In a 1 gram of soil we can find more than 1,000,000 microorganisms. It is surprising that in 2017 the scientific community has only been able to describe around 12,000 of them around the world and, of these, 63 of them are exclusive to Salamanca, having been identified thanks to the intense work carried out by microbiologist Martha Trujillo Toledo and her team in the Departmental Building of the University of Salamanca.

Most likely, it will never be possible to “identify all the species that make up the great microbial diversity that exists in the world,” Martha Trujillo pointed out to USAL Communication. Perhaps it is the exquisite rigor with which Trujillo performs her work that has led her to become the first woman ever chosen editor-in-chief of the most reputed international journal for the identification and taxonomy of microorganisms. The International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology, a publication founded in 1951 and considered the leader by the highest institutional bodies in the field of microbiology, has never had a woman in the lead, that is, until this August, when Trujillo Toledo, professor of the Department of Microbiology and Genetics at the University of Salamanca, will take up the position.

Microbes Vs. Health: dismantling myths

Martha Trujillo describes microbiology as an exciting world because so much remains to be discovered, and surprising, because of the curious revelations that come out of these miniature natural realms that microscopes bring us closer to. It has been found that in each one of us there is an inherent microbial diversity, a “microbiome of each organism that is indisputably linked to the proper functioning of its system”, explains the scientist. For example, it has been verified that the body of a person hosts an average of 3 kg. of microorganisms and that the presence – or not – of certain ones, together with their interactions, can lead to the development of certain ailments such as “stomach ulcers”, she maintained.

 

 

More information: Comunicación Universidad de Salamanca

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Posted by Juan M. Corchado

Juan Manuel Corchado (15 May 1971, Salamanca, Spain) is Professor at the University of Salamanca. He has been Vice-Rector for Research from 2013 to 2017 and Director of the Science Park of the University of Salamanca. Elected as Dean of the Faculty of Science twice, he holds a PhD in Computer Science from the University of Salamanca and a PhD in Artificial Intelligence from the University of the West of Scotland. He leads the renowned BISITE (Bioinformatics, Intelligent Systems and Educational Technology) Research Group, created in 2000. Director of the IoT Digital Innovation Hub and President of the AIR Institute, J. M. Corchado is also Visiting Professor at the Osaka Institute of Technology since January 2015, Visiting Professor at the Universiti Malaysia Kelantan and Member of the Advisory Group on Online Terrorist Propaganda of the European Counter Terrorism Centre (EUROPOL). J. M. Corchado has been president of the IEEE Systems, Man and Cybernetics Society, and academic coordinator of the University Institute for Research in Art and Animation Technology at the University of Salamanca, as well as researcher at the Universities of Paisley (UK), Vigo (Spain) and the Plymouth Marine Laboratory (UK). He currently combines all his activity with the direction of Master programmes in Security, Digital Animation, Mobile Telephony, Information Systems Management, Internet of Things, Social Media, 3D Design and Printing, Blockchain, Z System, Industry 4.0, Agile Project Management, and Smart Cities & Intelligent Buildings, at the University of Salamanca and his work as editor-in-chief of the journals ADCAIJ (Advances in Distributed Computing and Artificial Intelligence Journal), OJCST (Oriental Journal of Computer Science and Technology) or Electronics MDPI (Computer Science & Engineering section). J. M. Corchado mainly works on projects related to Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Blockchain, IoT, Fog Computing, Edge Computing, Smart Cities, Smart Grids and Sentiment Analysis. He has recently been included in the board of trustees of the AstraZeneca Foundation, along with other health professionals and researchers recognised for bringing scientific knowledge closer to society.

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