1. INTRODUCTION TO ENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOLOGY
Lecture 1 PP

2. Assignment #1
Be prepared to discuss in class

3. Applied Microbiology
The exploitation of microorganisms, their activities, and their products for the benefit of society, e.g. wine making, beer making, vinegar, etc.

4. Environmental Microbiology
The study of microorganisms and their activities in the environment for the purpose of understanding their role in maintenance of the biosphere and their potential use in remediating sites that have been disturbed.

5. Microbial Ecology
Microbial Ecology is the study of interactions between populations of microorganisms and between microbial populations and organisms in other tropic levels

6. Key events that led to the development of Environmental Microbiology as a scientific discipline
Rachael Carson published “Silent Spring” bringing to the public’s attention the poor condition of the environment
Emergence of new waterborne and foodborne pathogens that posed human health threats
New technologies emerged to study microbes in their natural environment rather than as pure cultures in the laboratory

7. Environmental Microbiology Hazardous Industrial waste/ microbiology
bioremediation
Industrial
microbiology
Soil
microbiology
Food safety
Aero-
microbiology
Environmental
Microbiology
Occupational
health/
Infection
control
Aquatic
microbiology
Water quality
Diagnostic
microbiology
Biotechnology

8. MICROORGANISMS IN THE ENVIRONMENT
They are ubiquitous – occur everywhere
In and on the body
Things we touch, use, eat and drink
Wet surfaces – biofilms
Plants
Deep subsurface
Extraterrestrial?

9. Microorganisms in the Environment
Viruses – animal & plant pathogens, bacteriophages
Prior to the advent of antibiotics, bacteriophage were being studied as antibacterial agents. Is this concept still applicable today?
Bacteria – pathogens & commensals; many are saprophytic, some chemolithotrophic, some photosynthetic

10. Microorganisms in the Environment
Archaea
Algae – primary producers, some pathogens
Fungi – from microscopic to macroscopic
Protozoa – parasites & saprophytes

11. Environmental Monitoring
Challenge:Define microbial community structure and function under in-situ conditions
Isolating microorganisms from their natural state and studying them in an artificial lab environment is no longer necessary. Why?
Isolation of one population from another consorting population may be impossible...

12. Monitoring approaches
Molecular methods... Are they the gold standard?
No one approach is free of bias
Best strategy is to use several independent approaches and compare results

13. Modern Environmental Microbiology
Discovery and identification of new microbes, microbial activities, and microbial products that protect environment
Use microbial products as pesticides to replace chemical pesticides with long resident time in environment. Example of such a product?
Microbially enhanced oil recovery. Example of a product?
Microbially enhanced mineral recovery. Example?
Bioremediation