders, 171

Petri dishes, 25, 147, 149

antibiotics in, 225–226

Staphylococcus aureus in, 221

pets, 185–210

allergies from, 209

beetles as, 186–187

as emotional support animals, 188

See also cats; dogs

pheromones, 33, 104, 177, 183

Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society, 10–11

phorid flies, 138

phyla, 38

pigs, 104

Piophila casei, 238

pipeline, for unculturable bacteria, 25–29

pipes

water in, 94

See also showerheads

plant biodiversity, 68–69

plastics

break down of, 147

fungi and, 107

showerheads of, 99

plumbingophiles, 78

polymerase, 26–27

polymerase chain reaction (PCR), 27

population sinks, 54

posttraumatic stress disorder, 98

pregnancy, Toxoplasma gondii and, 192–193

primers, 27, 28

Proctor, Caitlin, 96, 97, 99

prolan, 171

Propionibacterium spp., 250

protists, 10

diseases from, 47

in pepper water, 11

in rainwater, 77

Toxoplasma gondii as, 191–192

puffballs, 104, 111

pyrethrin, 171

rabies virus, 205

rainwater, 8, 77, 88, 90–91

Ramaley, Robert, 22

Rana kauffeldi (Atlantic Coast leopard frog), 138

rats. See Norway rats

Rattus norvegicus. See Norway rats

Rattus rattus (black rats), 191

realized niche, 23

A Really Big Lunch (Harrison), 231

Reber, Stefan, 97

refrigerators, 40

regulatory pathway, of immune system, 62–63

Reiskind, Michael, 176

Rembrandt, 75–76, 88

rhinitis, 64

Rhodotorula, 107

Ribble, John, 215–216

risk taking, Toxoplasma gondii and, 195–196, 202–203

ruderal species, 229

Saccharomyces cerevisiae (brewer’s yeast), 107, 240, 251

Salmonella spp., 227

salt, 40–41

Schal, Coby, 176–181

schizophrenia, 188–202

serotonin, 97–98

Serpula lacrymans (dry rot fungus), 110

Seven Years War, 164

Shakespeare, William, 211

sheep, 205

Shell, Lea, 125, 242

Shinefield, Henry, 212–228

showerheads, 41

biofilm of, 77–99, 96

biomass in, 82

diversity of, 84–85, 85 (fig.)

of metal and plastic, 99

Mycobacterium spp. in, 83, 95, 96, 98

silverfish, 145, 152, 255

Silverman, Jules, 162–181, 167 (fig.)

sink drains, 41

16S rRNA gene, 27–28

skin

bacteria on, 66–68, 214

desquamation of, 39

heartworms in, 206

Skvortsov, Alexander, 48

Sloan Foundation, 38

sloths, 42

smoky-brown cockroach, 164

Snow, John, 54–56, 55 (fig.), 57, 59, 61, 215

soap, 87

social spiders (Stegodyphus spp.), 172, 174 (fig.)

sodium bicarbonate, 87

soil

flavors associated with, 247

Toxoplasma gondii in, 192

soil bacteria, 208, 221–222, 229

gold and, 77

skin bacteria and, 67

in sourdough starter, 251

Solenopsis molesta (thief ant), 137, 155

Solenopsis spp., 155

sourdough bread, 40, 234–255

Spence, Meredith, 203–207

spiders

American grass, 156 (fig.)

biodiversity of, 232

black widow, 175

daddy long-legs, 139

house fly and, 172–173, 174 (fig.)

in houses, 134

pesticides for, 171

social, 172, 174 (fig.)

3-D printing and, 156–157

in Ukraine, 134–135

value of, 156

spores, of fungi, 102

sporozoites, 191

sson mhat (hand taste), 233–234

Stachybotyrus chartarum. See black mold

Staphylococcusaureus

antibiotics for, 220

in biofilm, 214, 219

502A, 216–223

pathogens and, 215

penicillin and, 227

type 80/81, 212–227

See also methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus

Staphylococcus spp., kimchi and, 237

starters, for sourdough bread, 40, 234–255

statins, 145

Stegodyphus spp. (social spiders), 172

sterile water, 90

Steyn, J. J., 171–172

Stoffels, Hendrickje, 76

storage vacuoles, 15

stoves, 40

Strachan, David, 62, 63

streptomycin, 212

stress

dogs and, 187–188

Mycobacterium vaccae and, 97–98

sublime, 140–141

Sutherland, James M., 217

Swanson, Steve, 48

Swift, Jonathan, 3

Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, 96

T164. See German cockroach

tachyzoites, 191

tap water, 82, 96

tapeworms

bacteria in, 144

in dogs, 204–205

Tapinoma sessile (odorous house ant), 169, 177

technophiles, 107

termites, 31–32

bacteria in, 101–102

bearded lacewing and, 137

in houses, 139

terroir, 247

Thermus aquaticus, 20–27

Thermus scotoductus, 24

thief ant (Solenopsis molesta), 137, 155

Thoemmes, Megan, 42, 43–44, 67

three-dimensional (3D) printing, 156–157

tiger ant (Discothyrea testacea), 33–34, 41

Torrey, E. Fuller, 199

tough baby hypothesis, 214, 216

toxaphene, 171

Toxoplasma gondii

antigens for, 195

from cats, 188–203

dopamine and, 198

inflammatory T cells and, 193

oocysts of, 191–192

pregnancy and, 192–193

risk taking and, 195–196, 202–203

schizophrenia and, 188–202

sex for, 191–192

Trautwein, Michelle, 129–132, 139

Trichomonas vaginalis, 189

Troglophilus spp., 122 (fig.)

Trois-Frères, 121, 122 (fig.)

truffles, 104

Tuber spp., 104

tuberculosis, 56, 78–79, 212, 227

Tyrophagus putrescentiae, 238, 239 (fig.)

Tyurin, Mikhail, 48

Ulrich, Roger, 61

umami taste receptor, 235–236

unculturable bacteria, 25–29

Ursus spelaeus (cave bears), 120

vaccination, 46, 69, 232

vaginal bacteria, 50

vampire finches, 170

van Elsas, Jan Dirk, 221–222, 229

vertebrates, 2

Vibrio cholerae, 56, 73

vineyards, 157

viruses, 3

bacteria and, 91

discovery of, 16

diseases from, 47

von Hertzen, Leena, 61–69

Vorticella spp., 11

Wada-Katsumata, Ayako, 177–181, 181 (fig.)

Wakata, Koichi, 48–49

wallpaper, 110

wasps

aphids and, 15, 134, 137

biodiversity of, 232

cockroaches and, 174–175

fear of, 156

as parasites, 173–174

value of, 156

in vineyards, 157

yeasts and, 157–158

water

bacteria in, 77, 253

biodiversity in, 232, 255

chlorine and chloramine in, 94, 95

cholera from, 56, 61

clean, 89, 232

competitive release in, 94

crustaceans in, 77

drinking, 39, 46, 91–94, 232

fungi in, 102, 116–117

groundwater, 64, 89–93, 93 (fig.), 95

Mycobacterium spp. in, 77–78

in Netherlands, 88–89

pathogens in, 90

in pipes, 94

protists in, 77

rainwater, 8, 77, 88, 90–91

tap, 82, 96

treatment plants for, 93–94

See also bathing; drinking water; groundwater

Watson, Wes, 176

wealth, bathing and, 88–90

Webster, Joanne, 198–201

white blood cells, 62, 70, 114

white rot fungi, 149

Whitehead, Henry, 54

Wickerhamomyces spp., 252

“wild type” cockroaches, 178, 179

Wilpiszeski, Regina, 24

Wilson, E. O., 61

Wilson, Emily, 231

Wolfe, Ben, 242

wood, fungi on, 108, 109–110, 149

Yanega, Gregor, 157

yeast

for beer, 157–158

for bread, 40, 238–253, 253 (fig.)

brewer’s, 107, 240, 251

wasps and, 157–158

yellow fever, 46

yogurt, 234

Yolken, Robert, 199