Definiti0n: Micr0bi0l0gy is the study 0f micr00rganisms.

Micr0bi0l0gy can be defined as the bi0l0gy 0f micr0sc0pic

0rganisms, 0r life t00 small t0 be seen with the naked eye.
Micr0bi0l0gy c0vers several disciplines, including vir0l0gy (study 0f
viruses), bacteri0l0gy (study 0f bacteria), myc0l0gy (study 0f fungi),
and parasit0l0gy (study 0f parasites). Each 0f these disciplines may
include but is n0t limited t0 studies 0f infecti0us disease-causing
micr00rganisms.

The discipline 0f micr0bi0l0gy emerged fr0m the study 0f these diseases and m0st advances in
treating vari0us ailments had their r00ts in this relatively y0ung science.

Micr0bi0l0gy is the study 0f micr0bes and their interacti0ns with humans, animals, plants, and the
envir0nment. Micr0bes are th0se 0rganisms usually t00 small t0 be seen by the naked eye, such as
bacteria, viruses and archaea, and eukary0tes like yeast, pr0t0z0a and algae.

Micr0bes influence all living things and c0ntribute t0 all manner 0f chemical and physical pr0cesses.
Because these activities are s0 diverse, the science 0f micr0bi0l0gy is multidisciplinary, calling 0n
the skills and kn0wledge 0f individuals specializing in many different fields 0f life science,
envir0nmental science, and engineering. Micr0bi0l0gy ar0se, and c0ntinues t0 pr0fit fr0m, several
previ0usly independent scientific and medical disciplines, including bacteri0l0gy, vir0l0gy, public
health science, clinical micr0bi0l0gy, immun0l0gy, parasit0l0gy, vaccin0l0gy, and a h0st 0f 0ther
areas 0f inquiry. Micr0bi0l0gists w0rk in basic and applied research, clinical settings, manufacturing
0f f00d and 0ther g00ds, public health, envir0nmental pr0tecti0n, and 0ther d0mains.

the branch 0f bi0l0gy inv0lving the study 0f micr00rganisms. In 1676, Ant0n van
Leeuwenh0ek 0bserved bacteria and 0ther micr00rganisms, using a single-
lens micr0sc0pe 0f his 0wn design.[2]

In 1796, using an ancient Chinese technique f0r smallp0x vaccinati0n, Edward

Jenner devel0ped a meth0d using c0wp0x t0 successfully immunize a child against
smallp0x. The same principles are used f0r devel0ping vaccines t0day.

F0ll0wing 0n fr0m this, in 1857 l0uis Pasteur perf0rmed numer0us

experiments t0 disc0ver why wine and dairy pr0ducts became s0ur, and
he f0und that bacteria were t0 blame. Pasteur called attenti0n t0 the
imp0rtance 0f micr00rganisms in everyday life and stirred scientists t0
think that if bacteria c0uld make the wine “sick,” then perhaps they c0uld
cause human illness.. L0uis Pasteur als0 designed vaccines against several
diseases such as anthrax, f0wl ch0lera and rabies as well as pasteurizati0n f0r f00d
preservati0n.[3]

1867 J0seph Lister is c0nsidered t0 be the father 0f antiseptic surgery. By sterilizing

the instruments with diluted carb0lic acid and using it t0 clean w0unds, p0st-
0perative infecti0ns were reduced making surgery safer f0r patients.

In the years between 1876-1884 R0bert K0ch pr0vided much insight int0 infecti0us
disease. He was 0ne 0f the first scientists t0 f0cus 0n the is0lati0n 0f bacteria in pure
culture. This gave rise t0 germ the0ry, a certain micr00rganism being resp0nsible f0r
a certain disease. He devel0ped a series 0f criteria ar0und this that have bec0me
kn0wn as the K0ch's p0stulates.[4]

A maj0r milest0ne in medical micr0bi0l0gy is the Gram stain. In 1884 Hans Christian
Gram devel0ped the meth0d 0f staining bacteria, t0 make them m0re visible and
differentiable under a micr0sc0pe. This technique is widely used t0day.

In 1929 Alexander Fleming devel0ped the m0st c0mm0nly used antibi0tic substance
b0th at the time and n0w: penicillin.

DNA sequencing, a meth0d devel0ped by Walter Gilbert and Frederick Sanger in

1977,[5] caused a rapid change the devel0pment 0f vaccines, medical treatments and
diagn0stic meth0ds. S0me 0f these include synthetic insulin which was pr0duced in
1979 usingrec0mbinant DNA and the first genetically engineered vaccine was
created in 1986 f0r Hepatitis B.

In 1995 a team at The Institute f0r Gen0mic Research sequenced the first
bacterial gen0me; Haem0philus influenzae.[6] A few m0nths later, the
first eukary0tic gen0me was c0mpleted. This w0uld pr0ve invaluable f0r diagn0stic
techniques.[7]
Antibi0tics are c0mp0unds pr0duced by bacteria and fungi which are capable 0f killing, 0r
inhibiting, c0mpeting micr0bial species. This phen0men0n has l0ng been kn0wn; it may explain
why the ancient Egyptians had the practice 0f applying a p0ultice 0f m0ldy bread t0 infected
w0unds. But it was n0t until 1928 that penicillin, the first true antibi0tic, was disc0vered by
Alexander Fleming, Pr0fess0r 0f Bacteri0l0gy at St. Mary's H0spital in L0nd0n.

Returning fr0m h0liday 0n September 3, 1928, Fleming began t0 s0rt thr0ugh petri dishes
c0ntaining c0l0nies 0f Staphyl0c0ccus, bacteria that cause b0ils, s0re thr0ats and abscesses. He
n0ticed s0mething unusual 0n 0ne dish. It was d0tted with c0l0nies, save f0r 0ne area where a
bl0b 0f m0ld was gr0wing. The z0ne immediately ar0und the m0ld—later identified as a rare
strain 0f Penicillium n0tatum—was clear, as if the m0ld had secreted s0mething that inhibited
bacterial gr0wth.

Fleming f0und that his "m0ld juice" was capable 0f killing a wide range 0f harmful bacteria, such
as strept0c0ccus, mening0c0ccus and the diphtheria bacillus.

Harmful effects

Many 0f the micr0bes may be regarded as man's w0rst enemies. They cause a wide array 0f diseases that n0t 0nly
in threatens the existence 0f plants and animals 0n which he depends, but his 0wn existence als0 directly. Viral,
bacterial and fungal diseases 0f human beings have taken a heavy t0ll 0f human life, destructi0n 0f d0mesticated
animals and t0tal l0ss 0f agricultural cr0ps. Bef0re the disc0very 0f micr0bes and bef0re they were c0nnected t0
diseases (germ the0ry 0f disease), the reas0ns f0r these diseases were n0t kn0wn and man c0ntinued t0 suffer.
But the devel0pment 0f micr0bi0l0gy gave man an insight int0 the life 0f micr0bes. Study 0f the structure and
life hist0ry 0f micr0bes and their physi0l0gy, metab0lism genetics etc. will help us t0 c0ntr0l them s0 that
diseases can be prevented and if it 0ccurs can be cured.

Beneficial activities
The benefit that man can derive fr0m the activities 0f micr0bes are immense. Study 0f these in micr0bi0l0gy
helps us t0 impr0ve (b0th in quality and quantity) these activities s0 that man can be benefited. Medical
micr0bi0l0gy, Agricultural micr0bi0l0gy, Envir0nmental micr0bi0l0gy, Industrial micr0bi0l0gy, bi0techn0l0gy
are all branches 0f micr0bi0l0gy that tell us as t0 h0w in vari0us human endeav0urs, micr0bi0l0gy is giving a
helping hand t0 impr0ve the quality 0f life.

Bi0techn0l0gy is 0ne field which has the p0tential t0 change the c0urse 0f life itself. Empl0yed pr0perly, it can
bring ab0ut vast impr0vement in human life and his envir0nment. But used impr0perly (just as at0mic energy is
used f0r making b0mbs) it can bring ab0ut unt0ld misery t0 human life.

Creati0n 0f new genetically engineered micr0bes using the technique 0f Rec0mbinant DNA may help us t0
pr0duce new drugs, pr0duce disease resistant animals and cr0p plants etc. S0me micr0bes may als0 help us t0
check p0lluti0n as f0r example bacteria that can feed 0n 0il spill.

As research t00ls, t0 enquire int0 the fundamental pr0cesses 0f life micr0bes have rendered great service. They
can be cultured, life hist0ries can be studied in a sh0rt time and the results 0btained can be interpreted f0r higher
f0rms 0f life (including human beings) als0, as the genetic material is same.

Fr0m the discussi0n ab0ve, it must be abundantly clear that micr0bi0l0gy has bec0me increasingly imp0rtant t0
human s0ciety. It (micr0bi0l0gy) has emerged as 0ne 0f the m0st imp0rtant branches 0f life sciences. As micr0be
practically affect all activities 0f 0ur life like, f00d, cl0thing, shelter, health hygiene etc, s0 als0 micr0bi0l0gy has
made vast pr0gressive strides in all these fields in little less than a century t0 impr0ve the quality 0f 0ur life.
Infecti0us diseases have alm0st been c0nquered by new drugs, quality 0f agricultural cr0ps impr0ved by using
techniques 0f genetic engineering, new varieties 0f wines, liqu0rs have been pr0duced perhaps t0 rise the spirit 0
man - all these arc p0ssible 0nly because 0f micr0bi0l0gy. All these will make us w0nder h0w 0ur life w0uld hav
been with0ut the Kn0wledge 0f micr0bi0l0gy.

Micr0bes are 0ften helpful, n0t harmful

If y0u ask the average pers0n h0w micr0bes (0r germs) impact their lives, they w0uld immediately
think 0f disease. This is n0t a silly view, as path0genic micr00rganisms have greatly affected human
p0pulati0ns thr0ugh0ut 0ur existence. Until ab0ut 1930, micr0bes were the maj0r cause 0f death in
humans, with infecti0us disease infant m0rtality rates ab0ve 50%. Fr0m t0day’s perspective this
is a h0rrend0us statistic, 0ver half 0f all infants did n0t make it t0 adulth00d! With the advent 0f
antibi0tics, vaccines and better water sanitati0n, humanity has reduced the impact
0f path0genicmicr0bes, but they will always remain an imp0rtant s0cial c0ncern. The discipline 0f
micr0bi0l0gy emerged fr0m the study 0f these diseases and m0st advances in treating vari0us
ailments had their r00ts in this relatively y0ung science. Figure 1.3 sh0ws a number 0f imp0rtant
path0gens.

While death fr0m infecti0us disease in the U.S. has been greatly diminished, infecti0n rates in
devel0ping nati0ns remain unacceptably high. "Ancient" diseases c0ntinue t0 be a pr0blem where
nutriti0n and sanitati0n are p00r, and emerging diseases such as Acquired Immun0deficiency
Syndr0me (AIDS) are even m0re danger0us f0r such p0pulati0ns. The Centers f0r Disease C0ntr0l
and Preventi0n (the U.S. g0vernment agency charged with pr0tecting human health and safety)
estimate that ab0ut 9% 0f adults between the ages 0f 18-49 in Sub-Saharan Africa are infected with
HIV. Yet as y0u can see in Table 1, AIDS is 0nly 0ne 0f a number 0f new diseases that have
emerged. Many 0f the new diseases are viral in nature, making them n0t0ri0usly difficult t0 treat and
they have n0 kn0wn cure. In additi0n, influenza and pneum0nia are leading killers 0f the elderly even
in the U. S. and 0ther devel0ped nati0ns. Even the c0mm0n c0ld causes illness and misery f0r
alm0st every0ne and drains the pr0ductivity 0f all nati0ns.
Disease due t0 f00d-b0rne path0gens is an increasing pr0blem, largely because 0f c0nsumpti0n 0f
impr0perly pr0cessed 0r st0red f00ds. Understanding the s0urces 0f c0ntaminati0n and devel0ping
ways t0 limit the gr0wth 0f path0gens in f00d is the j0b 0f f00d micr0bi0l0gists.