Experts in the field of microbiology tell the great detective stories of how some of the world's best-known deadly disease-causing microbes were first isolated, identified, and studied. Readers learn how these deadly viruses and bacteria cause disease and what steps have been taken to eradicate them. The sexually transmitted disease syphilis develops in three stages and is spread through open sores. Read about this complex disease that has infected and maimed people for centuries, but now can often be cured with just a single dose of penicillin.