Specialties of Microbiology

The world of science is a complicated one. Every single thing that we see is made up of a countless amount of molecules. In fact, most of the organisms of the world are microscopic — unable to be seen by the naked eye. The science of microbiology studies these micro-organisms, which are unicellular or cell-cluster organisms so small that you would need a very powerful microscope to see them.

Microbiology also studies eukaryotes such as fungi, viruses, and prokaryotes. The studies involved with the science of microbiology usually involve immunology, or the study of the immune system. The pathogenic microbes studied in microbiology usually interact with immune systems. There are also many fields of study, or specialties, in the field of microbiology. Professionals in the field may specialize in anything from the study of microbes for use in industrial processes to the study of microbes in veterinary medicine. As you can see, microbiology can be a very broad subject of science, with many specialties available.

The rest of this article will list and describe 5 specialties found in the field of microbiology:

1. Cellular microbiology

Cellular microbiology is a specialty that bridges microbiology and cell biology. It was first coined in 1996 when the link between the two science fields grew so strong that many suggested a new specified discipline. Cellular microbiology usually attempts to use microbes as cell-biology research. This includes influence in signal transduction, metabolism, cell cycle, and transcriptional regulation.

2. Microbial genetics

Microbial genetics is a specialty in biotechnology and genetic engineering. The field focuses on the genetics of micro-organisms. Microbial geneticists study the genotype and the expression system in the form of phenotypes of microbial species. It also studies the genetic processes in these micro-organisms.

3. Environmental microbiology

This field of microbial science studies the physiology of microbial communities in the environment. In this case, environment means soil, water, air, and sediments covering the planets, as well as the animals that inhabit these areas. It also studies micro-organisms in artificial environments. It is estimated that we currently only know less than 1% of microbial species on earth. This allows environmental microbiologists to have an infinite amount of material to study — a gram of soil alone contains approximately 1 billion microbes representing thousands of species.

4. Food microbiology

This field of science studies micro-organisms that deal with food. These micro-organisms may inhabit, create, or contaminate food. Food spoilage is one of the largest areas of study in food microbiology. Good bacteria has also been a focus of recent study, and micro-organisms are also used in the production of many foods.

5. Industrial microbiology

This specialty focuses on the use of micro-organisms in the manufacturing of food and/or industrial products. The use of micro-organisms for the production of food is also considered part of food microbiology. The industry may isolate or genetically engineer these micro-organisms to be used in manufacturing. Micro-organisms, for example, are used to produce insulin, growth hormones, and antibodies.

Microbiology

Biology is the most widespread science that is practiced today. One type of science that has shown tremendous growth and progress throughout the years is microbiology. Microbiology is the subject that studies life and organisms that are too small to see with the naked eye. More specifically, it means that it is the field of biology that covers microorganisms such as fungi, protests, and prokaryotes, which are categorized as eukaryotes. Microbiology began more than three hundred years ago, but in comparison to other forms of biology, it is still fairly young. There are other forms of biology that attributes over a hundred years of research before it was even thought about. Some of those older areas of biology that are related to microbiology is zoology and botany.

1. One of the regular studied subjects of microbiology are viruses. Ironically, viruses are not characterized as microorganisms; however, they are often at the basis of a study in this form of biology. It is commonly studied because, unfortunately, many people are diagnosed with several types of bacteria. Due to this factor, these tiny properties are studied because they are small and need to be viewed and studied with some of the same tools that are the standard to microbiology.

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Another common study of microbiology is bacteria. Bacteria was first discovered by Antonie van Leeuwenhoek in 1676. He used a single-lens telescope that he had personally designed in order to make this finding. Leeuwenhoek made the best advances in biology ever, as it relates to the field of bacteriology and microbiology.

3. As much as we run away from and try to avoid microbes, believe it or not, there are some very helpful types of microbes that are in our environment. Out of the many forms of biology, microbiology is one that has a harmful component that can also be extremely helpful to the people that it can also harm. This helpfulness usually comes in the form of a type of bacteria. This form of biology is used for industrial fermentation. It also aids in the production of products such as vinegar, alcohol, some of your favorite dairy products, amino acids, and antibiotics. Yes, there are microbes that can serve in your healing process from that of another microbe. Strange, but true.

4. Microbiology is also the form of biology that is making advances as far as the pet population is concerned. Biology is being used to help improve the digestive system of these animals. There is research is being developed to see if there are probiotics and prebiotics that can prevent or heal diseases that occur in an animal’s digestive system. Microbiologists will continue to make advances for the animals, which also have to inhabit the earth.