1-1: History of Microbiology Flashcards
What was blamed for infectious disease before we knew about microbes
Gods, witchcraft, “bad air”
What did they think caused the black death at the time?
Planetary alignment leading to bad air
What did Robert Hooke do?
Invented the microscope
First to depict microorganisms
What did Antoni van Leeuwenhoek do
Microscope builder, “father of microbiology,” first to see bacteria in 1676
What did Leeuwenhoek call bacteria
wee animalcules
Where did they used to think microbes came from?
Spontaneous generation - life can emerge spontaneously from non livnig materials
Describe Jan Baptist von Helmont’s recipe for mice
Dirty rags, wheat, 21 days = mice
What did Louis Pasteur do
Disproved spontaneous generation
How did Louis Pasteur disproved spontaneous generation
Leave nutrient solution open= contamination
Heat seal it = no growth
Microbes cannot enter the swan flask (no generation), but when tipped, contamination occurs
Solution does not spawn microbes, it is contaminated
What else did Louis Pasteur do aside from disproving spontaneous generation
Sterilization techniques (Pasteurization), fermentation, vaccine development, germ theory of disease
What is the germ theory of disease
There was speculation that microbes caused some diseases, but not accepted until 1800s.
Who provided definite evidence for germ theory? How?
Robert Koch - studying anthrax (Bacillus anthracis) was always recovered from cattle with disease.
What are Koch’s postulates
- Pathogen will be present in all diseased animals, absent in healthy
- Pathogen must be grown in pure culture
- Cells from pure culture cause disease in healthy animal
- Pathogen reisolated and is the same as the original?
What is the main implication of Koch’s research?
Microbes aren’t just correlated with disease - they’re the CAUSE
Emphasized scientific reproducibility
What are the limitations of Koch’s postulates
Some disease causing pathogens might not be culturable
Some disease causing microbes can be present in healthy people and only cause disease in certain conditions (eg. opportunistic pathogens)
