Fields or branches:

Microbiology has two major fields

1. Pure Microbiology
2. Applied Microbiology

1. Pure microbiology:

i. on the basis of Taxonomical classification

• Bacteriology
• Mycology
• Phycology
• Virology
• Protozoology
• Immunology

ii. on the basis of Integrative characteristics

• Microbial cytology
• Microbial physiology
• Microbial genetics
• Microbial ecology
• Microbial taxonomy
• Cellular Microbiology
• Molecular Microbiology

2. Applied Microbiology:

on the basis of application

• Medical Microbiology
• Veterinary Microbiology
• Public Health Microbiology
• Industrial Microbiology
• Pharmaceutical Microbiology
• Agriculture Microbiology
  ¤ Plant Microbiology
  ¤ Soil Microbiology
• Food and Dairy Microbiology
• Environmental Microbiology
• Water/Aquatic Microbiology
• Aero-microbiology
• Microbial Biotechnology
• Vaccinology
• Chemotherapy

Scope of microbiology

1. Ecology and environment:

• Bacteria are primary decomposers – recycle nutrients back into the environment (sewage treatment plants)
• Winogradsky and M. Beijerinck studied soil microbes and their role in the biochemical cycles of sulfur, carbon, nitrogen etc.
• Insect Pest Control: some bacteria are used as bio-pesticides to control Insects pest. Eg. Bacillus thuringiensis
• Bioremediation: microbes are also used to clean up pollutants and toxic wastes. Eg. Pseudomonas putida; used to remove petroleum spill.

2. Food microbiology:

• Microbes are used in various food and dairy industries to produce various food products
  1. cheese, pickles, sauerkraut, green olives
  2. yogurt, soy sauce, vinegar, bread
  3. Beer, Wine, Alcohol
• Pasteur (1856) describe fermentation technology

3. Medicine: clinical and pharmaceutical microbiology

• Disease Treatment: Microbes are used to produce Antibiotics
• Eg. Penicillium notatum (Penicillin); discovered by Alexander Fleming (1928)
• Bacteria also synthesize vitamins which is needed for our body.
• Example:   E. coli
• Vitamin-B; needed for metabolism
• Vitamin-K; needed for blood clotting
• Gene therapy for treatment of genetic dsiseases

4. Vaccine and immunology:

• Vaccine activates immune response.
• Edward Jenner inoculated people with cowpox to protect against smallpox.
• Pasteur developed the rabies vaccine (1885).
• Von Behring and Kitasato (1890) produced toxoid vaccine against diphtheria and tetanus.
• Metchnikoff (1884) described role of phagocytic cell in defense.

5. Genetic engineering:

• Microorganisms are used in Recombinant DNA Technology or Genetic Engineering to manipulate their gene for the production of useful products such as enzymes, hormones, interferons, etc
• Microorganisms are used as model organism in molecular biology.

6. Biochemistry and physiology:

• Microorganisms are used as a model for study of many biochemical and physiological processes.

7. Industrial microbiology:

• Microbes are used in economic and industrial purposes.
• Biotechnology, fermentation technology, food and beverages etc are now established on large industrial scale for income.
• Patients right of procedure

8. Agriculture microbiology:

• Genetic engineering is used for the production of transgenic plants and animals.
• Animal and plant improvement by biotechnology for better production, resistant to environmental fluctuation.
• Molecular farming: transgenic animal or plant are used as bioreactor for mass production

9. Geochemical microbiology;

• Bioleaching: recovery of minerals from low grade ores
• Role of microorganism in geochemical cycle

10. Exomicrobiology:

• Exploring for life in outer space

Fields and scope of microbiology

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