History Of Microbiology

Question 1

How was Spontaneous Generation disproven?

Answer 1

Louis Pasteur (1860s)-swan neck flasks eliminated the issue of the microbes in the air..

- Pasteurization of alcoholic beverages 
- Identified the infectious agents what was decimating the silkworm industry 
- first vaccine rabies

This suggested the germ theory of disease but was unable to prove this theory

Question 2

How did Ignaz Semmelweis contribute to the Germ theory of Disease?

Answer 2

Realized the correlation of infection of mothers to physicians who hadn’t washed their hands after visiting the autopsy rooms

-1847 implemented hand washing practices in the birthing wards “Savior of Mothers”

Question 3

How did John Snow contribute to the Germ theory disease?

Answer 3

He contradicts the Miasma theory

• Father of modern epidemiology
• Conducted the first scientific studies of the effects of anesthetics

Question 4

How did Joseph Lister contribute to the Grrm theory?

Answer 4

Introduced aseptic techniques to reduce microbes in medical settings

• Disinfection of hands
• Use of heat sterilization

Question 5

How did the Germ theory of disease develop?

Answer 5

• Developed by Pasteur and Robert Koch 1880
• Louis Pasteur (1860s)- swan neck flasks eliminated the issue of the microbes in the air. Disproving the spontaneous generation theory.
  • Pasteurization of alcoholic beverages
  • identified the infectious agents what was decimating the silkworm industry
  • first vaccine rabies

Question 6

Explain Louis Pasteur’s experiment

Answer 6

1. Non sterile liquid poured into a flask
2. Neck of flask drawn out in flame
3. Liquid sterilized by extensive heating and steam is forced out open end
4. Liquid cooled slowly, in a few days, flask neck is contaminated and microorganisms remain trapped in bend and liquid remains sterile indefinitely.
5. If swan flask gets slightly tipped, over a the next short period of time, liquid putrefies when microbes laden dust mixes with sterile liquid

Question 7

What was Robert Koch’s most known for?

Answer 7

Robert Koch- isolated Bacillus anthracis- causative agent of anthrax(endospores)

Question 8

What were Robert Koch’s postulates?

Answer 8

• Series of steps that confirmed the germ theory
• Utilized the idea that the microorganism can be grown in the “pure culture” with the observation of basic microbiological techniques
• Developed pure culture methods

Question 9

Who developed the “Petri dish”?

Answer 9

Richard Petri

Question 10

What are Koch’s postulates-systemic method to identify a causative agent ?

Answer 10

1. The suspected causative organism should always be present along with the specific disease and absent in healthy animals
2. The suspected organism an be grown in pure culture
3. Organisms taken from the pure culture should cause disease in a healthy animal
4. The organism can be re-isolated and shown to be the same as the original

Question 11

What are the problems/exceptions of Koch’s postulates ?

Answer 11

• Must be able to grow the organism in pure culture; some organisms are difficult and/or impossible to be isolated in vitro
• Must be able to infect a new animal; many organisms are species specific and some only infect humans
• Some disease are synergistic infections caused by several microorganisms
• Some microorganisms become altered when cultured in vitro

Question 12

What was the contribution of Paul Ehrlich to microbiology?

Answer 12

Father of chemotherapy (1907/8)

Ehrlich 606-variations of arsenic derivatives that was used to treat Syphilis (Salvarsan)

Question 13

What is the contribution of Alexander Fleming to microbiology?

Answer 13

Discovery of antibiotics(1928) Penicillin

Question 14

When was the Electron Microscope developed?

Answer 14

The 1940s

Question 15

What was the contribution of Edward Jenner to microbiology?

Answer 15

Created the first vaccine- a small pox/cow pox vaccine 1796 “vaca”cow

Experimented on a child