ABSTRACT
Microbes or microscopic living organism can serve as both boon and bane to humankind. Microorganisms whether single-celled or multicellular can either be pathogenic or non-pathogenic. Pathogenic microbes can invade the body and cause infection, while certain species of nonpathogenic 474microbes even constitute the microbiota of human digestive system. They participate in potent health-promoting activities such as synthesis of vital components (vitamins) required by the body. They also create a barrier in the prevention of infections caused by pathogenic microbes.
A possible co-relationship can be established between microbiology and nanotechnologies; the microbial systems are nano-machineries and nanotechnology deals with the particles of nano-metric dimensions. Nanotechnology involves creating and modifying nano-sized particles and exploiting their wide range of properties acquired for various applications right from material sciences to the health sector. The convergence of nanotechnology and microbiology has not only addressed various issues related to health care but also directs us to usher revolution in this regard.
Study of microbes and nanotechnology are correlative scientific fields. Use of microorganisms provides an eco-friendly technique for the synthesis of stable and well-defined nanoparticles (NPs) with desired specific properties. It is not only ecologically safe but also economical, stable and easily scalable. Apart from the use of microbes in NP synthesis, NPs are also used as an antimicrobial agent for various microbial systems such as bacteria, fungi and even viruses and, thus have been used for combating drug resistance. Microbial-engineered NPs have found to be useful for microbial sensing, in-vivo imaging, drug delivery, nano-peptide delivery and development of nano-biosensors for environmental pollutants. This chapter discusses various applications where nanotechnology and microbiology have coalesced to bring out the beauty of interdisciplinary sciences.
