MD Microbiologists: Roles, Responsibilities & Future Perspectives

• 27 Apr, 2020

OnDecember 30, 2019, a cluster of patients with Pneumonia of unknown etiology was observed in Wuhan city, China, and reported to the WHO, China bureau in Beijing. On January 7, 2020, a new Coronavirus SARS CoV 2 was isolated from these patients.  The virus was initially referred to as the novel Corona Virus 2019 (2019 n CoV) by the WHO, later on, February 11, 2020, the official name was given by the International Committee on Taxonomy of Virus. Now the countdown begins and a great role to be played by all around the world by MICROBIOLOGISTS as Front line Warriors as infectious disease experts, virologists, clinical microbiologists, Molecular biology experts, and hospital infection control consultant as need of today.

This is an unprecedented time in our nation and world history as we respond and attempt to mitigate the spread of the pandemic, known as COVID -19. All microbiologists as laboratory professionals along with clinical doctors are in front lines battling against COVID -19. All epidemiologist experts, clinical disease experts, research industry, and health professionals along with microbiologists working as a team to control, treat, and prevent the spread of COVID -19 infection. Huge research work is going on to find the best diagnostic test as a point of care test to diagnose the COVID-19 infection, drugs, vaccines, and plasma therapy trials for immunity nowadays.

Role, Responsibility, and Scope as MD Microbiology  

Microbiologists are unsung Heroes in this effort as they are the backbone of any health facility / Hospital/health sectors as team members as providing/playing a Great role as in present Era-

1. As a Medical teacher in Medical College along with diagnostics to train, teach the young budding Microbiologist.
2. As a Consultant Microbiologist and infection control specialist at corporate Hospitals
3. As a Senior Residents
4. As a Researcher at ICMR affiliated institutions
5. As a Science writer where they do research, writing, editing of scientific articles and features for trade, business, and professional publications, specialist technical and scientific journals.
6. As a Quality Assurance Experts 
7. As Clinical microbiologist expert helps in surveillance, planning, implementation, and evaluation of public health practices and procedures in Hospitals.
8. Critical team member, the critical role to be played by microbiologist to fight against the pandemic
9. Infectious diseases experts 
10. As Virologist, Immunologists, Mycologists, Mycobacteriologists, Bacteriologist, Parasitologists Molecular biology experts 

Future perspectives- 

 As after the emergence of COVID -19 Pandemic all around the world, everyone thought 

This could be the hardest public health battle of recent times, but humanity is poised to eventually win. 

As microbiologist we have to hold the lamp as a great responsibility to enlighten the path of healthcare professionals, community to control and prevent the Corona infection spread as infectious disease experts, and infection control officers. To provide the correct, sustainable, powerful system by planning, implementing evaluating, and upgrading the diagnostic facility as a present need. At present only diagnostic tests to confirm COVID -19 is RT-PCR for RNA virus, although various trials for rapid antibody test kits are going on by ICMR. This pandemic has shown that in the present era so many new emerging pathogens are coming worldwide, need of more Microbiologists in the future to provide correct diagnostic services as experts along with an infection control consultant, researcher, teacher, virologist, and molecular biology experts. Sky has no limit holds true in the present era for MD, Microbiology experts.