Classification of microorganism and taxonomy

Classification of microorganism and taxonomy is one of the important areas in the microbiology field which deals with the classifying organism based on their special characteristics.

What are microbes | what is the definition of microbes

• Microorganisms or microbes are tiny living things that are too small to see with our eyes. And can only be seen by using microscope.
• Based on various characteristics like type of cell, structure etc. they can be classified into different groups that include bacteria, viruses, fungi, algae, and protozoa.
• They live almost everywhere – in water, air, soil, and even inside our bodies.
• So the classification is the process of keeping or classifying organisms into a particular group, whose member share similar characteristics but are different from other group.
• Taxonomy is the science of classifying organisms based on their similarities and differences. It helps scientists organize and identify organisms into groups

Importance of Classification and Taxonomy in Microbiology

Microorganisms come in many types, and they can look or act very differently. This is why we need a proper way to organize and study them.

As we know Classification means putting microorganisms into groups based on how they look, live, and work. and  Taxonomy is the science of naming, grouping, and describing microorganisms.

• It helps scientists understand how microbes are related and how they behave.
• It also makes it easier to study, share, and communicate about them around the world.
• Makes it easier to find treatments for diseases
• Allows researchers around the world to communicate clearly about specific microorganisms.

Component of taxonomy :

there are three major component of taxonomy : 1. Classification, 2. Nomenclature, 3. Identification.

Identification:  This means finding out what microorganism you are dealing with. For example, if a person is sick, doctors may need to identify the microbe causing the illness to choose the right medicine. Identification uses tools like microscopes, tests, and genetic methods.

Classification: After identifying a microorganism, scientists place it into a group with similar organisms, this is called classification.  These groups are often arranged in levels (like family trees), such as kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus, and species. It helps in organizing and comparing microbes based on shared features.

Nomenclature: This refers to giving each microorganism a scientific name, usually in Latin. These names are made up of two parts: Genus (1^st latter capitalized) and species (lowercase) and should be italicized (e.g., Escherichia coli).

Having standard names avoids confusion using local or common names. Everyone around the world uses the same names.

Concept of Taxa (Singular: Taxon)

A taxon is any group of organisms that is given a name in the classification system. Taxa (plural of taxon) are the different levels or groups in the classification hierarchy.

Examples of taxa: Kingdom, Genus, Species, etc.

Each taxon groups organisms that share certain features. For example: The genus Bacillus includes rod-shaped, spore-forming bacteria.

These are the different level or ranks used in the taxonomy – Domain, Kindgom, Division/phyllum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, Species etc.

Hierarchical Taxonomic Ranks

Taxonomy organizes all living things into a ranking system, from the most general group to the most specific. This system helps scientists or researcher to understand how organisms are related and makes it easier to study them.

Each level in the system is called a taxonomic rank. Here’s how it works, from the broadest group to the most specific:

Table -Hierarchical Taxonomic Ranks with example

Rank	What It Means	Example (for E. coli)
Domain	Broadest group; separates life into major types	Bacteria
Kingdom	Large group within domain (not always used in bacterial classification)	Not always used for bacteria
Phylum	Groups with similar basic traits	Proteobacteria
Class	More specific group within a phylum	Gammaproteobacteria
Order	Groups organisms with even more similar features	Enterobacterales
Family	Groups closely related genera	Enterobacteriaceae
Genus	First part of the scientific name; very closely related species	Escherichia
Species	Second part of the scientific name; one specific organism type	coli
Strain/Subspecies	A version of the species with small differences (common in microbiology)	O157:H7