THE RELEVANCE AND SCOPE OF MICROBIOLOGY

INTRODUCTION

Modern microbiology is a large discipline with different specialised areas. This is because the entire ecosystem depends on the activities of microorganisms and microorganisms influence human society in countless ways. Microbiology has a great impact on medicine, agriculture, food science, ecology, genetics, biochemistry and other fields. In this unit, we shall examine the different aspects of microbiology and their relevance to human life.

Main Branches of Microbiology

Microbiology has two main branches:

1.  Basic 
2.  Applied 

Both branches intertwine and are complementary to each other.

The Basic Aspects of Microbiology

The basic branch of microbiology is concerned with the study of the biology of microorganisms. Fields of study here include:

1. Bacteriology: This is the study of bacteria. 
2. Mycology: The study of fungi such as yeasts, molds, and mushrooms. 
3. Algology: The study of algae. 
4.  Protozoology: The study of protozoa; a branch of protozoology called parasitology deals exclusively with the parasite or disease-producing protozoa and other parasitic micro and macro organisms. 
5.  Microbial Cytology: Studies the structures of microbial cells. 6. Microbial Physiology: Studies of the nutrients that microorganisms require for metabolism and growth and the products that they make from nutrients. 
6.  Microbial Genetics: Focuses on the nature of genetic information in microorganisms in microorganisms and how it regulates the development and functions of cells and organisms. 8. Microbial Ecology: The study of microorganisms in their natural environment. It also studies the global and local contribution to nutrient cycling. In addition, it employs microorganisms in bioremediation to reduce pollution. 
7. Microbial Taxonomy: This is the study of the classification of microorganisms or the grouping of microorganisms. 
8.  Biochemistry: This deals with the discovery of microbial enzymes and the chemical reactions they carry out. 

The Applied Aspects of Microbiology

The applied aspect of microbiology deal with practical application of microorganisms to solve problems related to diseases, water and waste water treatment, food spoilage and food production. The various fields of study in applied microbiology include:

1. Medical Microbiology: Studies of the causative agents of diseases, diagnostic procedures for identification of the causative agents and preventive measures 
2. Agricultural Microbiology: This is the study of microbial processes in the soil to promote plant growth. It involves the study of soil microorganisms which has led to the discovery of antibiotics and other important chemicals. It also deals with the methods of combating plant and animal diseases caused by microbes, methods of using microbes to increase soil fertility and crop yields. Currently, much work is being done on using bacterial and viral insect pathogens to substitute chemical pesticides. 
3. Industrial Microbiology: This is the large scale growth of microorganisms for the production of medicinal products such as antibiotics and vaccines; fermented beverages; industrial chemicals; production of hormones and proteins by genetically engineered microorganism. 
4. Aquatic and Marine Microbiology: Aquatic and Marine Microbiology deals with microbial processes in lakes, rivers, and the oceans. It also examines issues that concern water purification, microbiology examination and biological degradation of waste. 
5. Public Health Microbiology: This is closely related to medical microbiology. It deals with the identification and the control of the spread of communicable diseases. It involves monitoring of community food establishments and waste supplies so as to keep them safe and free from infectious agents. 
6. Immunology: Deals with how the immune system protects the body from pathogens and the response of infectious agents. It also involves practical health problem such as the nature and treatment of allergies auto-immune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis. 
7. Food and Diary Microbiology: Deals with the use of microbes to make foods such as cheese, yoghurt, wine and beer. It also deals with the methods of preventing microbial spoilage of food and the transmission of food-borne diseases such as Botulism and Salmonellosis. Microorganisms are also used as single cell protein, which is an important source of protein or nutrients to livestock and humans. 
8. Aeromicrobiology: Advances thought in the dissemination of diseases in the air, contamination and spoilage. 
9. Exomicrobiology: Exploration for life in outer space. 
10. Geochemical Microbiology: Coal, mineral and gas formation; prospecting for deposits of coal, oil and gas and recovery of minerals from low-grade ores. 

 The Future of Microbiology

There are many promising areas of microbiological research and their potential practical impacts in the future. These areas include combating new and re-emerging human diseases such as HIV/AIDS, SARS, TUBERCULOSIS, POLIOMYELITIS, etc. For this combat to be effective there would be need for the production of new drugs and vaccines. The use of molecular biology and recombinant DNA technology will be applied to give solutions to these problems. Microorganisms would be needed for environmental bioremediation of pollutants which is on the increase globally. Much work will also be needed to be done on microorganisms living in extreme environments such as to advance the development of new antimicrobial agents, industrial processes and bioremediation. Analyses of genome and its activities will advance the field of bioinformatics and help to investigate biological problems.

CONCLUSION

Microbiology is one of the most rewarding professions because it gives its practitioners the opportunity to be able to be in contact with all other natural sciences and thus contribute in many different ways to the betterment of human life. One indicator of the relevance and importance of microbiology is reflected in the number of Nobel Prize winners in science - one third of all awardees are microbiologists or investigators using a microbial model.

 SUMMARY

· Modern microbiology is a large discipline with many different specialised areas. Microbiology is subdivided into two main areas of research (basic and applied).
· The basic area of research in microbiology deals with the biology of microorganisms and includes fields such as bacteriology, mycology, microbial ecology, etc.
· The applied aspect of microbiology deals with the practical application of microorganisms to solve various human problems related to diseases, water and waste treatment, food production and spoilage, etc.
· The field of microbiology will be faced with many important future challenges such as finding new ways to new and re-emerging diseases, reduced environmental pollution and investigating biological problems.