Medically indispensable  

Microorganisms have a bad reputation. People think they’re bad for our health. When they think of microorganisms, many people think first about fungal infections, cavities, and illnesses like flu, or worse: AIDS and Ebola. But the number of harmful types doesn’t even come close to the number of harmless ones, or the ones that actually support our health.  

Thanks to microorganisms, we have antibiotics and vaccines, which have allowed us to make great progress. And once again, the medical world is on the brink of a revolution, accelerated by microorganisms. 

Observing bacteria in a Petri dish 

Students should examine cultures in containers, which have been taped and closed. Colony morphology is a method that scientists use to describe the characteristics of an individual colony of bacteria growing on agar in a Petri dish. It can be used to help to identify them. 

Microbes in production  

Mechanising our production processes has helped us make great progress, but has also caused environmental pollution. However, we are on the threshold of hopeful developments towards more sustainable processes, in part due to the use of microorganisms. Consider the stonewashing of denim jeans through the use of enzymes from fungi. Or, the production of biofuel from algae, ‘green gold’. 

Media Contact:  

Liza Parker 
Journal Manager  
Microbiology: Current Research 
Email: aamcr@microbialjournals.com