Lecture 1 Flashcards
history of microbiology
1
Q
Robert Hooke
A
- examined a cork and was able to see individual cells
- discovered “little boxes”
- cell theory: all living things are made of cells
- could see cells, but not bacteria
2
Q
Anton van Leeuwenhoek
A
- constructed a microscope powerful enough to see microbes for the first time
- called these microbes “animalcules”
- made drawings of these animalcules
3
Q
Define “spontaneous generation.”
A
The idea that some forms of life arise from non-living matter.
4
Q
Define “biogenesis.”
A
The hypothesis that living organisms come from pre-existing living things.
5
Q
Louis Pasteur
A
- defeated the idea of spontaneous generation by doing his heating of the flask experiment
- showed that it was microbes in the air that led to microbe growth, not the air itself
- also contributed to cholera, rabies and anthrax vaccines
- aseptic technique: heat can destroy microbial life
- pasteurization: preservation of milk and other foods to reduce spoilage
6
Q
Link between microbes and diseases
A
- early beliefs: demons, bad air, punishment for bad behaviour
- modern discoveries: Germ theory
7
Q
Define “Germ Theory”
A
The principle that microbes cause disease.
8
Q
Joseph Lister
A
- infections were transmitted from one patient to another by physicians
- washed hands before and after each patient to reduce transmission
- disinfected surgical wounds with phenol
- deaths reduced
9
Q
Robert Koch
A
- used anthrax bacterium to demonstrate Germ Theory of disease
- noticed bacteria in blood of cows with anthrax
- isolated this bacteria and injected it into healthy cows who eventually became sick
- the same bacteria was present in both groups of cows
- this proved that a specific microbe causes a specific disease (Koch’s postulates)
- applied his postulates to determine the cause of tuberculosis
- methods of growing pure cultures to obtain colonies
- worked with Richard Petri to obtain pure cultures Petri dish
- pure cultures led to the taxonomy and classification of bacteria
10
Q
Edward Jenner
A
- made the first vaccine
- infected a healthy 8-year-old with cowpox in order to test his theory that those with cowpox could not be infected by smallpox
- patient never contracted cowpox
11
Q
Define “immunity.”
A
Being resistant to a certain infectious disease or pathogen.
12
Q
Alexander Fleming
A
- how to treat bacterial diseases without harming the host?
- noticed his bacterial plates were contaminated with fungus
- there was a clear area around the mold were bacterial growth was inhibited
- the fungus (Penicillium chrysogenum) secreted a compound that could kill bacteria
13
Q
Martinus Beijerinck
A
- first to use enrichment cultures, which are highly selective media and incubation conditions
- isolated first pure cultures from soil and aquatic ecosystems
- first to describe a virus (TMV)
14
Q
Sergi Winogradsky
A
- isolated diverse metabolic types of bacteria, including chemolithotrophs
- first to demonstrate nitrogen fixation
- liked to study microbes in a community rather than as pure culture (Winogradsky columns)
