WHY I LIKE MEDICAL MICROBIOLOGY? Dr.T.V.

Rao MD
I was a post graduate student in 1980s switching from General practice to join a MD in Microbiology, it was a difficult task to adjust to laboratory work, it were good days at Andhra Medical College, Visakhapatnam many senior teachers were involved in reporting the culture reports, un like today the work culture has changed so much with the privatization of Medical colleges, and many conflicts among the teachers in public run institutes. Many seniors teachers are just part of the system in diagnostic work. Soon I realised Microbes influence all living things and contribute to all manner of chemical and physical processes. Because these activities are so diverse, gg34aZ specializing in many different fields of life science, environmental science as we process the many environmental specimen in the safety of Operation theatres. My understanding made me to realise, Microbiology arose, and continues to profit from, several previously independent scientific and medical disciplines, including bacteriology, virology, public health science, clinical microbiology, immunology, parasitology, vaccinology, and a host of other areas of inquiry. Today many matters are left to the postgraduate students without guidance from seniors, My guide Dr B Raja Rao, a very committed Microbiologist told me to read the diagnostic microbiology by Bailey and Scot and you will be ever green to the needs of the patients, he was kind enough to allot me topic on Bacterial isolation of Enteric pathogens, soon I realised that faecal specimens are complex with all known pathogens present in the stools, one day I really got confused with the isolates, and told to our Madam that I am thinking whether I adjust to the basic sciences, she told me coolly that the art of Bacteriology lies in identifying the pathogen from commensals never forget the MD degree worth when you can separate pathogens, and identify and to do a Anti bio gram it is all expected from the post graduates, and it was a great lesson for me and started doing many other specimens along with technicians, the almighty favours the dedicated minds and had an opportunity to do my part of thesis work at NICED ICMR Calcutta, it was all amazing experience that I learnt, we all think as Doctors with MBBS in our laboratories and realise that I should shed I am a treating Physician and changed my mind I am a investigating scientist I could spend much time in learning many techniques which I would not have learnt from many MDs in Medical colleges, as research organizations dedicate for the quality work and few short cuts, Most often if you work with someone who is fantastic at it, you will be too. once again back to my parent teaching institute my association with my class mate Late Dr Meera who was most dedicated person to the work, made me to learn many things with her coordination, many times we were competing on academic matters. Soon I realised more than any other biological science, microbiology has the potential to be thoroughly engrossing, challenging, and rewarding. It is inherently very cool. And really, you must be clever to get anything out of it. I suppose that's what I really appreciate most; that the smarter you get, the more you will get to know. Be prepared to have very few books but choose the best only from many great International authors most of the Indian books can help just undergraduate teaching and not more than it, and a whole a lot of articles even from the Internet, today we are lucky so much occasion of knowledge available with the click of a mouse on Internet, read few hours on a rare microbes your will good at many matters in recent advances, You are at the boundaries of science, be prepared to have to work really hard in the beginning and then not so hard as the years goes on. Again, the more you know, the easier it will be to know more. It's kind of cool in that way. I find today many are turning towards the Internet for many things as teachers with competency are reducing however there is no greater book than a competent teacher, I have seen many teachers

with lack of hands on experience are becoming preachers of microbiology rather than practitioners of Diagnostic Microbiology. In few decades in Microbiology I realised microorganisms are everywhere and it feels very good to learn about them. Food, medicines and even computers are making use of them. Just try and look for things around you which are related to microorganisms and I am sure you will find in numerous things. After 30 years of my practise in Diagnostic microbiology matters have changed so much the Microbes are no more innocent and ignorant as in the past they are well versed how to fight back the human achievements, they too are good in Molecular biology as we progress with RT-probe assays, line probe assays. I do worry that the old problem may be resurfacing in a new guise. The allure of the fascinating mechanisms of pathogenesis that have been uncovered is so strong that it may tempt one to teach as many of them as possible. This would be an incorrect idea, in my opinion, because it would merely replace a parade of facts with a parade of mechanisms. Instead, it seems more reasonable to deal with the grand unifying themes, such as the appropriation of host functions by pathogens, communication between infectious agents and hosts, or the role of the micro biome. Again, they would serve to construct an intellectual scaffold of their own, Our post graduate students should realise, how much more satisfying to have a framework for learning a lot of material rather than just having to memorize a bunch of isolated facts! . Many join today as a restful profession and arm chair Job. The work of all Microbiologists is constantly evolving as relatively as new, and emerging infections are surfacing such as campylobacter, helicobacter and legionella are recognised, while research and medical development always push diagnosis techniques forward. Often older diseases such as tuberculosis are occurring with new forms as MDR tuberculosis , and less commonly cholera and diphtheria are still being diagnosed in our laboratories, Try to teach some group of people who are practising the methods on prevention in Hospital infections, soon we are cared by many clinical practitioners and never feel let down you are a Non clinical professional , and the future belongs to clinical Microbiologists , think the ways to survive in spite of many limitation in the system we work ? I dedicate this article to my Leaned teachers, Professor B Raja Rao, Late Dr Saroja Venugopal. Late CSV Subramnayam, Dr Joga Lakshmi and Late DrMeera without whose training or association I could have been one among many, and perished in the sea of ignorance. Dr.T.V.Rao MD Professor of Microbiology Freelance writer