History of Microbiology

Question 1

Microbiology definition

Answer 1

Study of organisms too small to be seen by unaided eye

Question 2

Size range of microorganisms

Answer 2

Nanometers to micrometers

Question 3

Size of viruses

Answer 3

Nanometers

Question 4

Size of bacteria

Answer 4

Micrometers

Question 5

3 domains of life

Answer 5

Bacteria, archaea, eukarya

Question 6

How organisms are classified into domains of phylogenetic tree

Answer 6

Small subunit ribosomal RNA (SSU rRNA) genes

Question 7

What process ribosomes are involved in

Answer 7

Translation

Question 8

What type of rRNA do bacteria and archaea have?

Answer 8

16S rRNA

Question 9

What type of rRNA do eukarya have?

Answer 9

18S rRNA

Question 10

4 major types of microbes

Answer 10

Bacteria, archaea, protists (algae, protozoa, etc.), fungi (yeasts, mold, etc.)

Question 11

Prokaryotic definition

Answer 11

No membrane-bound nucleus

Question 12

What type of microbes are considered to be prokaryotic?

Answer 12

Bacteria and archaea

Question 13

Eukaryotic definition

Answer 13

Membrane-bound nucleus

Question 14

What type of microbes are considered to be eukaryotic?

Answer 14

Protists and fungi

Question 15

Are viruses considered to be living?

Answer 15

No- viruses are non-living and acellular

Question 16

Robert Hooke

Answer 16

First to describe microbes (observed eukaryotic fungi)

Question 17

Antony van Leeuwenhoek

Answer 17

First to see prokaryotic bacteria

Question 18

Spontaneous generation

Answer 18

Concept that living organisms generate from non-living matter

Question 19

Redi

Answer 19

Showed through experiments with meat in jar that flies don’t spontaneously generate (open jars produced maggots because flies could access them, closed jars did not)

Question 20

Spallanzani

Answer 20

Showed that microbes won’t grow in flask of meat broth if flask is first sealed and boiled

Question 21

Pasteur and spontaneous generation

Answer 21

Proved that microbes don’t spontaneously generate
Used broth in swan-necked flask: no growth if flask is complete (open to air but not microbes), growth if neck of flask is broken (microbes can access)

Question 22

Pasteurization

Answer 22

Pasteur developed method of using heat to kill microbes

Question 23

Joseph Lister

Answer 23

Sterilized surgical implements to prevent wound infections

Question 24

Robert Koch

Answer 24

First direct evidence that bacteria cause disease

Question 25

What bacterial pathogen Koch studied

Answer 25

Bacillus anthracis (anthrax)

Question 26

Pathogen definition

Answer 26

Microbe that causes disease

Question 27

Koch’s postulates purpose

Answer 27

Criteria used to establish link between microbe and disease

Question 28

Koch’s postulate: where microbe is found

Answer 28

Microbe must be found in all cases of disease and absent from healthy

Question 29

Koch’s postulate: what must be done with microbe

Answer 29

Microbe must be isolated and grown in pure culture

Question 30

Koch’s postulate: what happens when microbe is inoculated into healthy host

Answer 30

Same disease must result when isolated microbe is inoculated into healthy host

Question 31

Koch’s postulate: what must be done with microbe from newly infected host

Answer 31

Same microbe must be isolated again from diseased host

Question 32

Jenner

Answer 32

First vaccine: used material from cowpox to protect against smallpox

Question 33

Metchnikoff

Answer 33

Discovery of macrophages (phagocytes)

Question 34

Winogradsky

Answer 34

Isolated bacteria that oxidize inorganic compounds such as iron and sulfur for energy

Question 35

Chemolithotrophs

Answer 35

Bacteria that oxidize inorganic compounds such as iron and sulfur for energy

Question 36

Beijerinck

Answer 36

Isolated nitrogen-fixing bacteria (reduce atmospheric nitrogen N2 to ammonia NH3)