Bacteriology: Types, History, Colleges, Scope

The field of bacteriology is expansive that piques the curiosity of many students. It is a sub-discipline under microbiology. The field of bacteriology has been popularised since the invention of Louis Pasteur’s discovery of the process of pasteurization in the field of food bacteriology that kills the harmful bacteria in food and allows us to have our favorite food items including jams, yogurts, cheese, dips, and juice. The understanding of good and bad bacteria allows us to delve into various fields of human activities including food, health, and nature, and make better use of them. 

What is Bacteriology?

Bacteriology is a branch of biology under microbiology that deals with studying bacteria and their morphological, ecological, biochemical and genetic aspects and many others including their relations to medicine. This division of microbiology is concerned with the identification, classification, and characterization of bacteria and bacterial species. 

Why Study Bacteriology? 

The following are the top reasons to study bacteriology:

• The field of bacteriology is quite expansive and involves studying good bacteria and 
• life-threatening bacteria. Ground-breaking research on them could be life-changing for us
• Post Covid-19, the interest of medical experts in the field of microbiology and its extensions has increased 
• It provides various fields of applications including genetics, biotechnology, agriculture, water pollution, marine biology, etc
• Tools of bacteriology are highly useful for geneticists, doctors, epidemiologists, farmers and forensic scientists

Also Read: Career in Biochemistry 

Key Concepts of Bacteriology

The following are the key concepts of bacteriology:

• The discovery of the fact that bacteria cause disease was one of the most eventful discoveries in the history of human civilization
• Bacteria are known to show physiological diversity 
• Bacteriology is the study of bacteria. It is concerned with the identification, classification, and characterisation of bacteria and bacterial species
• Bacteria have no defined membrane-bound nucleus and no special intracellular membrane-bound organelle 

Types of Bacteria Classification

There are millions of bacteria and different scientists have different ways of classifying them. The scientist observes test and then categorize them into a logical relationship. There are three main types of bacterial classification:

• Phenotypic Classification – It is more of a physical characterization classification based on the shape, size and staining characteristics
• Genotypic Classification  – This characterization is based on the precise method of classification that uses bacterial DNA to determine the family type and species of the bacteria
• Analytic – This process includes cell wall fatty-acid analysis, whole cell lipid analysis, whole cell protein analysis via mass spectroscopy and the presence of cellular enzymes via multilocus enzyme electrophoresis

Also Read: Genetic Engineering 

Top Universities 

The following are the top universities to pursue bacteriology:

Universities	QS World Ranking 2023
University of California, San Diego	53
University of Oxford	4
University of Hong Kong	21
Utrecht University	112
University of California, San Francisco
Cornell University	20
Stanford University	3
University of Washington, Seattle	80
Harvard University	5
Massachusetts Institute of Technology	1

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Eligibility Criteria 

The following are the criteria, a candidate must meet to pursue bacteriology:

• The candidate must have completed their 10+2 level of education from a recognised board with a minimum of 60%
• Some universities may require you to take an entrance test, to get admission into their institution
• The candidate may be asked to submit their English language proficiency test score like IELTS, TOEFL

Also Read: Molecular Biology Courses 

Career Scope 

The field is becoming popular among medical enthusiasts and many students are pursuing the field due to its wide career scope and offer many opportunities for personal and professional growth. The following are the popular job profile in the field of bacteriology:

Job Profile	Avg Salary
Medical Bacteriologist	2.3 Lakh
Food Bacteriologist	2.7 Lakh
Water Bacteriologist	2.0 Lakh
Clinical Research Coordinators	2.4 Lakh
Natural Science Managers	20.54 Lakh
Medical Scientists	14.75 Lakh
Molecular Biologist	3.0 Lakh

FAQs 

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