An Analysis of a Selected Genus - Coursework Example

The Microbial Health Sciences and Medicine Introduction to Genus In microbiology, Genus is a taxonomic rank of a microorganism. It is used to give biological classification to certain microorganisms’ groups and their respective species (Rao, 1997). Most specifically, microorganisms such as the fossil organisms are classified by means of the biological Genus (Hogg, 2013). In the binomial rank system, Genus comes below the family and above species classification. It is in the second last position of the taxonomic hierarchy. The term Genus is pluralized in the term Genera which describes a certain group category of a microorganism (Hogg, 2013). Biologists use Genus for the purpose of biological research. In order to understand a certain group of microorganism species, Biologists make use of the Genus to find out the attributes and functions of that respective species (Rao, 1997). The Genus classification describes the properties and significance of a microorganism, which helps in the clinical and taxonomic research and adaptations. This is how the importance of Genus lies fundamentally in areas of medicine, health sciences and microbiology (Glazer & Nikaido, 2007). This paper is an analysis of a selected Genus, determining the significance and the usefulness of that Genus. The paper will discuss the properties of the selected Genus, its distinctions in microbiology and species of organisms that comes forward from this Genus. The objective of this report is to bring comprehensive understanding about the Genus, which can be useful for future research and studies in health sciences and medicine. The Selected Genus- Pseudomonas Background Pseudomonas is an aerobic, pathogenic, and gram-negative genus that comes from the family of Pseudomonadaceae. About 191 different species get classified from the Pseudomonas Genus. This Genus is found in various different niches such as in pristine waters, in habitats and some of its species are found in wild soiled lands (Cornelis, 2008). Due to metabolic diversity pseudomonas are able to occur on a wide range of organic compounds such as sugars, amino acids, animals of putrefaction and other contaminated organic compounds. The Pseudomonas Genera is highly pathogenic. It is pathogenic for animals, plants. insects and nematodes and so as for humans on whom it brings a lot of harmful and infectious diseases. Pseudomonas carry highly regulated virulence factors such as the bio films, for which it comes out as a Genus of contagion and infection (Ramos & Filloux, 2010, p.235). History The early history of microbiological science depicts that Pseudomonas is a rod shaped, a polar-flagella bacteria mostly found in aquatic green fields. Walter Migula a senior botanist from Germany gave the first definition of Pseudomonas in 1900. Migula described it as a Genus of rod shape with Gram-negativity attribute to be present in more than 100 specifies of the same type (Moore, 2011). Similarly, he described it as a Genus to survive in the aerobic environment, which refers to an environment of intense oxygenation. Moreover, the history describes Pseudomonas as a Genus of high motility function. As the Genus is a spontaneous and active mover is known to be as highly motile Genus. The rate of motility is higher in all most all of the Pseudomonas species. It is a common attribute found in almost every Pseudomonas species (Ramos & Filloux, 2010). The Pseudomonas Species Usefulness of the Pseudomonas Species From the scientific research made so far in the microbiology of the Pseudomonas Genus, there are four most important species derived of this Genus (Cornelis, 2008). These four species, which are most effectively studied by the microbiologists, include P. aeruginosa, P. syringae, P. putida, and P. fluorescens. The P. aeruginosa species comes out significant, as it is highly pathogenic to human life. The P. syringae and the P. putida species are famous for the plants’ pathogen and for the bacterium soil formation. The last but the most significant one is the P. fluorescens of Pseudomonas Genus, which is effective for plants’ rapid growth promotion (Priest & Goodfellow, 2000). This is how from humans to animals and from animals to plants’ life, these four species of the Pseudomonas Genus come out as the most important one. They are important for the medical researchers who are up on finding cures and remedies on dangerous contagions, and important for microbiologists who are always up on making a new discovery in the Pseudomonas Genus (Priest & Goodfellow, 2000). The Pseudomonas aeruginosa species of Pseudomonas exists in soil and water. These species survive mostly in hypoxic environments which are environments containing moderate oxygen and moderate temperature state. The species are a good decomposer of hydrocarbons and have been used in the past to dissolve major oil from oil spills (Frank, 2012). The Pseudomonas syringae is a bacteria species, which is highly pathogenic for plants. The species carries a polar flagella structure specifying it to be a precise bacterium. In regulated high temperatures, syringae comes out with a function of water freezing (Hogg, 2013). The P. syringae is used in the process of cloud condensation and for that reason the environmental experts call it a “biological ice nucleator species”. It is one of the Pseudomonas species that has been used to produce rain and snow, which make it to be a highly purposeful Pseudomonas species (Hogg, 2013). The Pseudomonas putida is a soil bacterium found mostly in the wild soiled locations. According to Ribosomal ribonucleic acid (rRNA) analysis, the putida is a rod shaped species of the Pseudomonas Genus (Moore, 2011). The species carries the attribute of Gram negativity with quality of diverse metabolism. Due to its diversity of dissolving, these species are effectively used to degrade the insoluble liquids such as toluene. Furthermore, the putida species have been applied on oil spills to degrade the major levels of oil, which cannot be possibly degraded by any other source of species. Similarly, the species has come out useful in the biocontrol techniques such as for fighting plant contagions of Pythium and Fusarium (Hogg, 2013). The P. fluorescens is a rod-shape species that exists in both water and soil niches. The species have diverse metabolism and is obligatory to aerobic environment. The optimum survival of this species is in between temperatures 29-30 degree Celsius (Ramos & Filloux, 2010). During cellular respiration, p. fluorescens uses nitrate as an electron receptor. The species is used for biocontrol purposes I.e. it provides protection to plants’ roots against the parasitic fungi, which is entirely dangerous for plants’ growth and production (Wong & Levi, 2011). Moreover, the p.fluorescens species of Pseudomonas is used to fight soil microbes, which are entirely pathogenic to obstruct plants’ growth and cultivation processes. The species also come out useful in preparing treatment medications as it holds the properties to produce medicines like Mupirocin which is an antibiotic to treating eyes, ears and skin disorders. All these properties of P. fluorescens make it a highly significant species of Pseudomonas Genus. Its existence is of utter value and importance in the fields of microbiology and medicine (Wong & Levi, 2011). Significance of the Pseudomonas The ability to survive The Pseudomonas Genus as discussed earlier is a very versatile Genus. It has a diverse metabolism and an extra capability to form biofilms in its structure, which gives it the ability to survive in a wide range of niches (Cornelis, 2008). Apart from soil lands and water fields, this Genus can exist in a wide range of unexpected places such as in the soap residue, in places where medicines are prepared, and in other damping regions where oxygen is present in sufficient amount (Ardura & Linde, 2013). The place with an environment of aerobes is the optimum niche of Pseudomonas Genus. It is actually the oxygenation environment that optimizes the survival of Pseudomonas. The Genus’s ability to survive is what makes it highly significant to microbiologists and researchers in medical sciences (Ardura & Linde, 2013). The Antibiotic Resistance By means of hardy cell walls, the Pseudomonas comes out significantly resistant to antibiotics. The Pseudomonas Genus slows even the intense reactions of antibiotics down. It is because Pseudomonas carries efflux pumps, which make them survive the multi-level antibiotics’ reaction (Priest & Goodfellow, 2000). Carrying the property of gram-nativity, Pseudomonas are significant resistors of penicillin but the resistance of the Genus gets lowered when extended beta-lactam antibiotics such as the piperacillin or ticarcillin are brought to reactions. As Pseudomonas carries porins which is a stabilizing molecular protein, the resistance to antibiotics is raised by. All these properties describe Pseudomonas as significant resistors of antibiotics (Glazer & Nikaido, 2007). Pathogenicity In hospital environments, pseudomonas comes out pathogenic to the patients’ population (Cornelis, 2008). The chance of infection to spread is greater in hospital environments than in normal aerobics environment, as Pathogenicity rate of the Genus is greater in hospitals and in treatment areas. Those are secretion systems that come in the range of pathogenic Pseudomonas. The most contagion is contained in species of P. plecoglossicida and P. aeruginosa which are clinically pathogenic for humans and animals’ population (Hogg, 2013). The Pseudomonas Genus more specifically the P. tolaasii species of its type brings Pathogenicity for large agricultural fields. This species come out as a major obstruction for agriculture cultivation process. The mushroom crops are most vulnerable to this species type (Cornelis, 2008). The Significant Use The first significant use of pseudomonas is in the biocontrol mechanism where majority of its species are applied as pest controllers and reducers (Cornelis, 2008). To prevent pathogens in crops and agriculture fields, most of the species of the Pseudomonas are applied and used. It is since from 1980s, the pseudomonas is utilized in the growth promotion of crops and agriculture. Properties of the P. fluorescens species are famous for this biocontrol application. The most notable property of the Pseudomonas is their antagonism against soil pathogens such as against the soil microbes, which protects the soil from getting futile or destroyed (Cornelis, 2008). The significant use of pseudomonas is also found in environmental planning and management. For protecting of the environment and for environmental control tactics, most of the pseudomonas species are brought into use and application (Priest & Goodfellow, 2000). Bioremediation strategies are popular in this manner, where different Pseudomonas species are applied to control the environment with its ecology (Priest & Goodfellow, 2000). P. alcaligenes species are good degraders of aromatic hydrocarbons which are highly regulated pollutants of atmosphere and environment. Similarly, the P. pseudoalcaligenes species of pseudomonas are good dissolvers of harmful cyanide, which is one of its major nitrogen sources. Adding to this there are species of pseudomonas that degrade toluene- an insoluble water liquid to retire water if contained for larger periods (Hogg, 2013). Pseudomonas is also brought in significant use of metabolic engineering, where most of its species are used to develop biopolymers, which are resourceful for industrial and commercial purposes (Narayanasamy, 2013, p.147). The Subjects Reported This report incorporates the microbiology of pseudomonas, which is one of the most discovered and researched microorganism in microbiology. It has detailed the comprehensive knowledge of the Pseudomonas Genus type by discussing its attributes, characteristics and properties as subjects to highlight its importance. The report has detailed that how significant and useful Pseudomonas is in the biological and commercial application, which could help the researchers of the future research studies. The reason for choosing all these subjects is that they provided the comprehensive understanding about the Pseudomonas Genus. The diversity of the microorganism has been detailed as a subject, which was the sole objective in this report to be achieved. The subjects discussed in the report will give a solid pathway to the future researchers. It will give them the basic foundation to conduct research on the Pseudomonas Genus. Conclusion Pseudomonas is an aerobic, a pathogenic genus that comes from the family of Pseudomonadaceae. The Genus exists in a wide range of niches such as in pristine waters, in habitats and mostly in soils. Due to metabolic diversity pseudomonas are able to occur on multiple organic compounds, carrying the pathogen for plants, animals and humans distinctively. It is a highly pathogenic species and also a significant resistor of antibiotics. The discoveries made so far in understanding and knowing the Pseudomonas, microbiologists call it as the most versatile Genus as it exists in more than 191 species described. Its importance is pertinent to areas of environmental control, pest control and bioremediation strategies. Conclusively, it is a Genus that is being majorly studied to come to its more useful benefits. List of References Ardura, A. & Linde, A.R., 2013. Genetic Detection of Pseudomonas spp. in Commercial Amazonian Fish. Internal Journal of Environmental Research Public Health, 10(9), p.3954–3966. Cornelis, P., 2008. Pseudomonas: Genomics and Molecular Biology. Norfolk: Horizon Scientific Press. Frank, D.W., 2012. Pseudomonas Aeruginosa, Biology, Genetics, and Host-pathogen Interactions. Frontiers E-books. Glazer, A.N. & Nikaido, H., 2007. Microbial Biotechnology: Fundamentals of Applied Microbiology. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Hogg, S., 2013. Essential Microbiology. London: John Wiley & Sons. Moore, N.M., 2011. Introduction: Pseudomonas aeruginosa. [Online] Viewed at: [Accessed 30 November 2013]. Narayanasamy, P., 2013. Biological Management of Diseases of Crops: Volume 2: Integration of Biological Control Strategies with Crop Disease Management Systems. London: Springer Science & Business. Priest, F.G. & Goodfellow, M., 2000. Applied Microbial Systematics. London: Springer. Ramos, J.-L. & Filloux, A., 2010. Pseudomonas: Volume 6: Molecular Microbiology, Infection and Biodiversity. London: Springer. Rao, A., 1997. Introduction to Microbiology. New Delhi: PHI Learning Pvt. Ltd. Wong, V. & Levi, K., 2011. Spread of Pseudomonas fluorescens Due to Contaminated Drinking Water in a Bone Marrow Transplant Unit[down-pointing small open triangle. Journal of Clinical Microbiology, 49(6), pp.2093-96. Read More