Bacteriology & Antibiotics

Pharmaceutical Microbiology

Pharmaceutical Microbiology includes the study of microorganisms associated with the manufacture and processing of drugs e.g. decreasing the number of microorganisms in a process environment, removing microorganisms and microbial residues like endotoxin and exotoxin from water and other starting materials, and confirming the finished pharmaceutical product is free of contamination i.e., sterile. Other important aspects of Pharmaceutical Microbiology include the research and development of antibiotic resistance, anti-infective agents, the use of microorganisms to detect carcinogenic and mutagenic activity in expected drugs, and the use of microorganisms in the manufacture of pharmaceutical products like human growth hormone and insulin. Pharmaceutical microbiology also focuses on drug safety. Pathogenic bacteria, fungi (moulds and yeasts) and toxins produced by microorganisms are all possible contaminants of pharmaceutical products or medicines. Pharmaceutical Microbiology also focuses on determining how a product will react in cases of contamination.