What type of work?
Medical microbiology used to be a lab-based specialty but microbiologists now spend a lot of time on the wards, seeing patients and advising on the investigation and treatment of all types of infection.
Microbiologists give advice about the best sample to collect in order to diagnose an infection, e.g. a swab, blood test or urine test. They then work with scientists in the laboratory to discover what’s causing the infection. It might be a virus (e.g. influenza), a bacterium (e.g. MRSA) or a fungus (e.g. thrush). Once the organism causing the infection has been identified, the microbiologist gives advice about how to treat it.
One of the most important roles of the microbiologist is to ensure that antibiotics are prescribed and used appropriately. If antibiotics are prescribed for the wrong infection or over-used, they might not work when they’re really needed.
Another important role of microbiologists is infection control: stopping infections spreading from one patient to another.
What skills are needed?
Microbiologists need to be good communicators as they work with many different people. They also need to be patient, inquisitive and persistent as infections don’t always respond immediately to treatment and a second or third treatment is sometimes necessary.
Medical microbiologists are on the frontline in the battle against antibiotic resistance, whether it’s developing and testing new drugs or monitoring the spread of resistance to an infection. Microbiologists have the difficult task of tackling ‘superbugs’ and are at the forefront of research into new and serious infectious diseases.
Did you know? 70% of species of bacteria are yet to be discovered.
