Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases

Microbial biochemistry comprises of biochemical reactions in microbial growth, various modes and mechanisms/ processes of pathogenesis required in causing infection/ diseases in the host. It involves the study of microbial growth, microbial cell structure, microbial metabolism, primary and advanced functions and the interactions of biological macromolecules, like carbohydrates, proteins, Fatty Acids and Lipids and nucleic acids; which cater the skeletal aspect and basis of functions affiliated with life. Biochemical study of microbes is crucial in the processes of their action. Post genomic analyses, maintenance of mechanisms, & functional replication, integrating plasmid functions, conjugation systems and regulatory network are the key factors that play a vital role in metabolism of microbes. When monomers are co-linked to synthesize a polymer, dehydration occurs often resulting in assembly of different macromolecules in much larger complexes.

Antimicrobial resistance-Antimicrobial resistance occurs when microorganisms such as bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites change in ways that render the medications used to cure the infections they cause ineffective. When the microorganisms become resistant to most antimicrobials they are often referred to as “superbugs”. This is a major concern because a resistant infection may kill, can spread to others, and imposes huge costs to individuals and society .Consequences of antimicrobial resistance-The disease consequences of resistance should be assessed according to the morbidity and mortality rate due to antibiotic resistant organisms. It can be assumed that resistant microorganisms lead to an increase in morbidity and mortality since resistance increases the risk of inappropriate therapy. There is an increased risk that patients who do not receive appropriate treatment will have a longer course of disease or a fatal outcome; moreover, as these patients remain infectious for a longer period, morbidity and transmission of the microorganism are increased. Such increased morbidity was documented in outbreaks of diseases such as shigellosis, typhoid fever, and pneumococcal infections.

Molecular microbiology is a has increased its expansion in the area of science. The application of molecular biology has turned up the microbial world in many remarkable ways. Molecular biology has transformed the study of microorganisms and improved the composition, phylogeny, and physiology of microbial communities. The current molecular microbiology includes a range of many technologies and new methods for the study of proteins extracted from environmental samples.

Immunology targets on the human body’s built-in defence system. In a healthy person, the immune system helps the body attack infection by killing foreign viruses and bacteria. Immunology are in charge of coordinating demonstrative immunology benefits and play out an extensive variety of obligations including clinical contact, elucidation and approval of results, quality confirmation and test improvement.

Infection control is the discipline concerned with preventing nosocomial or healthcare-associated infection, a practical (rather than academic) sub-discipline of epidemiology. It is an essential, though often under recognized and under supported, part of the infrastructure of health care. Infection control and hospital epidemiology are akin to public health practice, practiced within the confines of a particular health-care delivery system rather than directed at society as a whole. Anti-infective agents include antibiotics, antibacterial, antifungals, antivirals and antiprotozoal.

Antimicrobial chemotherapy is the clinical application of antimicrobial agents to treat infectious disease. Antimicrobial chemotherapy involves the administration of drugs with selective toxicity against pathogens involved in infections, not host cells. Antibiotics, which are agents used to combat bacteria, are among the most common antimicrobials. An antimicrobial is an agent that kills microorganisms or stops their growth. Antimicrobial medicines can be grouped according to the microorganisms they act primarily against. For example, antibiotics are used against bacteria, and antifungals are used against fungi.

Microbial pathogens includes microorganism, viruses, fungi, and parasites and along account for a major proportion of acute and chronic human diseases. Microbial pathogenesis is a worldwide concern affecting millions of people around the world. These epidemics have caused thousands of deaths in the past. Microbial pathogenesis is a fascinating and complex phenomenon, with the pathogens utilizing a variety of virulence factors that all contribute to their pathogenic profile