"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..."
The tools, techniques, and methods used in microbiology.
Microbial diversity: Understanding the different types of microorganisms present in a given environment, including bacteria, archaea, fungi, viruses, and microeukaryotes.
Microbial ecology: Understanding the interactions between microorganisms and their environment, including biotic (e.g. competition and predation) and abiotic (e.g. temperature, pH, and moisture).
Functiomal roles of microorganisms: Understanding the different functional roles of microorganisms, such as decomposition, nutrient cycling, symbiosis, and pathogenesis.
Molecular tools: Understanding the various molecular techniques used in microbiology, such as PCR, DNA sequencing, and gene expression analysis.
Imaging techniques: Understanding the microscopy techniques used to visualize microorganisms and their structures, such as electron microscopy, confocal microscopy, and fluorescence microscopy.
Cultural techniques: Understanding the different culture techniques used to grow and isolate microorganisms in the laboratory, including agar plates, liquid cultures, and anaerobic chambers.
Bioinformatics: Understanding the use of computational tools and databases to study microbiology, including genome annotation, phylogenetics, and metagenomics analysis.
Bioremediation: Understanding the application of microorganisms in environmental remediation, such as cleaning up oil spills or removing pollutants from soil and water.
Microbial interactions with environment: Understanding how microorganisms affect and are affected by different environmental factors, such as climate change, pollution, and land-use change.
Medical Microbiology: Understanding the basic concept of microbial infections, diagnosis, and management.
Viruses and their interaction: Understanding viruses and their effects on the host and environment.
Host-microbe interaction: Understanding the interaction of microorganisms with human and animal hosts.
Synthetic Microbiology: Understanding the manipulation and engineering of microorganisms for practical purposes, such as the production of biofuels, drugs, and vaccines.
Microbial biotechnology: Understanding the use of microorganisms for industrial purposes, such as food production, bioremediation, and bioprocessing.
Environmental microbiology: Understanding the role of microorganisms in environmental processes and interactions.
Microscopes: They magnify and increase the resolution of microorganisms in samples too small to be seen with the naked eye.
Autoclaves: They are used to sterilize laboratory equipment and media.
Incubators: These are used to create a controlled environment for optimal growth of microorganisms.
Petri dishes: They are small containers used for growing microorganisms.
Serological pipettes: They are used to measure and transfer precise amounts of liquid samples.
Pipettes: Pipettes are used to accurately transfer small volumes of liquid.
Sterile swabs: They are used to take samples from surfaces or contaminated areas.
Spatulas: These are used for scooping powders or media.
Agar plates: Agar plates are nutrient-rich surfaces used for growing microorganisms.
Bunsen burners: These are used for sterilizing laboratory equipment.
Microcentrifuges: They are used for separating different types of particles or cells from a sample.
Colony counters: These are used for counting and observing different colony characteristics.
PCR machines: Polymerase Chain Reaction machines are used to amplify DNA sequences.
Spectrophotometers: These measure the absorption of light by a substance and are used to analyze nucleic acid and protein samples.
Gel electrophoresis: This is a technique used to separate DNA fragments based on size.
Flow cytometry: It measures physical and chemical characteristics of cells, to separate them based on size, shape or biochemical properties.
Microfluidics: It is a technology used to manipulate small volumes of a sample for analysis or sorting.
qPCR (Quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction): It is used to quantify the presence and amount of RNA or DNA in a sample.
Metagenomics: It assesses the genetic information within a community or environment.
Next-generation sequencing: It is used for high-throughput sequencing and analysis of DNA or RNA samples.
"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."