Welcome to the Society for General Microbiology

What is Microbiology?

Microbiology is the study of micro-organisms, or microbes


Microbes matter because they affect every aspect of our lives - in us, on us and around us. They can't be seen with the naked eye and so are often forgotten, but they have a huge impact on our lives - in positive and negative ways.

Health


When people think of microbes in health they generally think of the microbes that make us ill: viruses that cause cold and flu, or bacteria that cause serious diseases such as meningitis and tuberculosis. However microbes also help us, we use them to make the antibiotics and vaccines that are so important in fighting infections and illness.

Environment and Climate Change

Microbes play a positive and negative role in climate change and global warming. They are responsible for most of the methane produced on earth. Methane is a green house gas and contributes to global warming. On the flip side, if we can collect the methane that microbes produce, as they break down waste from homes and farms, it can be used as a biofuel - an alternative source of energy, helping in the fight against climate change. Microbes play an important role in the planet's nutrient cycles; the carbon cycle and nitrogen cycle are dependent on microbes.

Microbes have also been used to help clean up contaminated land and oil spills in a process called bioremediation.

Agriculture and Food

Microbes are essential for the production of many more foods than you would imagine. Most people know that microbes are involved in the production of cheese, bread and yogurt, but did you know they are also used to make chocolate, Marmite™ and salami?

There are millions of bacteria living in our gut that help us take nutrients from our food and compete with 'bad' microbes to prevent illness. Some foods have probiotics added - live cultures of bacteria which boost the numbers of 'good' microbes and improve gut health.

Microbes living in the soil affect the plants on the surface by helping them acquire nutrients. Some microbes can cause disease in crops and farm animals. On the other hand, different microbes can be used to control insect pests and weeds.

Microbes are used to improve the turf on golf courses and football pitches, where they have a beneficial effect on the grasses. That's not the only place they have an impact on sport. Your gym clothes may well contain silver, this metal has been shown to have antimicrobial properties and is now being used in sports clothes to reduce body odour


Microbes have always affected our health, food and environment and they will play an important role in the big issues that face us in the future: climate change, renewable energy, healthier lifestyles and controlling diseases, for this reason microbiologist are needed in many different job sectors, in a variety of different roles.

What do microbiologists do?

Because microbes have such an effect on our lives, they are a major source of interest and employment to thousands of people. Microbiologists study microbes: where they live, how they survive, how they affect us and how we can make them work for us. All around the world there are microbiologists making a difference to our lives – ensuring our food is safe, treating and preventing disease, developing green technologies or tracking the role of microbes in climate change.



Research and Healthcare

Before microbiologists can solve the problems caused by microbes, or exploit their amazing powers, they have to figure out how the microbial cell works. They can then use this knowledge to prevent or treat disease, develop new technologies and improve our lives in general.



Microbiologists are essential in the fight against diseases. Many work as biomedical scientists in hospitals and Health Protection Agency labs: testing samples of body tissue, blood and fluids to diagnose infections, monitor treatments or track disease outbreaks. Some microbiologists work as clinical scientists in hospitals and medical school laboratories where they carry out research and give scientific advice to medical staff. Other microbiologists work on pathogens that cause diseases, such as flu or TB, and the information they find is used to develop vaccines and improve treatments.

Environment and Climate Change


Some microbiologists study how microbes live alongside other creatures in different habitats such as the ocean, salt lakes and polar regions. Some develop early warning sensors to detect pollution and use microbes to treat industrial waste. Others contribute to the worldwide research on climate change by looking at how microbes effect atmospheric conditions and climate. Microbiologists also work with technologists and engineers to develop greener sources of energy produced from urban and industrial waste.

Agriculture and Food Security


Without agriculture there would be no food for us to eat. Microbiologists investigate the vital role of microbes in soil. Some concentrate on plant pests and diseases, developing ways to control them or even use microbes to control insect pests and weeds. Others research the microbes that cause diseases in farm animals.

Business and Leisure


Many UK bioscience and food companies employ microbiologists. Some carry out research and develop new products. Others work in quality control to monitor manufacturing processes and ensure the microbiological safety of goods such as medicines, cosmetics, food and drink.

Where do microbiologists work?

Universities, research institutes and industrial companies employ microbiologists to do medical, environmental, healthcare and agricultural research. Medical microbiologists also work in hospitals and Health Protection Agency laboratories.

Industrial microbiologists work in a range of companies, from big pharmaceutical, biochemical, biotechnology and food businesses through to smaller firms that develop biopharmaceuticals or specialist products.


If you love microbiology but find that lab-based work isn't for you, there are still some great options where you can use the scientific knowledge and transferable skills you have acquired whilst studying. Microbiologists can use their knowledge and skills in a wide range of careers in industry (marketing, technical support and regulatory affairs) education (teaching, museums and science centres), business (patent attorney or accountant) and communications (public relations, journalism and publishing).
                                              

                                                      your suggestions and comments are encouraged

Make Every Breath Count: New Test for Cystic Fibrosis

It’s one of medicine’s big challenges, finding a cure for cystic fibrosis, a fatal, genetic disease that affects 30 thousand children and adults in the U.S. The average life expectancy is around 30 years of age. Now, scientists in Arizona are moving closer to new technology that could help doctors track the progression of CF, and improve treatment for patients.

In CF, a chemical imbalance causes a buildup of mucus that blocks vital airways inside the lungs.

"What happens with CF is they don’t have as much chloride on the top side of cells in their lungs, actually throughout their body and that causes a drying of the lungs," Eric Snyder, Ph.D., a pharmacist and medical expert at the University of Arizona, said.

Tracking that drying generally involves an invasive test called bronchoalveolar lavage. Under general anesthesia, a tube sprays fluid into the lung, the fluid is removed and tested for key inflammatory biomarkers. Now, pharmacists and medical experts at the University of Arizona are working on a new test analyzing the tiny atoms exhaled by the patient to check the wet or dryness of the lungs. The goal is a less invasive test that could lead to better management of CF.

This new test protocol for CF is still experimental. Researchers are currently comparing their less invasive breath tests to traditional and more invasive CF testing to see if they are equally accurate in monitoring the progression of cystic fibrosis in the lungs.

   

                                                            

                                                                   your suggestions and comments are encouraged

INDUSTRIAL MICROBIOLOGY

Industrial Microbiology, is concerned with all aspects of business that relate to microbiology. In a more restricted sense, industrial microbiology is concerned with

(i) Employing microorganisms to produce a desired product, and with

(ii) Preventing microbes from diminishing the economic value of various products.

It is an important area of applied microbiology. It refers to the use of microorganisms in commercial enterprise and Cheap raw materials are converted to valuable products through the metabolism of microbes.

Various commercial products of economic value made by microbes are :
(i) Medicines i.e. pharmaceuticals, including antibiotics, steroids, human protein, vaccines,and vitamins,

(ii)Organicacids,

(iii)Aminoacids,
(vi)Enzymes,
(v)Alcohols,
(vi)Organic solvents and
(vii) Synthetic fuels.

  In addition to these, quite recently potential of microbes could also be realised in

(viii)Recovery of metals from ores through bioleaching,

(ix)Recovery of petrol, and
(x) Single cell protein production - the use of microbes themselves as food.

Use of microbes to obtain a product or service of economic value constitutes industrial microbiology. Any process mediated by or involving microorganisms in which a product of economic value is obtained is called fermentation.

The activities in industrial microbiology begin with the isolation of microorganisms from nature, their screening for product formation, improvement of product yields, maintenance of cultures, mass culture using bioreactors, and usually end with the recovery of products and their purification.

The microorganisms used in industrial processes may be natural isolates, laboratory selected mutants or genetically engineered organisms.

 Industrial microbiology or microbial biotechnology encompasses the use of microorganisms in the manufacture of food or industrial products.

The microbial product may be microbial cells (living or dead), microbial biomass, and components of microbial cells, intracellular or extracellular enzymes or chemicals produced by the microbes utilizing the medium constituents or the provided substrate.

The use of microorganisms for the production of food, either human or animal, is often considered a branch of food microbiology.

your suggestions and comments are encouraged

MICROBIAL POPULATION GENETICS

Bacterial population genetics is the study of natural bacterial genetic diversity arising from evolutionary processes. The roles of molecular mistakes, restriction–modification, plasmids and gene transfer in bacteria are also important components of population genetics. These aspects are of considerable scientific importance from a fundamental perspective, because of the short generation times of bacteria, their microscopic cell size, the large population sizes bacteria can achieve and their different mechanisms of gene transfer.

Microbial population genetics is a rapidly advancing field of investigation with relevance to many areas of science. The subject encompasses theoretical issues such as the origins and evolution of species, sex and recombination. Population genetics lays the foundations for tracking the origin and evolution of antibiotic resistance and deadly infectious pathogens and is also an essential tool in the utilization of beneficial microbes.

The knowledge of genetic diversity in bacterial population has increased considerably over the last 15 years, due to the application of molecular techniques to microbial ecological studies. Among the molecular methods, the PCR-based techniques provide a powerful and high throughput approach for the study of genetic diversity in bacterial populations. PCR fingerprinting methods for the analysis of biodiversity are numerous and usually very effective.

                                                                                                   

                                                                                                                your suggestions and comments are encouraged