Microbiology

The whole ecosystem depends on bacterial activities. The modern microbiology is a large discipline with different specialties.

Microbiology has a great impact on fields such as:

Medicine
Agriculture
Food Sciences
Ecology
Genetics
Biochemistry
Molecular Biology

Microbiologists

Microbiologists working in lab

There are many possible avenues of advancement for microbiologists.

Microbiologists are biological scientists who study about organisms that are generally so small and can only be seen with a microscope.

These microorganisms include bacteria, algae, yeasts, fungi, protozoa, viruses, and other microscopic forms of life.

Some of them are specialized in particular fields of microbiology, for instance –

Bacteriologists: mainly concentrate on bacteria.
Virologist: mainly study viruses.

They used to make cultures of microorganisms, to identify their characteristics, and then to observe their reactions to chemicals or other kinds of stimuli.

They also study how microorganisms develop and reproduce as well as their distribution in nature.

Scope & Career under microbiology

1 - Medical Microbiology

Medical microbiologists are involved in identifying the microorganisms causing the infectious disease.

They work on identifying the pathogens and assist the medical practitioners for prescribing the antibiotics in right dosages.

Medical microbiologists also study the ways in which the microorganisms cause the infection.

They also study the relationship between microorganisms and disease establishment.

2 - Immunology

Those who work on immune system related work are called immunologists.

An immunologist study the body's defensive responses to microorganisms. They learn how our immune system protects our body during the infection.

They suggest possible ways to increase our immunity.

It is one of the fastest growing areas in science.

3 - Microbial Ecology

The microbial interactions with living and non-living matters of the environmental habitats is referred to as microbial ecology.

Microbial ecologists study the contributions of microorganisms to the cycling of various nutrients or elements.

They are mainly employed in reducing the pollution of the environment which is the burning issue in all metro cities or in other hand we can say they work on employing microorganisms in bioremediation to reduce pollution effects.

4 - Food & Dairy Microbiology

Some of our foods are actually the by-products of microbial growth. For instance, we get:

Cheese - is produced by the growth of microorganisms such as –

Leuconostoc citrovorum
Streptoccocus lactis

Yoghurts - result from the growth of bacteria (in milk) such as –

Lactobacillus bulgaricus
Streptococcus thermophillus

The leavening of bread is accomplished by –

Saccharomyces cerevisiae (Baker's yeast).

Main work of microbiologists in the food industry is to prevent contamination during processing and the transmission of food borne diseases.

They are currently employed in all food and dairy processing industries.

They are also employed in Mineral water companies to check the quality of water.

5 - Agricultural Microbiology

It is concerned with the impact of microorganisms on agriculture. Most bacteria and fungi live saprophytically on dead and organic matter of the soil.

They decompose the complex organic matter into simpler form making it available for the soil microorganisms. Thus they form an important constituent of soil called humus.

Certain microbes increase the fertility of the soil by converting the atmospheric nitrogen into –

Ammonia
Nitrites
& Nitrates.

This is brought about by the microbial species such as –

Nitrosomonas
Nitrobacter
Rhizobium

Agricultural microbiologists try to combat plant diseases that attack commercial food crops and they also work on methods to increase soil fertility and crop yields.

5 - Industrial Microbiology

Microorganisms are used to make products such as –

Antibiotics
Vaccines
Steroids
Alcohols
Vitamins
Amino acids
& Enzymes.

Some important drugs are synthesized by microorganisms such as –

Streptomycin
Penicillin
Chloramphenicol
Tetracycline.

Industrial microbiologists work on improving the strains that produce the industrially important products and thereby increase the yield.

The Research and Development (R&D) units in the industries provide various job opportunities to microbiologists.

6 - Directors of Research Units and Universities

Many microbiologists work for universities, where they teach and do research.

Microbiologists can become directors of research in medical centres, private firms, or government agencies.

Those who hold a teaching & research position in a university can advance to the rank of full professor.

They can also make signi9ficant discoveries in their research and gain the recognition of other microbiologists. Many scientists consider this to be the highest form of advancement.

7 - Microbial Genetics & Molecular Biology

The use of micro organisms has been very helpful in understanding the functions of the genes.

Microbial geneticists play an important role in applied microbiology by producing new microbial strains that are more efficient in synthesizing useful products.

Genetic techniques are used to test substances for their ability to cause cancer.

Microbiologists are in greater demand in genetic engineering companies and research units.

8 - Biomining

Metals like uranium from rocks are extracted by the use of microbes.

For instance, Thiobacillus ferrooxidans unlocks energy from inorganic compounds like iron sulphide. During the process, it produces sulphuric acid and iron sulphate.

The use of microorganisms in mining has considerably reduced the cost of mining to 75%.

Microbiologists involved in Biomining research are highly paid in the Government sector.

9 - Medical Coding

It is the transformation of healthcare diagnosis, procedures, medical services and equipment into universal medical alphanumeric codes.

The diagnoses and procedure codes are taken from medical record documentation, such as transcription of physician's notes, laboratory and radiologic results.

Medical coding jobs are assigned to Life Science, Paramedical and Medical Graduates and Post Graduates.

10 - Editor in Scientific Journals

Editing peoof reading in scientific journals, had to handle manuscripts on topics ranging from Zoology, Biology, Plants and Animal sciences are few assignments that could be accomplished by microbiologists.

They review the research articles that are to be published in reputed National and International Journals.

They are mostly employed as Editors and Associate Editors in Scientific Publishing Companies.

11 - Pharma Companies

In pharmaceutical company, they are basically the member of quality department.

Their role is to ensure the quality of raw materials before they are processed in the production area, monitor the microbiological quality of environment and water and also to validate the test methods used in testing the finished products from microbiological perspective.

Eligibility Criteria for Undergraduate level courses in Microbiology

In order to apply for under graduate level courses in Microbiology, candidates should complete 12th class.

It is compulsory to opt Physics, Chemistry and Biology subjects in 12th class to join for Microbiology courses.

Candidates need to score good percentage of marks in 12th class as the selection process for UG level courses in this stream is based on the marks scored.

There are certain top universities which conduct selection through entrance examination.

Agricultural Microbiology
Food Microbiology
Medical Microbiology
Pharmaceutical Microbiology
Microbial Genetics
Environmental Microbiology
Aero Microbiology
Microbial Physiology

Candidates can choose any of the specialization streams in order to choose courses related to microbiology.

Universities offering Courses in Microbiology

Indian Institute of Technology (IIT)
Banaras Hindu University (BHU)
Aligarh Muslim University (AMU)
University of Mumbai (MU)
Vinayaka Mission University (VMU)
Mahatma Gandhi University
Indian Institute of Science
Amity University
Kurukshetra University

Job Prospects

Candidates having courses related to Microbiology can have good scope for jobs in different sectors.

For instance, they can have jobs in private sectors, mainly in pharmaceutical companies and research firms.

They can have roles like:

Medical Microbiologists
Agricultural Microbiologists
Marine Microbiologists.

Candidates can join for teaching jobs as well.

They can also get jobs in public sectors after completing Undergraduate or Postgraduate level courses in Microbiology.

Job opportunities under these courses are generally occur in:

Government controlled development laboratories
Chemical industries
Hospitals
Food industry
Pharmaceutical companies.

Moreover, candidates can also try for jobs abroad.

Candidates having good experience in these fields can get higher salary packages in jobs.

Career Prospects after completion of B.Sc Microbiology

Candidates holding a B.Sc. Microbiology degree, can have opportunities of becoming a microbiologists.

Moreover, they can have wide range of employment opportunities.

They can find job placement in research labs and research organization in public sector and private sector, such that in pharmaceutical firms, chemical firms, etc.

Since there is many similarities between microbiology and biotechnology, thus we have options available for professionals in the field of biotechnology are applicable to the professionals in the field of microbiology as well.