Bacteriology
Bacteriology is the study of living microorganisms which may be unicellular or in cell clusters, and which are prokaryotes, or have no nucleus. It is probable that no more than 1% of all bacteria have been identified.
Anton van Leeuwenhoek first discovered bacteria with a single-lens microscope in 1676, and noted microscopic sticklike shapes. Later, Ferdinand Cohn identified some of the first photosynthetic bacteria and proposed a taxonomy for this microorganism. Later, Louis Pasteur developed processes to kill bacteria and other microorganisms in food, as well as vaccines against diseases like rabies.
Though it has often been perceived as a science focusing only on the study of disease, bacteriology has a wide variety of applications:
- Elimination of bacteria-borne disease
- Use of nitrogen-fixing bacteria in agriculture
- Industrial use of bacteria, such as in fermentation or oil spill cleanup
- Bacterial use as a genetic vector when studying gene therapy
- Production of antibiotics and other medicines
The most exciting application currently is the genetic vector. Without using bacteria to splice and reproduce genes needed in cloning and gene therapy, work in the field of genetics would be far behind its current status.
Web Resources On Bacteriology
Journal of Bacteriology
Textbook of Bacteriology
Book Resources On BacteriologyColor Atlas of Medical Bacteriology by Marie T. Pezzlo et. al.
Methods for General and Molecular Bacteriology by Philipp Gerhardt et al.
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