Microbiology is the study of microorganisms, which are unicellular or cell-cluster microscopic organisms. This includes eukaryotes (with a nucleus) such as fungi and protists, and prokaryotes (without a nucleus) such as bacteria and viruses (though viruses are not strictly classed as living organisms).

Although much is now known in the field of microbiology, advances are being made regularly. In actual fact, the most common estimates suggest that we have studied only about 1% of all of the microbes in any given environment. Thus, despite the fact that over three hundred years have passed since the discovery of microbes, the field of microbiology is clearly in its infancy relative to other biological disciplines such as zoology, botany or even entomology.

History

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Bacteria were first observed by Anton van Leeuwenhoek in 1676 using a single-lens microscope of his own design. The name "bacterium" was introduced much later, by Ehrenberg in 1828, derived from the Greek word βακτηριον meaning "small stick". While Antony van Leeuwenhoek is often cited as the first microbiologist, the first recorded microbiological observation, that of the fruiting bodies of molds, was made earlier in 1665 by Robert Hooke.

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Annual Reviews: Annual Review of Microbiology: Table of Contents

A Case Study for Microbial Biodegradation: Anaerobic Bacterial Reductive Dechlorination of Polychlorinated Biphenyls-From Sediment to Defined Medium
announce@annualreviews.org (Donna L. Bedard) Tue, 29 Jan 2008 19:33:35 -0000
Annual Review of Microbiology Volume 62, 10/13/2008. The history of anaerobic microbial polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) dechlorination is traced over 20 years using a case study of PCB dechlorination in the Housatonic River (Massachusetts) as an example. The history progresses from the characterization of ...
Viral Subversion of Apoptotic Enzymes: Escape from Death Row
announce@annualreviews.org (Sonja M. Best) Tue, 29 Jan 2008 19:33:34 -0000
Annual Review of Microbiology Volume 62, 10/13/2008. To prolong cell viability and facilitate replication, viruses have evolved multiple mechanisms to inhibit the host apoptotic response. Cellular proteases such as caspases and serine proteases are instrumental in promoting apoptosis. Thus, these enzymes ...
Base J: Discovery, Biosynthesis, and Possible Functions
announce@annualreviews.org (Piet Borst et al) Tue, 29 Jan 2008 19:33:36 -0000
Annual Review of Microbiology Volume 62, 10/13/2008. In 1993, a new base, β-d-glucopyranosyloxymethyluracil (base J), was identified in the nuclear DNA of Trypanosoma brucei. Base J is the first hypermodified base found in eukaryotic DNA. It is present in all kinetoplastid flagellates analyzed and some ...

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

CDC Recommends Shingles Vaccine
People age 60 and older should be vaccinated against shingles, or herpes zoster, a condition often marked by debilitating chronic pain...
New CDC Study Finds Arthritis Can be a Barrier for Adults Seeking to Manage Diabetes through Physical Activity
More than half of adults with diagnosed diabetes also have arthritis, a painful condition that can be a barrier to physical activity—an important health strategy for managing diabetes...
Falls a Leading Cause of Injury-Related Emergency Department Visits for Infants Each Year, CDC Study Shows
Half of the estimated 328,500 infants 12 months of age or younger who were treated for injuries in hospital emergency departments each year from 2001 to 2004 were injured as a result of a fall, according to a study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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