BRANCHES AND SCOPE OF MICROBIOLOGY Silpa M Assistant

BRANCHES AND SCOPE OF MICROBIOLOGY Silpa. M Assistant professor Dept. of pharmacognosy

Branches of microbiology Bacteriology: the study of bacteria Mycology: the study of fungi Protozoology: the study of protozoa Phycology: the study of algae Parasitology: the study of parasites Virology: the study of viruses Nematology: the study of nematodes

Microbial cytology: the study of microscopic and submicroscopic details of micro organisms Microbial physiology: the study of how the microbial cell functions biochemically. includes the study of microbial growth, microbial metabolism and microbial cell structure. Microbial ecology: the relationship between microorganisms and their environment. Microbial genetics: the study of how genes are organized and regulated in microbes in relation to their cellular functions. Closely related to the field of molecular biology.

Cellular microbiology: a discipline bridging microbiology and cell biology. Evolutionary microbiology: the study of the evolution of microbes. This field can be subdivided into: Microbial taxonomy: the naming and classification of microorganisms. Microbial systematic: the study of the diversity and genetic relationship of microorganisms. Generation microbiology: the study of those microorganisms that have the same characters as their parents.

Molecular microbiology: the study of the molecular principles of the physiological processes in microorganisms. Medical microbiology: the study of the pathogenic microbes and the role of microbes in human illness. Industrial microbiology: the exploitation of microbes for use in industrial processes. Agricultural microbiology: the study of agriculturally relevant microorganisms. Food microbiology: the study of microorganisms causing food spoilage and food borne illness.

Scope of microbiology The microbiology has influence on genetics, agriculture, food science, ecology, immunology and various fields. Genetics: Mainly involves engineered microbes to make hormones, vaccine, antibiotics and many other useful products for human being. Agriculture: The influence of microbes on agriculture; the prevention of the diseases that mainly damage the useful crops.

Food science: It involves the prevention of spoilage of food and food borne diseases and the uses of microbes to produce cheese, yoghurt, pickles and beer. Immunology: The study of immune system which protect the body from pathogens. Medicine: helps in the diagnostic protocol for identification of causative agents of various human aliments and subsequent Industry: It involves use of microbes to produce antibiotics, steroids, alcohol, vitamins and amino acids etc.

Importance of Microbiology The environment: Microbes are responsible for the cycling of carbon, nitrogen phosphorus (geochemical cycles) Maintain ecological balance on earth They are found in association with plants in symbiotic relationships, maintain soil fertility and may also be used to clean up the environment of toxic compounds (bioremediation).

Some are devasting plant pathogens, but others act as biological control agents against these diseases. Medicine: Disease causing ability of some microbes such as • Small Pox (Variola virus) • Cholera (Vibrio cholera) • Malaria (Plasmodium, protozoa) etc. They have also provided us with the means of their control in the form of antibiotics and other medically important drugs.

Food: Microorganisms have been used to produce food, from brewing and wine making, through cheese production and bread making, to manufacture of soy sauce. Microbes are also responsible for food spoilage. Biotechnology: Commercial applications include the synthesis of acetone, organic acids, enzymes, alcohols and many drugs. Genetic engineering – bacteria can produce important therapeutic substances such as insulin, human growth hormone, and interferon.

Research: Because of their simple structure they are easier to study most life processes in simple unicellular organisms than in complex multi cellular ones. Millions of copies of the same single cell can be produced in large numbers very quickly and at low cost to give plenty of homogenous experimental material. Because they reproduce very quickly, they are useful for studies involving the transfer of genetic information.

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