Historical Figures in Microbiology

Question 1

Van Leuwenhoek

Answer 1

1656
first to describe living microscopic organisms
invented single lens microscope
“Father of Microbiology”

Question 2

Linnaeus

Answer 2

1735
“Father of Taxonomy”
proposed guidelines for naming organisms- binomial system of nomenclature
species and genus

Question 3

genus

Answer 3

group of related species

Question 4

species

Answer 4

group of individuals which can interbreed and produce fertile offspring
2 million recognized living species

Question 5

Edward Jenner

Answer 5

1798
first vaccination
demonstrated cow pox induced resistance to small pox in uninfected humans (women milking cows)

Question 6

Louis Pasteur

Answer 6

1857-1880
disproved principle of spontaneous generation- life does not arise from non-living things
proved fermentation caused by microorganisms
showed pasteurization kills microorganisms
vaccines for anthrax and rabies
credited with “germ theory of disease”

Question 7

germ theory of disease

Answer 7

diseases are caused by bacteria

Question 8

John Snow

Answer 8

1860
guidelines for retrospective epidemiology
-determined cause of cholera outbreak- fecal contaminated drinking water

Question 9

retrospective epidemiology

Answer 9

looking backward from outbreak to source

John Snow

Question 10

Joseph Lister

Answer 10

1867
principle of antisepsis
-treated open wounds with carbonic acid and reduced bacterial infection

Question 11

Robert Koch

Answer 11

1876-1883
developed Koch’s postulates
demonstrated specific diseases caused by specific bacteria
-anthrax caused by Bacillus anthraces, tuberculosis caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis
developed techniques to obtain pure cultures
- grow only one species
- samples in nature contain many species- mixed cultures
1st to use agar as culture medium

Question 12

Koch’s postulates (4 steps)

Answer 12

1. microorganism must be present in all individuals infected with the disease
2. must be able to isolate and culture microorganism
3. pure culture must cause disease when applied to uninfected individuals
4. microorganism must be isolated from newly infected individuals

Question 13

Gram

Answer 13

1884

developed Gram staining procedure to distinguish Gram positive bacteria from Gram negative

Question 14

Paul Erlich

Answer 14

1890

principle of selective toxicity (chemotherapy)

Question 15

chemotherapy

Answer 15

design drugs that destroy microorganism but do not harm host

Question 16

salversan

Answer 16

first chemotherapy drug (1908)

antisyphilis drug

Question 17

Iwanowski

Answer 17

1892
first to isolate viruses (non-filterable particles smaller than bacteria)
ex. tobacco mosaic virus

Question 18

Alexander Fleming

Answer 18

1928

isolated antibiotic penicillin from fungal contaminant in bacterial culture

Question 19

Rivers

Answer 19

1930

developed criteria for recognizing viral infections

Question 20

criteria for recognizing viral infections

Answer 20

1. virus must be isolated from infected host or cause antibodies to be produced against them
2. virus must reproduce in new healthy host and reinfect uninfected hosts

Question 21

Watson and Crick

Answer 21

1954

described structure of DNA

Question 22

Salk and Sabin

Answer 22

1954, 1962

developed polio vaccines

Question 23

Craig Venter

Answer 23

1995

sequenced Haemophilus influenza genome, sequenced human genome

Question 24

Robert Hooke

Answer 24

1st to describe cell