The Microbiology is the discipline that is responsible for the analysis of bacteria, microorganisms, parasites and fungi protozoa and some other agents such as viroids, viruses and prions. Microorganisms have fundamental functions in all ecosystems; creating parasitic, mutualistic or neutral relationships among themselves and with other organisms. Studying what Microbiology is allows to know and understand the world of microorganisms, to know their relevance and to take advantage of the variety of their functions to optimize the quality of life of the human being.
What is Microbiology
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The definition of Microbiology indicates that it is a branch of biology that is responsible for the analysis of everything related to microorganisms. Like the description, classification, distribution, operation and study of their lifestyles. On the subject of pathogenic microorganisms, what is Microbiology also studies the mechanisms for their elimination and their form of infection.
The concept of Microbiology also indicates that this is a science in the process of development that as the great diversity and potential of microorganisms is discovered, new genres are constantly being born such as exobiology, phage therapy, synthetic biology, among others. It is proper to say that only 1% of existing microorganisms are known, a scenario that provides a great opportunity for study and technological development.
The main subject that microbiology studies are those living beings that are not perceptible to the human eye, so scientists use a fundamental instrument for their analysis: the microscope, which was created in the seventeenth century.
Those living organisms that are only visible through the microscope are considered microbes, they can be made up of a single cell (unicellular), or by minimal cellular compounds created by comparable cells; these could be prokaryotes (cells without nuclear envelope) like bacteria; or eukaryotes (cells that have a nuclear envelope) as well as protists and fungi.
However, what is traditional Microbiology has been particularly responsible for pathogenic microorganisms, including viruses, bacteria and fungi, leaving other microscopic organisms in the hands of parasitology and other specialties of biology.
The history of Microbiology as a science begins around the end of the 19th century. In the 3rd century BC, Theophrastus, Aristotle's surrogate, wrote significant volumes on the medicinal properties of plants.
However, the word bacteria was not incorporated until 1828 by Christian Gottfried, since in 1676 Leeuwenhoek, using a single-lens microscope that he himself had created, made the first microbiological visualization called "animáculos".
By 1995, Eugenio Espejo published significant research on medicine, such as the analyzes on smallpox, which would become one of the first Microbiology books that deals with the existence of microscopic organisms and that would determine basic health policies of the present like the asepsis and antisepsis of people and spaces.
On the other hand, this science has different forms of use in many aspects of life, and thanks to it, the scope of technology and science in general has been strengthened. Among these uses are Industrial Microbiology (responsible for microscopic organisms for their use in industrial production, such as the production of dairy and fermented foods) and Medical Microbiology (responsible for the analysis of microorganisms for the benefit of human diseases, their transmission method and its alternatives).
Loading…What does microbiology study
What Microbiology studies, specifically, is microscopic organisms that are not visible to the human eye, such as viruses, bacteria, fungi, among many other existing microorganisms.
From Microbiology, infectious diseases that any person may suffer are also studied and analyzed, and thanks to it it is possible to specify which would be the most suitable treatment for each patient and each pathology.
On the other hand, the studies carried out through Microbiology are used at an industrial level, both for the manufacture of food and its care.
Importance of the study of Microbiology
The study of Microbiology is of the utmost importance since through it it is possible to know the world of microscopic organisms, take advantage of the diversity of their functions and understand the importance of each one to optimize the quality of life of man.
Microbiology is a university career that is designed to train specialists in this discipline, they will be dedicated to the study and development of policies associated with infectious diseases and Microorganisms. Likewise, professionals in this field are trained to carry out work related to diseases, and the management of Microorganisms to present solutions in more varied fields.
Microbiologists have a wide field of work since their knowledge can be applied to control the quality of products and raw materials for the manufacture of food, drugs, agricultural and environmental products.
In the same way, all the knowledge developed in Microbiology is applied in the energy industry, where this knowledge is used to transform waste into energy sources.
Branches of microbiology
There are 4 branches of Microbiology that study the different microbial agents that cause infectious diseases:
parasitology
Parasitology is an extension of biology that deals with the study of the phenomenon of parasitism. It has two functions, one of them is to analyze the living organisms that are eukaryotic parasites such as helminths, arthropods and protozoa and the rest of the parasites (prokaryotes, viruses and fungi), it is generally considered an authentic subject of Microbiology.
On the other hand, it studies parasitosis or pathologies originated in man, plants and animals by parasitic organisms.
Parasitology arises as a subject within zoology, and in its beginnings it was mainly descriptive. For this reason, the first parasites exposed were metazoans, and with the subsequent use of the microscope the scope of protozoology was expanded.
A parasite is a specimen that lives in search of a host. It can be said then that parasitology is limited to those eukaryotic organisms, both multicellular and unicellular, that have chosen this lifestyle.
However, it is necessary to clarify that there are many more parasitic beings than free-living organisms. Therefore, it must be deduced that parasitism is a successful lifestyle and as such has been born in all progressive eukaryotic groups: animals, protists and plants
Loading…Mycology
Mycology is the science that is responsible for the analysis of fungi. It is one of the most diversified and extensive study areas that provides significant developments in scientific studies and technological advances.
Fungi are parasitic beings that are created in decomposing materials or tissues, their impact on nature is fundamental, because the digestive systems that secrete enzymes are capable of absorbing that chemical matter that dead organisms generate, certain of these fungi, transforming them into edible minerals and vitamins useful for living animals.
One of the most common uses that is given to mycology, apart from the analysis of the behavior of flora and fauna not yet discovered or explored, is to establish a list of fungi or mushrooms that are of benefit for human consumption or for the conducting medications.
Medical mycology was born as one of the branches of medicine, in order to treat pathologies caused in man and in certain animals due to consumption or contact with fungi.
Some of the most common mucosal biological infections are:
- Superficial mycosis: infections in the skin and mucosa such as Pityriasis versicolor and dermatophytosis.
- Alegrías: secondary hypersensitivity due to skin contact or gaze with fungi.
- Subcutaneous mycosis: infection in the subcutaneous tissue, such as chromoblastomycosis and eumycetoma.
- Mycotoxicosis: poisoning from the consumption of cereals that were infected by toxic macromycetes.
- Mimicry: intoxication from the consumption of poisonous macromycetes.
- Systemic mycosis: fungemia and invasion of different organs.
- Opportunistic infections: infections such as candidiasis, aspergillosis, and cryptococcosis.
Bacteriology
Bacteriology refers to the study of bacteria and the diseases that they cause. It is included in the epidemiological series (transmission mechanism, reservoir, factors that produce more or less defenses against them, immunity).
Bacteria are microscopic organisms analyzed through an optical microscope in a stained or unstained preparation to study their morphology or structure, although an electron microscope is required to analyze their internal structure.
Bacteriology is an extremely important doctrine for the health of either animals or humans, because the proper use of microbiological knowledge can promote the prevention or cure of diseases at a highly developed level.
This science is not only about microbiological knowledge, but also specialists in the field must have the ability to know and correctly manipulate the levels of substances in the body.
This is a branch of Microbiology, it is a fairly broad science, its studies are practically infinite since there are still millions of classes of bacteria that have not yet been discovered or that have not been reflected in multicultural beings.
Virology
Virology is the branch of Microbiology that is responsible for the study of viruses, their classification, structure and evolution, their way of taking advantage of and infecting cells as a host for the reproduction of the virus, their immunity, their interaction with beings hosts, the techniques for their isolation, the disease they produce, their cultivation and use on farms and therapies.
Professionals specialized in virology analyze how each virus generates an infection. When a virus infects a body, it invades it causing a certain immune response, in addition to causing the host different damage. Specialists study this mechanism and the way in which viruses multiply (that is, reproduce in the body).
In the same way, it focuses on viral pathogens, also studying the clinical signs that allow us to visualize that a virus is housed in the body and offers methods to detect infection. Together, this branch of Microbiology conducts research on treatments and vaccines against viruses.
Food microbiology
Food Microbiology is a branch that is responsible, among other things, for the study of microorganisms that can harm the sanitary quality of water and food.
Microscopic organisms are used to make a great variety of foods, but they are also the reason for their deterioration and could cause disease in humans.
Manufacture, distribute and consume food of excellent sanitary quality, whether raw, prepared for immediate consumption or processed, are in the interest of any population.
Food Microbiology is a large and somewhat complicated area, since it also includes the general features of these microorganisms, their resistance to the environment, their ecology, their ability to survive and reproduce in food, the factors that intervene in this process. and the consequences of this development.
This discipline is closely related to veterinary and medical microbiology, parasitology, virology, biochemistry, genetics, epidemiology and food technology.
The model and application of the mechanism for studying critical control and danger points is of utmost importance, fundamental to guarantee food safety, the plan and evaluation of modern study methods, the analysis of epidemics of diseases related to food consumption., in the analysis of the methods that take place in the time of food deterioration and in the elaboration of those in which it makes use of microorganisms.
In food there are a great variety of microorganisms. In total, the amount and type of microorganisms present in a finished food item are affected by:
- The environment from which the food was obtained.
- The microbiological quality of the food in its natural state or before being processed.
- The state of hygiene under which the food was handled and treated.
- The conditioning of the previous packaging, handling and coupling circumstances to keep the microbiota at a low level.
