UNESCO-Carlos J. Finlay Prize for Microbiology

Microbiology is the field of biology that studies microorganisms: microscopic living organisms such as bacteria, viruses, fungi and protozoa. They are so small that the unaided human eye is not able to detect them. Nevertheless, they play a fundamental role in sustaining life on earth. For example, tiny cyanobacteria oxygenated the Earth's atmosphere through photosynthesis more than 2 billion years ago.

Microorganisms have a major impact on all aspects of life. They are used by humans to make solvents, pharmaceuticals, antibiotics, preservatives, and are fundamental to the process of fermentation that produces cheese and bread, for example.

Microorganisms are also pathogens. HIV/AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis, Ebola virus disease and hepatitis are only a few examples amongst many other diseases that they can cause.

Nonetheless, we still know very little about how microorganisms function and cause diseases. The development of vaccines and antibiotics is a branch of microbiology that has enabled people to counter many diseases, thus strongly increasing human wellbeing and decreasing mortality as well as increasing crop and livestock yields.