ABSTRACT
Microbial ecology is the study of the relationships of microbes one to another, microbes to more complex organisms including ourselves, and microbes to the environment. Sergei Winogradsky was a Russian microbiologist, ecologist, and soil scientist. He was one of the first to study microbes outside the context of medicine and pathogenesis. Drainage of water from abandoned coal and metal mines is a problem in many areas of the world. Rain falling on the piles supplies the moisture needed for the microbes to oxidize the pyrite. The oral cavity is colonized by microbes from the surrounding environment within hours of birth. Many of these microbes are washed from the mouth into the stomach. The human intestine is a quite amazing place. Immediately following birth, a baby begins to develop its own culture of intestinal microbes. Some intestinal microbes make immune-calming molecules that help reduce inflammation of the bowels characteristic of diseases like colitis.
