Abstract
Systematic microbiology is a recently developed discipline. Microbiologists have always been interested in what microorganisms do rather than what microorganisms are. We have been concerned with the impact of microorganisms on human and animal health, on our food supply and the integrity of manufactured goods, but have neglected the microbial world and its functions. As Stanier has pointed out, the process that unifies the study of the diverse forms called microorganisms is the pure culture technique. This approach addresses all acellular organisms be they prokaryotes or eukaryotes, despite their qualitatively different expressions of the living process and despite the varying complexity with which they use the same select essential compounds, fundamental pathways and mechanisms of organization.
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© 1989 Plenum Press, New York
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Isenberg, H.D. (1989). “Where we’ve been and where we may be going”. In: Kleger, B., Jungkind, D., Hinks, E., Miller, L.A. (eds) Rapid Methods in Clinical Microbiology. Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology, vol 263. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4613-0601-6_1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4613-0601-6_1
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