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General Microbiology - Introduction - 1

This document provides an overview of the field of microbiology. It defines microbiology as the study of microorganisms that are too small to be seen clearly with the naked eye, including bacteria, fungi, algae, protozoa, and viruses. The document outlines several subdisciplines of microbiology like medical microbiology, public health, immunology, and industrial microbiology. It also divides microbiology based on the organisms studied, health applications, and microbial processes. Finally, it discusses the importance of studying microbiology for understanding infectious diseases, environmental processes, and industrial applications.

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Harsha N Kumar
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150 views

General Microbiology - Introduction - 1

This document provides an overview of the field of microbiology. It defines microbiology as the study of microorganisms that are too small to be seen clearly with the naked eye, including bacteria, fungi, algae, protozoa, and viruses. The document outlines several subdisciplines of microbiology like medical microbiology, public health, immunology, and industrial microbiology. It also divides microbiology based on the organisms studied, health applications, and microbial processes. Finally, it discusses the importance of studying microbiology for understanding infectious diseases, environmental processes, and industrial applications.

Uploaded by

Harsha N Kumar
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Lecture 1

Definition and scope of Microbiology, Development of Microbiology of Science

What is microbiology? (General answer)

Microbiology is the study of organisms and agents that are generally too small to be seen clearly by
the unaided eye. These organisms include viruses, bacteria, algae, fungi, and protozoa.

Microorganisms included :
Bacteria - simple, single cell
Fungi - single & multi cell forms - yeast, filamentous molds, complex fungi
Viruses - acellular, intracellular parasites

Microbiology can be applied or basic.

Microbiology is linked to many other scientific disciplines including biochemistry, cell biology,
evolution, ecology.

Subdisciplines (both applied and basic research)

1. General microbiology: broad range of microbiology


2. Medical microbiology: microbes that cause human disease
3. Public health and epidemiology: Studies and controls transmission, frequency, and distribution of
disease
4. Immunology: the immune system
5. Agricultural microbiology: impact of microbes on agriculture
6. Microbial ecology: relationships between microbes and their habitats
7. Food microbiology: Prevention of food borne disease; microbes that make food and drink
8. Industrial microbiology: commercial use of microbes to produce products
9. Biotechnology: manipulation of organisms to form useful products

DIVISIONS OF MICROBIOLOGY
A. Organisms studied
* Bacteriology – study of bacteria
* Mycology – study of fungi
* Phycology - study of algae
* Protozoology – study of protozoa
* Virology - study of viruses
* Parasitology – study of parasites

B. Health related
* Etiology – identification of causative agent of disease
* Epidemiology – study of spread of disease
* Immunology – study of immune system
* Chemotherapy – treatment of disease with chemical compounds
* Infection control – control of spread of infectious disease
C. Processes and Functions
* Microbial metabolism – Physiology include growth characteristic and nutrition
* Microbial genetics – DNA / RNA role in product formation
* Microbial ecology – interaction among other or same genera / species and environment

Microbiology Introduction –Scientific definition

Microbiology is the study of microorganisms, that is the organisms which are of microscopic
dimensions. These organisms are too small to be clearly perceived by the unaided human eye.
If an object has a diameter of less than 0.1 mm, the eye can not perceive (or more correctly
resolve) it at all, and very little detail can be perceived in an object with a diameter of I mm. Roughly
speaking organisms with a diameter of 1 mm or less are microorganisms and fall into the broad
domain of microbiology. Since most microorganisms are only a few thousandths of a millimeter in size
they can only be seen with the aid of microscope.

These include protozoa, algae, fungi and bacteria.

Viruses are ultramicroscopic and have an obligate parasitic relationship, but for practical
purposes these still come under the domain of microbiology.

As a direct consequence of the invisibility of microbes to the naked eye and the need for special
techniques to study them, microbiology was the last of the three major divisions in biology (the other
two are botany and zoology to develop.

At present, there is general agreement to include five major groups as microorganisms: the
subdivisions of virology, bacteriology, mycology, phycology and protozoology (the studies of
viruses, bacteria, fungi, algae and protozoa respectively).

Although microorganisms have existed for a long time, their existence was unknown until the
invention of the microscope in the 17th century. The year 1674, marks the birth of microbiology
when Antony van Leeu-wenhoek , a Dutch cloth merchant, looked at a drop of lake water through
a glass lens which he had ground.

What he observed through this simple magnifying lens was an amazing sight since that was perhaps
the first time that man ever had a glimpse of the world of the microbes (called as animalcules).

BENEFICIAL APPLICATIONS (WHY STUDY MICROBIOLOGY ?)


A. Causative agents of infectious diseases

B. Normal flora
1. Beneficial metabolic functions
2. Antagonistic effect - prevents invasion pathogens, over growth of potential pathogens
3. Normal flora vs. pathogen identification

C. Environmental importance
1. Decomposers
2. Produce oxygen
3. Food chain
4. Sewage treatment
D. Industrial importance
1. Food industry
2. Brewing industry
3. Pharmaceutical industry
4. Genetic engineering

E. Research - genetics, metabolism


1. Simple cell structure
2. Rapid rate of growth
3. Inexpensive to culture

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