Microbiologists deal with very small organisms and play crucial roles in our lives
February 15, 2007 | 12:00am
Microbiology is the study of very small organisms (microorganisms) that could only be seen under the microscope. A microorganism may be made up of a tiny single cell (unicellular) like all bacteria, yeasts, and protozoa (amoeba, euglena, and paramecium). In the laboratory, several bacterial or yeast cells grouped together may be seen with the naked eye as a colony in an agar–based medium. Other species of microorganisms may be made up of more than one cell (multicellular) such as molds. Microbiology also includes the study of even smaller single entities (not cellular) called viruses, which contain nucleic acid (DNA or RNA) enclosed in a protein coat. Take note that there are useful bacteria, yeasts, and molds that are used to produce food, pharmaceutical, and industrial products. On the other hand, there are also species of bacteria, yeast, molds, protozoa and several viruses that are agents of plant, animal, and human diseases. A microbiologist, therefore, is someone who underwent formal education in microbiology or related fields and training to work with any of the above microscopic organisms and/or viruses. A microbiologist is expected to be knowledgeable in basic microbiology techniques for all microorganisms, but may have focused work and obtained expertise on just one to a few species of bacteria, yeast, mold or a particular type of virus.
A microbiologist may be a scientist in an academic and/or research institution performing basic research on a specific microorganism or group of microorganisms. Microbiology covers a wide range of topics such as microbial physiology, microbial ecology, medical microbiology, food microbiology, virology, and microbial genetics. Basic microbiology research aims to gain knowledge and information about microorganisms, without emphasis on immediate use or application. Basic microbiology research generates information about a microorganism’s structure, physiology, functions, and interactions (with members of the same species, with other species, or the environment). Basic microbiology research may be conducted to determine the ability of microorganisms to cause diseases, to arrive at species identification, to achieve characterization and to evaluate relatedness (phylogeny) and classification.
Microbiologists may also be involved in applied research using microorganisms toward the development of products and processes useful to man. Applied microbiology research may be conducted with any of the following objectives: to determine the ability of a microorganism to produce a useful product, to study the factors that favor microbial growth and efficient synthesis of the useful product, to generate a strain of microorganism with improved quality and/or quantity of product, to identify and eliminate the factors that will inhibit production, and to eradicate undesirable microorganisms that produce toxins or other unwanted products. Therefore, microbiologists may be interested in the growth and maintenance of live microbial cultures that produce desirable products or may be focused on preventing the growth of undesirable microorganisms such as those that cause undesirable flavors, food spoilage and plant and animal diseases.
There are agricultural microbiologists with formal education in agriculture but work with microorganisms that enhance plant growth or work with microorganisms that cause plant diseases. Veterinary microbiologists (veterinarians by profession) work with microorganisms that are causative agents of animal diseases. Most medical microbiologists work in hospitals and handle microorganisms that cause human diseases and may be medical technologists, physicians, or nurses by profession. Medical microbiologists are responsible for identifying microorganisms that cause human diseases, obtaining crucial information necessary to suggest the best way to eliminate the disease-causing agent. Medical microbiologists may also be tasked to determine microbial susceptibilities to drugs like antibiotics before doctors can recommend appropriate medication. Veterinary or medical microbiologists make use of killed and weakened (attenuated) disease-causing microorganisms or viruses to produce animal and human vaccines that result in protection against different infections. Food microbiologists are important in industries manufacturing different food products using microorganisms. Production of beer and wine, for instance, use the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae to produce the alcohol. Cheese production makes use of certain species of bacteria and fungi for cheese maturation and flavor formation. Food microbiologists may also be hired by companies involved in large-scale production of fermented products, including several traditional fermented foods like fermented vegetables (‘burong mustasa" and "kimchi") and fermented fish and shrimp ("bagoong," " alamang" and fish sauce). Other food microbiologists are responsible for ensuring food safety or absence of unwanted microbial contaminants or microbial toxins from processed food.
Environmental microbiologists are concerned with using microorganisms to degrade household, agricultural or industrial wastes which will otherwise result in polluted land areas and bodies of water, if left untreated. There are also aquatic microbiologists or marine microbiologists who work on microorganisms that infect economically important fishes, shrimps, seaweeds, corals, and other marine organisms. Industrial microbiologists are needed in several industries that rely on microbial enzymes, including companies that produce digestive aids, meat tenderizers, detergents, stain removers, and leather products. In addition to these, microbiologists are needed in companies producing microbial organic acids, dyes, antibiotics and amino acids. Microbiologists are even hired by companies making pharmaceutical and cosmetics where they are tasked to handle microorganisms that produce pharmaceutical products. Moreover, microbiologists are also responsible for quality control so that their products are free of microorganisms that may cause diseases or so that their claims of anti-microbial active ingredients are valid. Even airline companies hire microbiologists in order to ensure food safety of flight meals. In advanced countries, production of useful proteins by genetically improved microorganisms is conducted, including human insulin for diabetics, growth hormones, and anti-tumor factors.
Microbiologists may be trained to be teachers in high school or may decide to be mentors in college, responsible for educating young students on the principles of microbiology. These microbiology educators are instrumental in producing and training future microbiologists of the country. Some microbiology teachers are also involved in research and extension. There are microbiologists who have decided to be businessmen or biotechnologists, producing microbial-based products as cottage industries or at commercial scale. Still other microbiologists work in service diagnostic laboratories or work as sales representatives promoting products used in microbiology laboratories. Therefore, microbiologists are needed in schools and universities as teachers, in several biotechnology industries as entrepreneurs, in farms and aquaculture, in hospitals and diagnostic medical laboratories, and for environmental management. The demand for microbiologists is not at all dwindling through the years.
(To be concluded)
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