History of Microbiology Flashcards
Microbiology definition
Study of organisms too small to be seen by unaided eye
Size range of microorganisms
Nanometers to micrometers
Size of viruses
Nanometers
Size of bacteria
Micrometers
3 domains of life
Bacteria, archaea, eukarya
How organisms are classified into domains of phylogenetic tree
Small subunit ribosomal RNA (SSU rRNA) genes
What process ribosomes are involved in
Translation
What type of rRNA do bacteria and archaea have?
16S rRNA
What type of rRNA do eukarya have?
18S rRNA
4 major types of microbes
Bacteria, archaea, protists (algae, protozoa, etc.), fungi (yeasts, mold, etc.)
Prokaryotic definition
No membrane-bound nucleus
What type of microbes are considered to be prokaryotic?
Bacteria and archaea
Eukaryotic definition
Membrane-bound nucleus
What type of microbes are considered to be eukaryotic?
Protists and fungi
Are viruses considered to be living?
No- viruses are non-living and acellular
Robert Hooke
First to describe microbes (observed eukaryotic fungi)
Antony van Leeuwenhoek
First to see prokaryotic bacteria
Spontaneous generation
Concept that living organisms generate from non-living matter
Redi
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)
Spallanzani
Showed that microbes won’t grow in flask of meat broth if flask is first sealed and boiled
Pasteur and spontaneous generation
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)
Pasteurization
Pasteur developed method of using heat to kill microbes
Joseph Lister
Sterilized surgical implements to prevent wound infections
Robert Koch
First direct evidence that bacteria cause disease