Microbiology

The world of micro organisms includes various species of bacteria, viruses, fungi and protozoan parasites. Microbiology deals with the form, structure, reproduction, physiology, metabolism and classification of micro organisms.

The area of microbiological studies include various aspects of their distribution in nature, their relationship to each other and to other organisms, their effects on plants, animals and human beings, their roles in the maintenance of the environmental habitats such as soil, air and water and also their beneficial aspects to biotechnology.

Two main branches of microbiology consists of

• Medical microbiology
• Industrial microbiology

Medical microbiology deals with the use of microbiology in the field of medicine.

Industrial microbiology deals with the use of microbiology in the field of production of goods in the industries.

History of microbiology: Medical microbiology had its origin in the year 1888 when the Pasteur institute in Paris (France) was established. Robert koch and Louis Pasteur were responsible for popularizing this field among Americans and Europeans.

Initially microbiology dealt with the aspects of infection, the causative agents of infection and the diseases due to infection. Following the establishment of Germ theory of diseases by Pasteur innumerable infectious diseases were discovered. For most of the diseases drugs and vaccines were found.

Microbiology not only helps in the field of medicine but also it helps in the production of cetain goods like yoghurt, cheese, curd , antibiotics etc.

Thus microbiology is a dominating field where microbes are even used as biological weapons to destroy the population.