- Since both the problems of small size and the methods of study and since unrelated microorganisms frequently occupy the same habitat and thus influence each other, it is convenient to study them within the same discipline, i.e., Microbiology. The science of microbiology is the study of microorganisms and their activities.
- It is concerned with the form, structure, metabolism, growth, reproduction and identification of microorganisms. It also includes the study of their distribution in nature, their relationship to each other and to other living organisms. For the most part, microbiology deals with microscopic organisms. Microbiologists are those who specialize to work with the microorganisms.
- They have been remarkably successful in exploiting the useful microorganisms and combating the harmful ones and have also successfully solved intricate problems of biochemistry and genetics using microorganisms as tool for their study.
- Microbiologists may specialize in the study of different groups of microorganisms. For example, Bacteriology is the study of bacteria often broadly designated as Microbiology; Mycology is the study of fungi; Phycology is the study of algae; Protozoology is the study of protozoa; and Virology is the study of viruses.
Although viruses are not cellular organisms, they are included under microbiology for two reasons:
(i) The techniques that are used to study viruses are very similar to those that are applied in the study of microorganisms; and
(ii) Viruses are causal agents of diseases, hence their diagnostic procedures and identification are also similar to employed in the clinical microbiological laboratory as well as the plant pathology laboratory. There may be further specialization in some aspects of above groups of microorganisms; for example, bacterial genetics, bacterial cytology, algal physiology, medical mycology, etc.
