Lecture 1: What is Microbiology Flashcards
All life is either…
Prokaryotes or Eukaryotes
What do prokaryotes branch into?
Bacteria- unicellular
Archaea- unicellular
What do eukaryotes branch into?
Protists
- uni and multicellular(bc of evolution)
- genetically not cohesive group(don’t make sense as one group) and have been recategorized into different groups based on genetic similarities and differences
Fungi
-uni and multi cellular
plants and animals
- ALL multicellular
What are the benefits/ consequences of being multi vs unicellular
prokaryotes (bacteria and archaea) are unicellular (one cell constitutes whole organism) meaning if anything happens to the one cell its game over
plants and animals are multicellular so if you lost some cells(scraped off skin) it wouldn’t even matter because your made of so many cells
What is Microbiology?
The study of organisms(living) too small to be seen with the naked eye
• Bacteria, viruses, single celled eukaryotes
What microorganisms are visible to the naked eye?
Fungi and algae
microorganism
small and living
microbes
small
What microbes are multicellular?
Myxobacteria, slime molds
What is unique about viruses?
- They are non-living (but so small so they still need to be considered under the definition of mbio)
- don’t have the capacity to replicate unless host cell is there to provide important material
- not sustainable without a living cell
- can be referred to as microbes
What don’t microbes such as slime molds have?
- DONT have tissue diversification
- meaning none are differentiated such that their would be cells for detox and reproduction
- just made up of cells that are identical in function
- power in numbers
What is selective toxicity?
targeting foreign cells specifically while leaving host cells (your cells)
What are the challenges associated with infections caused by protists for example malaria vs infection caused by bacteria?
CAN’T USE an antibiotic that targets protist infections for bacterial infections
Issues with anti malaria drugs is you destroy your own cells to because eukaryotic cells are what your made of
Why can eukaryotic infections be challenging?
Because the type of cell infecting you is the same cell your made of called
- selective toxicity
- terrible selective toxicity
What techniques is microbio defined by?
• Culture media for isolation and growth of organisms in pure culture
• Biochemical to study cell components
- ex; poke a hole in membrane all intracellular components leakout and the you can use different techniques to sort and identify proteins
• Molecular and genetic techniques
- ex- these techniques were used to figure out protists aren’t a group of their own
culture
actively growing bacterial(or other living cells) sample
What is a mixed culture?
not pure
- many organisms
- also called polymicrobial
What is media/medium?
surrounding bacterial or microbial cells
- where they get nutrients from
- pulling nutrients from surrounding nutrient broth which is used to sustain growth and put waste in their
Can be liquid or solid medium
- ex; air around you ( take in oxygen contribute c02)
What is a pure culture?
- single species; just one type is there
If you swabbed your mouth and put it into liquid culture would that be a pure or mixed culture?
Mixed culture
-lots of different bacteria and organisms within; unsterile
Why Is Microbiology Important?
• Microbes are the oldest form of life
-> conditions of early earth were very hot no o2 just hydrogen was present archea) - allowed to self-replicate & form organic molecules in early earth (where it was forced to live without O2, & tolerate HIGH temps in order to evolve)
• Largest mass of living material on Earth
-> Organisms that live on you outnumber the eukaryotic cells that your made out of
• Carry out major processes for biogeochemical cycles
-> organisms are naturally forming a component where they fit)
• Can live in places unsuitable for other organisms
(@ -5 degrees will be very slow metabolic rate BUT still active, as well as -102 degrees to withstand folding, melting & DNA separation)
• Other life forms require microbes to survive.
- (cows and us cannot digest plant matter but cows can pack bacteria within their colon to digest cellulose via the bacterium - symbiotic relationship)
What happens when you suspect to have an infection?
You go to the dr and get antibiotics the antibiotics don’t know to keep good bacteria in the body and kill the bad bacteria they are just drugs so they clear out good bacteria that naturally exists (changes equ. biogeochemical cycle)
ex: vagina has lots of yeast & lactobacillus (prok. cell)
- b/c antibiotic target prok., you are taking for infection, you wipe out lots of bacteria in vagina - yeast (euk) that were not targeted, notice a lot of space now & extra nutrients, so the biogeochemical cycle in vagina is changed & the yeast start to overgrow, & now that needs to be treated
Every LIVING organism needs __
N2 is needed as nitrogenous bases and amino groups for amino acids
-> if you don’t have an adequate supply it can limit growth
What is the problem with N2 gas, even though N2 gas makes up ~78% of atmospheric gas?
TRIPLE COVALENT BOND is very stable
- & to disrupt this, we need LOTS of PRESSURE & TEMP that is impossible for a living cell to tolerate
- BUT they can use enzymes which require a lot of ATP- to perform nitrogen fixation