Microbiology is the area of Biology dedicated to microorganism studies. It analyzes their functions, characteristics, metabolizations, distributions and their effects.
It can also be characterized as a specialty of Biomedicine that studies microorganisms pathogens, that is, those that cause infectious diseases, thus encompassing bacteriology, virology and mycology.
Although microbiology is the study of life forms that can only be seen with the help of a microscope, some groups studied can be seen with the naked eye, when they are grouped in the form of colonies of the same species, such as fungi and bacteria.
But for a group to grow in colonies, it is necessary that the medium in which the microorganism is found have conditions that favor this movement, such as optimal temperature and pH and the presence or absence of oxygen.
What does microbiology study?
Within microbiology studies, life forms that could only be seen with the help of the microscope, the main groups being fungi, bacteria, microscopic algae, protozoa and virus.
In addition to these groups, microbiology also carries out the study of parasites and worms, such as helminths.
Virus
THE virology it is the branch of microbiology that studies these microorganisms. Viruses are not classified as living beings, as they do not have a cellular system and are only able to reproduce within living cells.
Some types of viruses are considered pathogenic, that is, they cause diseases in the living beings in which they are incubated. Flu, AIDS, smallpox and yellow fever are some examples of diseases that can be transmitted through viruses.
In addition to studying the structure and other properties of viruses, virology is also focused on researching ways to develop vaccines and therapies to contain viral infections.
Learn more about Virus.
Bacteria
They are unicellular and prokaryote microorganisms, that is, they do not have their genetic material stored by a membrane.
Like viruses, some types of bacteria can transmit diseases to humans, such as tuberculosis, meningitis, cholera, pneumonia, among others.
THE bacteriology it is the branch of microbiology that deals with the study of bacteria.
Fungi
The branch of microbiology that studies fungi is the mycology, science is also known as mycology.
Fungi can be multicellular or unicellular, macroscopic or microscopic, eukaryotic and heterotrophic.
Some types of fungi can also be pathogenic, causing diseases such as: ringworm, candidiasis, chilblains, among others.
Protozoa
They are unicellular, heterotrophic and eukaryotic beings. Some protozoa are considered parasites because they inhabit other living organisms.
Some types of protozoa can cause diseases, such as: malaria, Chagas disease, amoebiasis, among others.
Learn more about Protozoa.
Microbiology and Parasitology
As stated, microbiology is dedicated to the study of microscopic beings, that is, those that can hardly be seen with the naked eye.
Parasitology is the science that studies, exclusively, the beings that inhabit other living organisms, either permanently or temporarily.
Parasitism can be beneficial to both beings or harmful, as is the case with some protozoa that cause disease in their hosts.
Some examples of diseases caused by parasites are: leishmaniasis, taeniasis, malaria, toxoplasmosis, among others.
Microbiology Applications
The application of microbiology is not limited only to the area of medicine. The study is also applied in several sectors, with different objectives.
Food Microbiology
In the food industry, microbiology is related to the fermentation process used in the preparation of products such as yogurt and alcoholic beverages, in addition to ensuring the quality of food, as well as your life useful.
Environmental Microbiology
This is an area of environmental science that studies the composition and physiology of microbial communities present in environments such as soil, water or sediments. It analyzes the interactions of microorganisms with biotic and abiotic environmental factors.
See too:
- Biotechnology
- biomedicine