"Microbiology is the scientific study of microorganisms, those being of unicellular (single-celled), multicellular (consisting of complex cells), or acellular (lacking cells)." - "Microbiology (from Ancient Greek μῑκρος (mīkros) 'small', βίος (bíos) 'life', and -λογία (-logía) 'study of') is the scientific study of microorganisms..."
Study of microorganisms, including bacteria, viruses, fungi, and protozoa.
Cell Structure and Function: Study of the fundamental unit of life and its functions including cell membrane, cytoplasm, DNA, RNA, and organelles.
Microbial Growth and Nutrition: Understanding the different types of nutrients required for microbial growth, how microorganisms obtain nutrition, and the conditions required for optimal growth.
Microbial Genetics: Study of genetic makeup, inheritance, and genetic manipulation of microorganisms.
Microbial Diversity and Classification: Understanding the classification of microorganisms based on their properties, characteristics, and evolutionary relationships.
Microbial Metabolism: Study of the biochemical pathways employed by microorganisms for generation of energy and synthesis of cellular material.
Microbial Behavior and Communication: Understanding how microorganisms communicate with each other and display specific behaviors when exposed to environmental stimuli.
Microbial Pathogenesis: Understanding the mechanisms by which microorganisms cause disease and how to prevent or treat microbial infections.
Microbial Ecology: Study of the interactions between microorganisms and their environment, including their role in biogeochemical cycles, symbiosis, and ecosystem function.
Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering: Understanding the application of microorganisms in various biotechnology industries and genetic engineering for the manipulation of microorganisms for beneficial purposes.
Synthetic Biology: Understanding the design and construction of new biological systems using various microorganisms and biotechnological tools.
Medical microbiology: This branch of microbiology is concerned with the study of microorganisms that cause diseases in humans, and the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of such diseases.
Environmental microbiology: This is the study of microorganisms in the environment, including their roles in biogeochemical cycles and their impact on ecosystem functioning.
Agricultural microbiology: This is the study of microorganisms and their functions in agriculture, including soil fertility, crop improvement, and livestock health.
Industrial microbiology: This branch of microbiology is concerned with the use of microorganisms in industrial processes, including the production of biofuels, pharmaceuticals, and enzymes.
Marine microbiology: This is the study of microorganisms in marine environments, including their roles in biogeochemical cycles and their impact on marine ecosystems.
Food microbiology: This branch of microbiology is concerned with the study of microorganisms in food, including their roles in food spoilage, foodborne disease, and food preservation.
Synthetic biology: This is an emerging field that combines principles of engineering and biology to design and create new biological systems or modify existing ones to perform specific functions. It can encompass many different types of microbiology applications, such as engineering microbes to produce novel products or vaccines.
"Microbiology encompasses numerous sub-disciplines including virology, bacteriology, protistology, mycology, immunology, and parasitology."
"Eukaryotic microorganisms possess membrane-bound organelles and include fungi and protists, whereas prokaryotic organisms—all of which are microorganisms—are conventionally classified as lacking membrane-bound organelles and include Bacteria and Archaea."
"Microbiologists traditionally relied on culture, staining, and microscopy for the isolation and identification of microorganisms."
"However, less than 1% of the microorganisms present in common environments can be cultured in isolation using current means."
"With the emergence of biotechnology, Microbiologists currently rely on molecular biology tools such as DNA sequence-based identification, for example, the 16S rRNA gene sequence used for bacterial identification."
"Viruses have been variably classified as organisms, as they have been considered either as very simple microorganisms or very complex molecules."
"Prions, never considered as microorganisms, have been investigated by virologists, however, as the clinical effects traced to them were originally presumed due to chronic viral infections, virologists took a search—discovering 'infectious proteins'."
"The existence of microorganisms was predicted many centuries before they were first observed, for example by the Jains in India and by Marcus Terentius Varro in ancient Rome."
"The first recorded microscope observation was of the fruiting bodies of molds, by Robert Hooke in 1666."
"But the Jesuit priest Athanasius Kircher was likely the first to see microbes, which he mentioned observing in milk and putrid material."
"Antonie van Leeuwenhoek is considered a father of microbiology as he observed and experimented with microscopic organisms in the 1670s."
"Scientific microbiology developed in the 19th century through the work of Louis Pasteur."
"In medical microbiology, Robert Koch made significant contributions."
"'μῑκρος' (mīkros)" translates to "small" in Ancient Greek, as used in the term "microbiology."
"Virology is one of the sub-disciplines of microbiology that focuses on the study of viruses."
"Prokaryotic organisms—all of which are microorganisms—are conventionally classified as lacking membrane-bound organelles and include Bacteria and Archaea."
"Microbiologists rely on molecular biology tools such as DNA sequence-based identification, for example, the 16S rRNA gene sequence used for bacterial identification."
"Antonie van Leeuwenhoek observed and experimented with microscopic organisms in the 1670s."
"Microbiology encompasses numerous sub-disciplines including virology, bacteriology, protistology, mycology, immunology, and parasitology."