Importance of Microbiology in Health

Importance of Microbiology in Health: Care,practice, public health, Environmental health. The role of microbiologists in treating illnesses is crucial.

In hospitals and laboratories, biomedical scientists analyze biological samples such as tissue, blood, and fluids to determine the cause of infections, assess treatment options, and track disease epidemics.

Importance of Microbiology in Health: Care,practice, public health, Environmental health. The role of microbiologists in treating illnesses is crucial
Importance of Microbiology in Health: Care,practice, public health, Environmental health. The role of microbiologists in treating illnesses is crucial

A variety of viruses, bacteria, protozoa, and fungi-related disorders have been treated and prevented using microbiology. The discovery and development of antibiotics and vaccines in medicine were largely attributed to the study of microbiology.

There is no doubt that microbiology is one of the most important sciences in biology. Research into the causes of certain diseases, the remedies for these ailments, and even the use of bacteria for industrial purposes can be conducted through this method.

Care

Microbiology provides care for our living. We also have safe drinking water thanks to microbiology. The living microorganisms that are present in sewage treatment keep the water pure. Bacteria in sewage help to clean the water by breaking down the organic debris before it is released back into the environment.

As a food-based microbiologist, you can help the FDA identify foods that pose a health risk by helping identify food products that contain potentially hazardous bacteria. Food poisoning outbreaks are also investigated by the agency, with the objective of identifying their cases in order to prevent a repeat.

The role of microbiologists in treating illnesses is crucial. Thousands work as biomedical scientists in hospitals and laboratories, analyzing tissues, blood, and fluid samples to diagnose infections, assess therapies and track disease epidemics.

 It is essential that microbiology is incorporated into medical devices, such as fluorescent fusion, which is used to detect pathogens in tissue samples quickly and precisely. This technology allows scientists to perform immunofluorescence experiments on complex biological systems to find specific cells.

Practice 

Public health practice is defined as the process of collecting and analyzing identifiable health data by a public health authority to provide health protection to the community according to which the benefits and risks are designed to benefit that community. 

Microbiology helps in practicing health care fields. A nursing professional who has a better understanding of microbiology can protect patients whose immune systems have weakened and who are always vulnerable to exposure to microbes, by remaining safe and healthy whenever they are in contact with a nursing professional.

Public health

In public health, microbiologists have similar responsibilities to clinical microbiologists, as well as performing the following tasks:

  • Tests for detection, outbreak, and surveillance of infectious diseases in humans should be developed.
  • Public health pathogens may be detected in a variety of environmental and animal samples.

Environmental health

Environment microbiology studies the microorganisms that live in the air, the soil, and the water. During the decay of toxic contaminants, microorganisms in the environment play a crucial role. Bacteria like Acetobacter, for instance, are capable of destroying many aromatic chemicals.

In the treatment of sewage, bacteria help in the purification of water. Biological processes decompose organic material in wastewater, which removes contaminants.

During nitrification and phosphorus removal, bacteria in the wastewater system cause nitrification. Nitrobacter spp is responsible for oxidizing nitrite to nitrate in this system, while Nitrorosomonas spp produces nitrite. In the denitrification process, nitrate (from organic matter) is converted into nitrogen gas by bacterial cells (Pseudomonas).

Additionally, aerobic microorganisms’ ferment solid sewage components.

Scientists working on this topic often highlight the interactions between microorganisms and plants and animals, as well as environmental factors like pollution. Listed below are a few ways microbiology can be used to enhance the environment.

  • For breaking down oil, it is used. We all know that petroleum oil is harmful, and oil pollution poses a big threat to the environment. There are a number of challenges involved in containing and mitigating oil spills in coastal and open sea areas, but microbial communities’ hydrocarbon-degrading activities can remove much of it, including the Hydrocarbonoclastic Bacteria (HCB). Marine environments that have suffered from oil contamination may benefit from the restoration of these species. There are many biotechnological applications for HCB, including bioplastics and biocatalysis.
  • The second purpose of it is to degrade aromatic compounds. Several strains of Acinetobacter have been isolated from the environment that can degrade a wide variety of aromatic compounds.
  • Waste bio-treatment analysis is also performed with this method. Live organisms are used in the bio-processing of garbage, which is environmentally friendly compared to traditional methods. There are numerous limitations associated with bio-treatment procedures in highly regulated environments. Luckily, bioreactors can overcome these limitations. By designing bioreactors in this manner, it is possible to treat a wide spectrum of wastes under optimal conditions. It’s vital to keep in mind that different microorganisms and a large number of analyses are frequently necessary.
  • Natural microbial communities have been shown to be highly complex by molecular biology and genomics applied to environmental microbiology. With the aid of molecular and bioinformatics techniques, it is now possible to carry out diversity surveys, community fingerprinting, and functional analysis of populations in their natural habitat.

Final Words

A microbiologist is involved in many activities that impact everyday life, including food production, biodegradation, manufacturing products, and genetic engineering. 

There are a variety of recipes that involve microorganisms. To produce curd and cheese, for instance, microorganisms must be present. Lactobacillus, one of the major bacteria found in milk, converts lactose sugar into lactic acid, which causes milk to curdle. As well as yeast for bread making, bacteria are needed for the production of yogurt. 

Aside from that, vitamin K is only produced by microorganisms in the human body. As well as this, bacteria are used in the manufacturing of disposable diapers and plastics, as well as synthesizing commercially valuable products like hydroxybutyric acid. They are also used in the production of ethanol, a biofuel. Additionally, amino acids, which are commonly found in dietary supplements, are made by these bacteria.

The purpose of microbiology is therefore to study the morphology, metabolism, physiology, reproduction, and genetics of microorganisms in order to gain a stronger understanding of them.

All these examples demonstrate how microbiology plays a key role across a variety of sectors. Various other applications of microbiology will be developed in the next couple of years, and they will be highly beneficial to us.

Read also: Importance of Microbiology in Nursing; Importance of Microbiology in Medicine

External resources: hsubrand

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