An Introduction to Medical Microbiology 

   Microbiology was established in 1674 when for the first time Antoni van Leeuwenhoek could see the world of very tiny creatures in one drop of lake water under his glass lens. When scientists found these living creatures that could not be seen by the naked eye, they called them microbes. These Microorganisms include bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites. Microbiology is the study of microorganisms. There are three main branches in microbiology, namely medical (clinical), industrial and environmental microbiology. The discovery of antibiotics was one of the most important eras in microbiology history, which started in 1928 with Professor Alexander Fleming's discovery.

   Medical microbiology consists of two parts, medicine and microbiology, dealing with the study of microorganisms that cause infectious diseases in human beings. It includes the study of epidemiology, prevention, pathology and the treatment of infectious agents. A medical microbiologist should be experienced enough in these fields to help the patients with infectious diseases to be treated efficiently based on reliable and proper lab tests for the recognition of the pathogenic organism. Over the last several years there have been very impressive improvements in the fields of controlling and preventing some of the most important infectious diseases through antibiotics and vaccines. The discovery of antibiotic-producing organisms was one of the most important in microbiological history by Professor Alexander Fleming in 1928. We should also thank microbiologist for their efforts in controlling and in some instants eradicating deadly and debilitating diseases such as mumps, chicken pox, small pox, measles, polio and tuberculosis. However, this science can also act as a double-edged sword. Unfortunately, bioterrorism is one of the fields in which microbiology has been misused to kill people in war.