Medical microbiology
The academic qualification as a clinical/Medical Microbiologist in a hospital or medical research centre generally requires a Bachelors degree while in some countries a Masters in Microbiology along with Ph.D. in any of the life-sciences (Biochem, Micro, Biotech, Genetics, etc.).
[1] Medical microbiologists often serve as consultants for physicians, providing identification of pathogens and suggesting treatment options.
Epidemiology, the study of the patterns, causes, and effects of health and disease conditions in populations, is an important part of medical microbiology, although the clinical aspect of the field primarily focuses on the presence and growth of microbial infections in individuals, their effects on the human body, and the methods of treating those infections.
By sterilizing the instruments with diluted carbolic acid and using it to clean wounds, post-operative infections were reduced, making surgery safer for patients.
In 1884 Hans Christian Gram developed the method of staining bacteria to make them more visible and differentiated under a microscope.
[8] In 1910 Paul Ehrlich tested multiple combinations of arsenic based chemicals on infected rabbits with syphilis.
[10] In 1939 Gerhard Domagk found Prontosil red protected mice from pathogenic streptococci and staphylococci without toxicity.
Some of these include synthetic insulin which was produced in 1979 using recombinant DNA and the first genetically engineered vaccine was created in 1986 for hepatitis B.
[13] In 2007, a team at the Danish food company Danisco, were able to identify the purpose of the CRIPR-Cas systems as adaptive immunity to phages.
The system was then quickly found to be able to help in genome editing through its ability to generate double strand breaks.
[33] Identification of an infectious agent for a minor illness can be as simple as clinical presentation; such as gastrointestinal disease and skin infections.
In order to make an educated estimate as to which microbe could be causing the disease, epidemiological factors need to be considered; such as the patient's likelihood of exposure to the suspected organism and the presence and prevalence of a microbial strain in a community.
Diagnosis of infectious disease is nearly always initiated by consulting the patient's medical history and conducting a physical examination.
Tissue or fluid samples are tested for the presence of a specific pathogen, which is determined by growth in a selective or differential medium.
The 3 main types of media used for testing are:[34] Culture techniques will often use a microscopic examination to help in the identification of the microbe.
This can be performed immediately after the sample is taken from the patient and is used in conjunction with biochemical staining techniques, allowing for resolution of cellular features.
Acids, alcohols and gases are usually detected in these tests when bacteria are grown in selective liquid or solid media, as mentioned above.
These machines perform multiple biochemical tests simultaneously, using cards with several wells containing different dehydrated chemicals.
Serological methods are highly sensitive, specific and often extremely rapid laboratory tests used to identify different types of microorganisms.
The antigen (usually a protein or carbohydrate made by an infectious agent) is bound by the antibody, allowing this type of test to be used for organisms other than bacteria.
[34] Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays are the most commonly used molecular technique to detect and study microbes.
For instance, traditional PCR techniques require the use of gel electrophoresis to visualize amplified DNA molecules after the reaction has finished.
[38] Another advantage of using PCR to detect and study microbes is that the DNA sequences of newly discovered infectious microbes or strains can be compared to those already listed in databases, which in turn helps to increase understanding of which organism is causing the infectious disease and thus what possible methods of treatment could be used.
Once an infection has been diagnosed and identified, suitable treatment options must be assessed by the physician and consulting medical microbiologists.
