Term
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Definition
| This branch studies the complex web of protective substances and reactions caused by invading microbes and other harmful entities. It includes such diverse areas as blood testing, vaccination, and allergy. |
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Term
| Public Health Microbiology and Epidemiology |
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Definition
| These branches monitor and control the spread of diseases in communities. Some of the instittutions charged with this task are the U.S. Publich Health Service (USPHS) and the Centers for disease Control and Prevention (CDC). |
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Term
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Definition
| This branch is defined by any process that harnesses the actions of living things to arrive at a desired product, ranging from beer to stem cells. It includes industrial microbiology, which uses microbes to produce and harvest large quantites of such substances as vaccines, vitamins, drugs, and enzymes. |
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Term
| Genetic Engineering and Recombinant DNA Technology |
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Definition
| These interrelated fields involve deliberate alterations of the genetic makeup of organisms to create novel microbes, plants, and animals with unique behavior and physiology. |
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Term
| Food Microbiology, Dairy Microbiology, and Aquatic Microbiology |
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Definition
These branches examine the ecological and practical roles of microbes in food and water.
- Food microbiologists are concerned with the effects of microbes, including such areas as food spoilage, bood-borne diseases, and production.
-Aquatic microbiologists explore the ecology of natural waters as well as the impact of microbes on water purity and treatment. |
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Term
| Agricultural Microbiology |
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Definition
This branch is concerned with the relationshops between microbes and domesticated plants and animals.
-Plant specialists focus on plant diseases, soil fertility, and nutritional interactions.
-Animal specialists work with infectious deseases and other associations animals have with microorganisms. |
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