Microbiology & Me

Our passions are sometimes a mystery to us, lying beneath the surface and just waiting to be uncovered. For me that passion is microbiology, or in laymen terms – studying life which is too small to be seen with the naked eye. Everyone has heard of bacteria, or buzz words used frequently in media – like “E. coli” and “kills 99.9% of bacteria.” The truth is that microorganisms are everywhere!

They are found in every environment and are well adapted to surviving hostile conditions. Each of us harbours a cocktail of different bacteria, and it is even thought that this combination is unique for everyone. These germs are transferred to surfaces like door handles, shopping carts, physical money and just about anywhere people touch. The idea that this world exists unseen can be a frightening thought for some people, and when it is exposed to them it can induce panic. This fear exists because as a society we have been trained to fear “bugs and germs” for these things cause disease and so all of them must be bad for us.

Most fear however is bred from ignorance, by which is meant that a lack of understanding leads to mistrust and this in turn leads to an aversion, or confrontation to certain things. But microbiologists have worked hard over the years to understand this unseen world and shed light on the disease-causing bacteria. But this work has also shown us that not all bacteria are bad, in fact some are very helpful and play important roles in food preservation and general health. Perhaps the most importantly the antibiotics which are so crucial to our healthcare are isolated from microorganisms.

These scientists use a whole range of techniques to truly understand this microscopic life. The early methods used microscopes so that we could see what was previously unseen, and this technique is still employed today. Special media is also used to cultivate these organisms, by using selective nutrients and conditions that are favourable to specific bacteria of interest. More recently we have moved to using advanced techniques which look at these organisms at a molecular level and this allows us to differentiate between species far more easily.

Understanding the world that exists around us is truly awe inspiring. But for myself, I fell in love with microbiology after my first lesson with a microscope. I remember clearly using sticky tape to collect a sample of mould from bread, carefully sticking it to a microscope slide and looking down the eye piece to a whole new world. Before me was a landscape of crystalline structures and I had never seen anything else like it. It is experiences like this, which take place every year and inspire new microbiologists the world over.