Head, Department of Microbiology

“..germs of disease have taken toll of humanity since the beginning of things, taken toll of our pre-human ancestors since life began here. But by virtue of this natural selection of our kind we have developed resisting power; to no germs do we succumb without a struggle...”

This quotation, from the war of the worlds (1898) by HG Wells, appears at the end of the book when the all conquering Martians who have been ravaging earth are destroyed by an infection for which they have no defence. HG Wells says that through repeated exposure the microbes that surround us we have earned our immunity.

Our roots are in the Departments of Bacteriology founded in 1925 and Parasitology, founded in 1951, which merged in 1974 to become the Department of Microbiology. The introduction of antibiotics and improved sanitation have reduced risk from some pathogens while emerging diseases caused by viruses (HIV, NIPAH, SARS Corona virus, Avian influenza) have presented new problems. Department of Microbiology is focused on understanding microbes and our immune response to them.