Importance of microbiology

Hospitals Public Health

Health Care Nursing Homes Globalization

Schools / Vaccine / Drug

Daycare Development

Animal / Plant
Health Food Safety
Agriculture

Food Processing Food Spoilage

 Ecosystems

Bioremediation

Environment Water Quality

Air Quality
Environmental
Protection

Domestic
/ Barracks
Health & Safety
Travel Abroad
Military
Biodefense
 Sterility Testing

Quality Controls
Manufacturing

Biotechnology
The Importance of Microorganisms
• First living organisms on planet
• More numerous than any other kind of organisms
• Global ecosystem depends on their activities
• Found everywhere (ubiquitous) – ice capped mountains, bottom of
the ocean, Air, water and soil
• Inside us – normal flora – gastrointestinal, genitourinary, respiratory
tract, on the skin
• Source of nutrients, some carry out photosynthesis
ex. Algae are autotrophs. They use CO2 and water to make sugar.
• Soil microbes are involved in recycling chemical elements.
Breakdown cellulose and release CO2.
• Making food products (yogurt, cheese, bread). Yeast + flour > dough
• Bread making: Small ball of dough -----large ball of dough
• Therapeutic substances – genetic engineering is used to
force E. coli to make human insulin.
• Bioremediation – microbes are used to clean up chemical
pollutants (oil spills) in the environment.
• Insecticide – BT toxin is sprayed on plants.
• Sewage treatment – breakdown organic matter to produce
methane.

Harmful aspects;
• Tuberculosis, Cholera, Typhoid etc.,
• -Spoilage of food products
Milk ----- sour. Lactose --- acids.
Microbiology actually represents many fields of study

• Examples
– Medical microbiology is concerned with diseases of
humans and animals
– Immunology is concerned with how the immune system
protects a host from pathogens
– Microbial ecology is concerned with the relationship of
organisms with their environment
– Microbial genetics and molecular biology are concerned
with the understanding of how genetic information functions
and regulates the development of cells and organisms
RELEVANCE to Nursing
 RELEVANCE TO NURSING

•Microbiology is a subject which deals

with microbes and their related concepts
•Nurses are involved in controlling
infection in hospital, so nurses must know
about microbiology.
•To know about harmful and harmless
microorganisms to human being.
• Nurses apply the microbiology knowledge in health
care for diagnosis and sterilization methods and
cleanliness.
• Nurses use hot water or anti-septic as a measure to
sterilize the surgical knives, needles, scissors and other
metals instruments
• They also use alcohol to clean the wounds as they know
that alcohol destroys germs.
• Microbiology also gives knowledge to nurses on how to
handle a patient and his samples infected with
communicable diseases to free from microbes.
Hence they use hand gloves, face masks to prevent
being infected themselves.
• It also helps detect diseases like Tuberculosis
by simple skin test namely the Mantoux test.
• Also diagnostic tests like ELISA,
electrophoreis and radioimmuno assay also use
principles of microbiology for identification of
disease.
•Many patients admitted to the hospital are prescribed
with antibiotic as part of treatment. But not all of them
will be effective for the patients. Then to test
effectiveness, the patient’s sputum, fecal, urine or
blood samples are taken. This sample is examined for
the type of microbe and based on the identification, a
suitable antibiotic is prescribed.

•The nurse can also identify the blood groups of the

people by simple immune reactions. Identification of
blood group helps to infuse correct blood group in case
of emergency and avoid complications.
 The Future of Microbiology:
Challenges and opportunities for future microbiologists

• Infectious disease – Control and treatment

• New and improved industrial processes
• Microbial diversity and microbial ecology
• Easier to grow - Results can be obtained faster
• Easier to manipulate their environment and their DNA
• Most of the concepts and processes in biology are first
discovered in microbes
• Gave foundation that helped scientists to discover the
processes in other organisms including humans