Fundamentals of Microbiology, Twelfth Edition is designed for the introductory microbiology course with an emphasis on the health sciences. It consolidates the important concepts and ideas necessary for mastery by students entering the health care field as a nurse or other allied health professional. Over many editions of Fundamentals of Microbiology, the textbook has reflected flexibility by evolving in response to the rapidly changing field of microbiology and the changing learning needs of students. The Twelfth Edition has been updated with the latest scientific and education research written with a global perspective on microbiology and infectious disease. Along with these revisions, the visual aspects of the text have been improved to make the understanding of difficult complex concepts more approachable and the figures more engaging. This the first textbook to include all the fundamental microbiological disease aspects of COVID-19 in context with chapter key concepts.