The textbooks, references and journals worth your time for Part 1 and Part 2 — current editions, what each is best for, and where to buy them in the UK and India.
The textbooks to build Part 1 knowledge on — read one cover to cover.
The classic UK microbiology text: pathogenesis, immunity, laboratory diagnosis and control. The 20th edition is due in January 2027.
ISBN 9780702072000
Organised by body system and infection — ideal for linking organisms to clinical syndromes.
ISBN 9780323937252
Clear, organism-by-organism coverage of bacteriology, virology, mycology and parasitology.
ISBN 9780443261336
Concise and comprehensive on the basic science of microbes and host response.
ISBN 9781265109509For Part 2 scenarios, OSPE stations and day-to-day consultant practice.
Your pocket reference for clinical microbiology and infection — now in a fully updated third edition.
ISBN 9780192896834
The gold-standard infectious diseases reference. Use it to look things up, not to read through.
ISBN 9780323934992
The definitive antimicrobial reference. Expensive — borrow it from your library if you can.
ISBN 9781498747950
Imported and tropical infections, including parasitology — essential for returning-traveller cases.
ISBN 9780702079597How the laboratory identifies and tests organisms.
Bench methods, identification and susceptibility testing — useful for laboratory OSPE stations.
ISBN 9780443118913Outbreaks, policies and the infection control questions in both parts.
A practical, evidence-based guide to infection prevention — newly updated for 2026.
ISBN 9780198930730For the research-methods questions and data interpretation.
Teaches the fundamentals of evidence-based medicine and how to appraise a study.
ISBN 9781394206902Official UK guidance that FRCPath questions are written against — always use the current online versions.
You don’t need to read them cover to cover. Scan the contents each month, read UK guidelines and reviews in full, and note new evidence that changes practice — especially for Part 2.
Turn what you read into marks with 5,300+ Part 1 MCQs and 1,000+ questions in each Part 2 bank.
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