History of Microbes Flashcards
What is a Microbe?
a living organism that cannot be seen
What does each microbe contain in its genome?
the capacity to reproduce
Define genome.
total genetic information of an organism
What is a metagenome?
collections of sequences from diverse populations of microbes
In what year did scientists complete the first genome sequence?
1995 (Haemophilis influenzae)
How have microbes shaped human history?
1) Food security 2) Food production 3) Infrastructure 4) Diseases
Who built the first compound lens microscope?
Robert Hooke, also coined the term cell
Name the 2 people who started the journey of immunization.
Lady Mary Montague (smallpox) and Edward Jenner (cowpox scabs)
Define spontaneous generation.
living creatures could arise without parents
Who disproved spontaneous generation?
Francesco Redi (maggots in meat were offsprig of flies) and Lazzaro Spallanzani (broth sterilized by boiling and not exposed to air)
Who was Louis Pasteur?
he discovered fermentative metabolism through the use of swan necked flasks
Define the Germ Theory of Disease.
germs can cause disease
What did Florence Nightingale do that was so significant?
proved that wound infection caused more deaths in war, and persuaded the British army to adopt hygienic practices
What are Koch’s 4 postulates?
1) The microorganism must be identified in all individuals affected by the disease, but not in healthy individuals
2) The microorganism can be isolated form the diseased individual and grown in culture
3) When introduced into a healthy organism, the microorganism should cause disease
4) The microorganism must be reisolated from the experimental host, and found to be identical to the original microorganism
Dimintri Ivanesky
discovered a disease-causing agent so small it passed through 0.1 um` pores
