Microbiology
Microbiology is the study of microorganisms, which are unicellular or cell-cluster microscopic organisms. This includes eukaryotes (with a nucleus) such as fungi and protists, and prokaryotes (without a nucleus) such as bacteria, protozoa and viruses.
Although much is now known in the field of microbiology, advances are being made regularly. In actual fact, the most common estimates suggest that we have studied only about 1% of all of the microbes in any given environment. Thus, despite the fact that over three hundred years have passed since the discovery of microbes the field of microbiology is clearly in its infancy relative to other biological disciplines such as zoology, botany or even entomology.
==Types of microbiology==
The field of microbiology can be generally divided into several subdiscplines:
*Microbial physiology: The study of how the microbial cell functions biochemically. Includes the study of microbial growth, microbial metabolism and microbial cell structure.
*Microbial genetics: The study of how genes are organised and regulated in microbes in relation to their cellular functions. Closely related to the field of molecular biology.
*Medical microbiology: The study of the role of microbes in human illness. Includes the study of microbial pathogenesis and epidemiology and is related to the study of disease pathology and immunology.
*Veterinary microbiology: The study of the role in microbes in veterinary medicine.
*Environmental microbiology: The study of the function and diversity of microbes in their natural environments. Includes the study of microbial ecology, microbially-mediated nutrient cycling, geomicrobiology, microbial diversity and bioremediation.
*Evolutionary microbiology: The study of the evolution of microbes. Includes the study of bacterial systematics and taxonomy.
*Industrial microbiology: The exploitation of microbes for use in industrial processes. Examples include industrial fermentation and wastewater treatment. Closely linked to the biotechnology industry. This field also includes brewing, an important application of microbiology.
==Benefits of microbiology==
While microbes are often viewed negatively due to their association with many human illnesses, microbes are also responsible for many beneficial processes such as industrial fermentation (e.g. the production of alcohol and dairy products), antibiotic production and as vehicles for cloning in higher organsisms such as plants. Scientists have also exploited their knowledge of microbes to produce biotechnologically important enzymes such as Taq polymerase, reporter genes for use in other genetic systems and novel molecular biology techniques such as the yeast two-hybrid system.
==References==
*Madigan, M. T., Martinko, J. M. "Brock Biology of Microorganisms, 11th Ed." (2005) Pearson Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ.
== See also ==
* Biochemistry
* Genetics
* Geomicrobiology
* Immunology
* Medicine
* Mycology
* Virology
* Archaea
* Eukaryote
* Prokaryote
* Important publications in microbiology
==External links==
* GIDEON Microbiology tutorial
* Microbiology of the Cell (Ger)
* Online Microbiology textbook
* Nature Review: Microbiology
* Bacteriology textbook
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