Public health microbiology comprises the disciplines of microbiology and public health. It refers to the study of microorganisms like viruses, fungi, parasites and bacteria that impact human health. A public health microbiologist works in public health laboratories and coordinates with various professionals like epidemiologists, veterinarians and environmentalists. Their key roles are to conduct surveillance of infectious diseases, investigate outbreaks, develop diagnostic tests and provide evidence to inform public health measures for disease control. Such measures include improving global surveillance, reducing inappropriate drug use, enhancing vector and zoonotic control, promoting health education and developing predictive models.

2. Scope Of Public
Health Microbiology
Presented to: Dr Mahr un Nisa
Presented by: Areej Iqbal Awan

3. Table of contents
O Introduction
O Microbiology
O Public health
O PHM
O Multidiscipline
O Network example
O PHM labs task
O Role of PH microbiologist
O Public health measure in disease control

4. Introduction
OPublic health microbiology comprises
two disciplines
OMicrobiology
OPublic health

5. Microbiology
O Microbiology is the study of microorganisms,
including viruses, fungi, parasites and bacteria
including immunity to these microorganisms.

6. Public Health
O Public health, the branch of medicine dealing
with health of population as whole, including
hygiene, epidemiology, and disease prevention

7. Public health microbiology
O Public health microbiology (PHM) refers to
a cross-cutting area that spans the fields of
human, animal, food, water, and
environmental microbiology, with a focus on
human health and disease.
http://ecdc.europa.eu/en/activities/microbiology/
pages/

8. Multidisciplinary
O Pertinent partners: epidemiologists and health
care professionals (nutritionist, doctors)
O Other examples: Veterinarians,
Environmentalists, Nurses, Laboratory
specialists
O lt's important that activities be coordinated to
reach common public health (PH) goals for
surveying infectious disease!

9. Multiple expertise needed
nutrition

10. Network example – foodborne
investigation

11. Task of PHM labs
O Confirm diagnosis for targeted interventions (detection,
monitoring, outbreak response, and providing scientific
evidence)
O Identify (new) types of pathogens and good microbes
O Implications for control measures
O Microbiological safety of food and water
O Quality assurance of diagnostic results
O Biosafety
O Develop new tests/ Optimize existing tests
O Basic/applied research for new insights and innovative
solutions to health problems (vaccine, prebiotics, probiotics,
nutraceutical compounds and antibiotics development)

12. Role of the Microbiology
Laboratory in Infectious
Disease Surveillance, Alert and
Response

13. Key Tasks in Dealing with
Emerging Diseases
O Surveillance at national, regional, global level
O epidemiological
O laboratory
O ecological
O anthropological
O Investigation and early control measures
O Implement prevention measures
behavioral, political, environmental
O Monitoring, evaluation

14. Public health microbiologist
Where do public health
microbiologists work?
Local, state or national public
health laboratories, academia,
genetic diseases or
environmental laboratories
Food microbiologist work
Photo Credit: CDC Public Health Image
Library

15. Role of PH microbiologist
O Their priority is to controlling epidemics and pandemics
O Establish surveillance for:
O Unusual diseases
O Drug resistant agents
O Assure laboratory capacity to investigate new agents
(e.g., high-throughput labs)
O Develop plans for handling outbreaks of unknown
agents
O Inform physicians about responsible antimicrobial use

16. Continue…
O Educate public about
O Responsible drug compliance
O Emergence of new agents
O Infection sources
O Vector control
O Malaria prophylaxis
O Be aware of potential adverse effects of
intervention strategies
O Anticipate future health problems
O Promote health and maximize human functional
ability

17. Public Health Measures for
the Control of Disease

18. STRATEGIES TO REDUCE
THREATS
O DEVELOP POLITICAL WILLAND FUNDING
O IMPROVE GLOBAL EARLY RESPONSE
CAPACITY
O WHO
O National Disease Control Units (e. g. USCDC, CCDC)
O Training programs
O IMPROVE GLOBAL SURVEILLANCE
O Improve diagnostic capacity (training, regulations)
O Improve communication systems (web, e-mail etc. )
and sharing of surveillance data
O Rapid data analysis
O Develop innovative surveillance and analysis strategies

19. Continue…
O DECREASE INAPPROPRIATE DRUG USE
O Improve education of clinicians and public
O Decrease antimicrobial use in agriculture and food
production
O Community nutrition
O IMPROVE VECTOR AND ZOONOTIC CONTROL
O Develop new safe insecticides
O Develop more non-chemical strategies e. g. organic strategies
O BETTER AND MORE WIDESPREAD HEALTH
EDUCATION (e. g. , west Nile virus; bed nets, mosquito
repellent
O Food borne prevention (health and hygiene)

20. Continue…
O DEVELOPMENT OF PREDICTIVE MODELS BASED ON
O Epidemiologic data
O Climate change surveillance
O Human behavior
O ESTABLISH PRIORITIES
O The risk of disease
O The magnitude of disease burden
O Morbidity/disability
O Mortality
O Economic cost
O REDUCE POTENTIAL FOR RAPID SPREAD
O DEVELOP MORE FEASIBLE CONTROL STRATEGIES