What can we learn with microbiology?
Branches of microbiology
The branches of microbiology can be classified into pure and applied sciences. Microbiology can be also classified based on taxonomy, in the cases of bacteriology, mycology, protozoology, and phycology. There is considerable overlap between the specific branches of microbiology with each other and with other disciplines, and certain aspects of these branches can extend beyond the traditional scope of microbiology
In general the field of microbiology can be divided in the more fundamental branch (pure microbiology) and the applied microbiology (biotechnology). In the more fundamental field the organisms are studied as the subject itself on a deeper (theoretical) level.
Applied microbiology refers to the fields where the micro-organisms are applied in certain processes such as brewing or fermentation. The organisms itself are often not studied as such, but applied to sustain certain processes.
Pharmacomicrobiomics
Efforts to understand the interaction between specific xenobiotics and the microbiome have traditionally involved the use of "in vivo" as well as "in vitro" models. Recently, next generation sequencing of genomic DNA obtained from a community of microbes has been used to identify organisms within microbial communities, allowing for accurate profiles of the composition of microbes within an environment. Initiatives such as the Human Microbiome Project (HMP) have aimed to characterize the microbial composition of the oral, gut, vaginal, skin and nasal environments. This and other microbiome characterization projects have accelerated the study of pharmacomicrobiomics. An extensive understanding of the microbiome in the human body can lead to the development of novel therapeutics and personalized drug treatments that are not potentiated or activated by processes carried out by the microbiome.