What is microbiology. What does microbiology study? Fundamentals of Microbiology

The science of biology includes a large number of subsections and subsidiary sciences. However, microbiology is one of the youngest and most promising, useful for a person and his activity. Relatively recently emerged, but rapidly gained momentum in development, this science itself has today become the ancestor of such sections as biotechnology and genetic engineering. What is microbiology and how did the stages of its formation and development take place? Let's look at this in more detail.

What is microbiology?

First of all, microbiology is a science. A voluminous, interesting, young, but dynamically developing science. The etymology of the word is derived from the Greek language. So, "mikros" means "small", the second part of the word comes from "bios", which means "life", and the final part from the Greek. "Logos", which translates as a teaching. Now you can give a verbatim answer to the question, what is microbiology. This is the doctrine of micro-life.

In other words, it is the study of the smallest living beings that are not visible to the naked eye. Such unicellular organisms include:

1. Prokaryotes (non-nuclear organisms, or lacking a formal nucleus):

• Bacteria;
• Archaea.

2. Eukaryotes (organisms having a developed nucleus):

• Unicellular algae;
• Protozoa.

3. Viruses.

However, the priority in microbiology is given to the study of bacteria of very different types, forms and methods of obtaining energy. This is the basis of microbiology.

The subject of science

When asked what the study of microbiology is, one can answer this: it studies the external diversity of bacteria in shape and size, their effect on the environment and on living organisms, the ways of feeding, developing and multiplying microorganisms, and their impact on human economic and practical activities.

Microorganisms are creatures that can live in a variety of conditions. For them, there are practically no limits on temperature, acidity and alkalinity of the medium, pressure and humidity. Under any conditions, there is at least one (and most often a lot) a group of bacteria that can survive. Today there are communities of microorganisms that inhabit absolutely anaerobic conditions inside volcanoes, at the bottom of thermal sources, in the dark depths of the oceans, in harsh conditions of mountains and rocks, and so on.

Science knows hundreds of species of microorganisms, which eventually add up to thousands. However, it is established that this is only a small fraction of the diversity that exists in nature. Therefore, the work of microbiologists is very much.

One of the most famous centers, in which a detailed study of microorganisms and all the processes associated with them, was the Pasteur Institute in France. Named after the famous founder of microbiology as the science of Louis Pasteur, this institute of microbiology has produced a lot of remarkable specialists from its walls, with which no less remarkable and significant discoveries were made.

In Russia to date, the Institute of Microbiology im. SN Vinogradsky RAS, which is the largest research center in the field of microbiology in our country.

Historical digression into microbiological science

The history of the development of microbiology as a science consists of three basic conditional stages:

• Morphological or descriptive;
• Physiological or cumulative;
• modern.

In general, the history of microbiology counts in its development about 400 years. That is, the beginning of the emergence is about the XVII century. Therefore, it is considered that it is a fairly young science in comparison with other sections of biology.

Morphological or descriptive stage

The very name suggests that at this stage, strictly speaking, it was simply the accumulation of knowledge about the morphology of bacterial cells. It all began with the discovery of prokaryotes. This merit belongs to the ancestor of microbiological science Italian Antonio van Leeuwenhoek, who had an acute mind, a tenacious look and a good ability to think logically and generalize. Being also a good technician, he managed to carve the lenses, giving an increase of 300 times. And to repeat its achievement could only in the middle of XX century Russian scientists. And then not by turning, but by melting lenses from optical glass fibers.

These lenses served as the material through which Leuvenook discovered microorganisms. And initially he set himself a task of a very prosaic nature: the scientist wondered why the fuck is so bitter. Rasterev parts of the plant and examined them under a microscope of their own production, he saw a whole living world of tiny creatures. It was in 1695. Since then, Antonio begins to actively study and describe the different types of bacterial cells. He distinguishes them only in form, but this is already quite a lot.

Levenguk owns about 20 manuscript volumes, which describe in detail globular, rod-shaped, spiral and other types of bacteria. He wrote the first work on microbiology, which is called "The secrets of nature, discovered by Anthony van Leeuwenhoek." The first attempt to systematize and generalize the accumulated knowledge on the morphology of bacteria belongs to the scientist O. Muller, who undertook it in 1785. From this moment the history of the development of microbiology begins to gain momentum.

Physiological or accumulative stage

At this stage in the development of science, the mechanisms underlying the vital activity of bacteria were studied. The processes in which they take part and which are impossible in nature are considered. It was proved the impossibility of spontaneous generation of life without the participation of living organisms. All these discoveries were made as a result of the experiments of the great scientist-chemist, but after these discoveries also a microbiologist, Louis Pasteur. It is difficult to overestimate its importance in the development of this science. The history of microbiology could hardly have developed so quickly and completely, had it not been for this ingenious man.

Pasteur's discoveries can be displayed in several main points:

• Has proved that the process of fermentation of sugary substances familiar to people from time immemorial is caused by the presence of a certain type of microorganisms. And for each type of fermentation (milk-sour, alcohol, oil, etc.), the presence of a specific group of bacteria is characteristic, which it does;
• Introduced into the food industry the process of pasteurization for the disposal of products from microflora, causing their rotting and spoilage;
• He deserves the credit of increasing immunity to diseases by introducing a vaccine into the body. That is, Pasteur is the ancestor of vaccinations, it was he who proved that diseases are caused by the presence of pathogenic bacteria;
• Destroyed the idea of aerobic all living things and proved that for the life of many bacteria (oleaginous acids, for example), oxygen is not needed at all, and even harmful.

The main undeniable merit of Louis Pasteur was that he proved all his discoveries experimentally. So that no one could remain in doubt about the validity of the results. But the history of microbiology does not end there.

Another scientist who worked in the XIX century and made an invaluable contribution to the study of microorganisms was Robert Koch, a German scientist who deserves the deduction of clean lines of bacterial cells. That is, in nature, all microorganisms are closely interrelated. One group in the process of life creates a nutrient medium for the other, the other does the same for the third and so on. That is, they are the same food chains as higher organisms, only within bacterial communities. Because of this, it is very difficult to study a particular community, a group of microorganisms, because their dimensions are extremely small ( ^1-6 m or 1 m) and, being in constant close interaction with each other, they do not lend themselves to careful study alone. Ideal was the opportunity to grow many identical bacterial cells from the same community under artificial conditions. That is, to obtain a mass of identical cells that will be visible to the naked eye and to study the processes in which it becomes much easier.

That's exactly what Koch discovered. He introduced the breeding of pure cultures of bacteria in a nutrient medium, which for each community has its own. He also deserves credit for staining colonies of microorganisms and individual participants. Robert Koch was the first to discover a tubercle bacillus (Koch's stick), parasitic in animals and humans. This scientist applied the method of infecting experimental animals with pathogenic bacteria with the aim of breeding pure cultures of such microorganisms and developed methods for disinfecting and combating them.

Thus, a lot of valuable information was accumulated on the vital activity of bacteria, their benefits and harm to humans. The development of microbiology has gone even more intensively.

The modern stage

Modern microbiology is a whole complex of subsections and mini-sciences that study not only the bacteria themselves, but also viruses, fungi, archaea and all known and newly discovered microorganisms. On the question, what is microbiology, today we can give a very full and detailed answer. This is a complex of sciences engaged in the study of the vital activity of microorganisms, their application in practical human life in different areas and spheres, as well as the influence of microorganisms on each other, on the environment and living organisms.

In connection with such an extensive concept of microbiology, it is necessary to bring the modern gradation of this science into sections.

1. The total.
2. Soil.
3. Water.
4. Agricultural.
5. Medical.
6. Veterinary.
7. Space.
8. Geological.
9. Virology.
10. Nutritional.
11. Industrial (technical).

Each of these sections deals with a detailed study of microorganisms, their impact on the life and health of humans and animals, as well as the possibility of using bacteria for practical purposes to improve the quality of life of mankind. All this in a complex is what microbiology is studying.

The greatest contribution to the development of modern methods of microbiology, methods of excretion and cultivation of strains of microorganisms was made by such scientists as Wolfram Zillig and Carl Stetter, Carl Vese, Norman Pace, Watson Creek, Pauling, Zuckerkandl. From domestic scientists are names such as I. I. Mechnikov, L. S. Tsenkovsky, D. I. Ivanovsky, S. N. Vinogradsky, V. L. Omelyansky, S. P. Kostychev, J. Ya. Nikitinsky and F. M. Chistyakov, A. I. Lebedev, V. N. Shaposhnikov. Thanks to the works of the listed scientists, methods were developed to combat serious diseases of animals and humans (anthrax, sugar mite, foot-and-mouth disease, smallpox, and so on). Ways to increase immunity to bacteriological and viral diseases have been created, strains of microorganisms capable of processing oil have been produced, many different organic substances have been created in the process of vital activity, purify and improve the ecological situation, decompose non-dissociating chemical compounds and much more.

The contribution of these people is truly invaluable, therefore some of them (Mechnikov II) received the Nobel Prize for their work. To date, there are subsidiary sciences formed on the basis of microbiology, which are the most advanced in biology - biotechnology, bioengineering and genetic engineering. The work of each of them is aimed at obtaining organisms or groups of organisms with predetermined properties, convenient to humans. To develop new methods of working with microorganisms, to maximize the benefits of using bacteria.

Thus, the stages of development of microbiology, although not numerous, are however very informative and full of events.

Methods for studying microorganisms

Modern methods of microbiology are based on working with pure cultures, as well as using the latest achievements of technology (optical, electronic, laser, and so on). Here are the main ones.

1. Use of microscopic technical means. As a rule, only light microscopes do not give a full result, therefore also luminescent, laser and electronic are used.
2. Crops of bacteria on special nutrient media for the excretion and cultivation of absolutely pure colonies of cultures.
3. Physiological and biochemical methods of analysis of the culture of microorganisms.
4. Molecular-biological methods of analysis.
5. Genetic methods of analysis. To date, it has become possible to trace the genealogical tree of virtually every open group of microorganisms. This was made possible by the works of Karl Veze, who was able to decipher the portion of the genome of the colony of bacteria. With this discovery, it became possible to construct a phylogenetic system of prokaryotes.

The totality of the listed methods allows obtaining full and detailed information about any of the newly discovered or already discovered microorganisms and finding them the correct application.

The stages of microbiology, which she passed in her development as a science, did not always include such a generous and precise set of methods. However, it is noteworthy that the most effective at any time is the experimental method, it was he who served as the basis for the accumulation of knowledge and skills in working with the microworld.

Microbiology in medicine

One of the most important and important areas of microbiology for human health is medical microbiology. The subject of her study were viruses and pathogenic bacteria that cause severe diseases. Therefore, before microbiologists, the task is to identify the pathogenic organism, to cultivate its clean line, to study the characteristics of life and the reasons for which harm to the human body, and to find a means to eliminate this action.

After the pure culture of the pathogenic organism is obtained, it is necessary to carry out a thorough molecular-biological analysis. On the basis of the results, a test of the resistance of organisms to antibiotics, identify ways of spreading the disease and choose the most effective method of treatment against this microorganism.

It was medical microbiology, including veterinary medicine, that helped solve a number of topical problems of mankind: vaccines against anthrax, rabies, erysipelas, sheep pox, anaerobic infections, tularemia and paratyphoid were created, it became possible to get rid of plague and parapneumonia and so on.

Nutritional microbiology

The basics of microbiology, sanitation and hygiene are closely interrelated and generally unified. After all, pathogenic organisms can spread much faster and in a larger volume, when the conditions of sanitation and hygiene leave much to be desired. And first of all it is reflected in the food industry, with mass production of food products.

Modern data on the morphology and physiology of microorganisms, the biochemical processes caused by them, as well as the influence of environmental factors on the microflora, which develops in food products during transportation, storage, sale and processing of raw materials, avoid many problems. The role of microorganisms in the process of forming and changing the quality of food products and the emergence of a number of diseases caused by pathogenic and opportunistic species is very significant, and therefore the task of food microbiology, sanitation and hygiene is to reveal this role and turn it for the benefit of man.

Also, food microbiology cultivates bacteria that can convert proteins from oil, uses microorganisms to decompose foods, and process many food products. The processes of fermentation on the basis of lactic acidic and oil-acid bacteria give the mankind many necessary products.

Virology

A completely separate and very large group of microorganisms, which today is the least explored, are viruses. Microbiology and virology are two closely interrelated categories of microbiological science that study pathogenic bacteria and viruses that can cause serious damage to the health of living organisms.

Virology is very extensive and complex, so it deserves a separate study.