Microbiology

Microbiology studies living organisms that can only be seen through a telescope

There are many branches and categories within biology, each with its own characteristics and importance. One of them is microbiology, thanks to which we have achieved many important advances in science and especially in medicine. However, human knowledge remains very limited in this matter. Therefore, new discoveries are constantly being made.

Although most people associate microbes with pathogens that cause disease in people and animals, the truth is that we could not live without most microorganisms. In addition, we use them even on an industrial level. In this article we are going to talk about microbiology, explaining what it is and naming all the types there are. In addition, we want to understand the importance of the application of this science for people. If you are interested in the topic, keep reading.

What is microbiology?

Microbiology is part of biology

Within biology there are many branches that study different aspects of this immense group. One of those sciences is microbiology. This is responsible for the study and analysis of microorganisms. Because this branch of biology focuses primarily on human pathogens, it is often related to categories within medicine, such as immunology, epidemiology, and pathology.

Although the knowledge that we have today thanks to microbiology is very extensive, there are still many things to find out and know. New discoveries are constant in this science and it is not surprising, because according to estimates, currently only 1% of the microorganisms in the biosphere have been studied. It is for this reason that microbiology is still in its infancy, despite the fact that the first microbes were discovered 300 years ago. But compared to other biological fields like botany, zoology or entomology, microbiology has only just taken off.

Microorganisms

But what are microorganisms? They are tiny living things that are not visible to the human eye. Another name by which they are known is "microbes." So we can say that microbiology is the science that studies organisms that can only be seen through a microscope: simple prokaryotic and eukaryotic organisms.

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Microbes can be made up of a single cell, thus being unicellular, or small cell aggregates made up of equivalent cells, so there would be no cell differentiation. These can be eukaryotic or prokaryotic. In the first case, the cells have a nuclear envelope, such as fungi. On the other hand, prokaryotes do not have this envelope, which would be the case of bacteria. Nevertheless, microbiologists have been particularly focused on pathogenic microorganisms found among bacteria, viruses, and fungi. The other microbes have been left to other branches of biology, such as parasitology.

What are the types of microbiology?

There are many types of microbiology

Because it is a very broad field, there are many types of microbiology in which students can specialize. We are going to see below what they are and what they are about.

Microbial physiology

In the case of microbial physiology, it is studied, at the biochemical level, the functioning of the cells of microorganisms. This involves metabolism, its regulation and growth. This type of microbiology is closely related to microbial genetics.

Microbial genetics

This branch studies the regulation and organization of the genes of microorganisms. In addition, it also analyzes how those genes regulate the functioning of cells. Microbial genetics is closely related to molecular biology.

Medical microbiology

As we can imagine, medical microbiology is in charge of studying those microbes that cause disease in humans, pathogenesis, treatment and transmission. Because of this, this type of microbiology is very important for other sciences such as medicine, pharmacology, epidemiology and, of course, public health.

Veterinary microbiology

Like the previous type, veterinary microbiology studies the microbes that are the cause of disease, but this time of animals. It mainly focuses on microorganisms that adversely affect pets and animals of economic interest, such as sheep, pigs, goats, poultry, etc.

Environmental microbiology

When we talk about environmental microbiology, we mean the science that studies the diversity and role of microorganisms in their natural environments. This branch includes geomicrobiology, bioremediation, microbial diversity, and microbial ecology.

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Evolutionary microbiology

As you can surely imagine, this science studies the evolution of microorganisms, including taxonomy and systematics of bacteria.

Industrial microbiology

Also at the industrial level there is a type of microbiology. This is the one in charge of studying the exploitation of microbes regarding their use in various industrial processes. Here are some examples:

  • Production of food such as cheeses, yogurts, etc.
  • Production of biologicals, such as vaccines or antidotes.
  • Sewage treatment.
  • Industrial fermentation in order to obtain alcoholic beverages.

This science is closely related to biotechnology, since the production of some specific microbial metabolites is overstimulated through genetic engineering techniques, all for economic interest, of course. This is how antibiotics, vitamins, organic acids and amino acids are obtained, among others.

Food microbiology

Microorganisms are also used industrially

Regarding food, the analyzes carried out by microbiology are very effective. The results obtained in the laboratory are the most complex part of the entire evaluation process.

Sanitary microbiology

Health microbiology studies microbes that spoil and contaminate food, or through which they are capable of transmitting diseases to the people who consume them.

Agricultural microbiology

Some microorganisms, especially fungi and bacteria, found in soils used to grow plants of economic interest. The science that studies them and their beneficial interaction is agricultural microbiology.

Phytopathology

Pertaining to botany, phytopathology is the study on plant diseases. Many microorganisms such as viruses, bacteria, fungi or nematodes can affect plants.

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Microbial ecology

Regarding microbial ecology, it studies the behavior of microbe populations when interacting in the same environment. For this they establish biological relationships with each other.

Related disciplines and sub-disciplines

Apart from the types of microbiologies that exist, there are some disciplines that are either related to or are part of this science. Here is a list of them:

  • Bacteriology: Study prokaryotes, which are basically bacteria and archaea. Includes Mycobacteriology.
  • Phycology: Study algae and microalgae. Also called "algology."
  • Mycology: Study the mushrooms.
  • Micropaleontology: Study the microfossils.
  • Palynology: Study pollen and spores.
  • Protozoology: Study the protozoa.
  • Virology: Study viruses.

What is the application of microbiology?

Microbiology has contributed a lot to medicine

Although at a historical level microorganisms used to be associated only with both human and animal diseases, today we know that pathological microbes represent a very low percentage of the total. The vast majority of microorganisms are good and essential for us and ecosystems, such as bacteria that live symbiotically in our digestive tract. Without them we would not be able to digest.

Apart from the vital functions they perform in our organisms, microorganisms are also used industrially to produce, for example, alcoholic beverages, yogurts or antibiotics. It is also important to highlight its importance in biological research carried out all over the world. Among them are protein production and gene cloning.

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As it is a very specialized science, microbiological knowledge is divided into several sectors:

  • Medical microbiology
  • Immunology
  • Ecological microbiology
  • Agricultural microbiology
  • Biotechnology

Each of them is essential for the type of life we ​​currently lead. What's more, many of these sciences would not be so advanced if it weren't for microbiologists.

Importance today

As mentioned above, microbiology has made important contributions to both biology and medicine. Especially in regard to the fields of genetics, cell biology and biochemistry. The repercussions of this science have been very positive, facilitating new drugs to treat various diseases of both people and animals. But it has not only impacted the world of health, but also in other sectors such as the food industry. Thanks to the studies carried out on microorganisms in agriculture, it is possible to combat microbe pests to avoid a decrease in the quantity and quality of crops.

In conclusion we can say that microbiology is a science of vital importance today. Thanks to it we can consume certain foods and treat many diseases and pathologies with drugs. So we can be happy that microorganisms exist, because very few of them are harmful to us. I hope this article has clarified all your doubts about this branch of biology.


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