MICROBIAL Microbiology Flashcards
Microbe facts
Less than 1% of all living microbes have been discovered
Microbes have diverse and unique metabolic (biochemical) reactions
Microbes have the potential to provide new solutions to old problems
What are Microbes
Single celled organisms
Microscopic
Include Bacteria and Archaea
Broadly speaking: fungi, protists
The Human Microbiome
Collection of microbes- bacteria, archaea, and fungi that live in/on the human body
Skin
Surface and deep layers gastrointestinal tract mucosal regions
Human Microbiome Project
90% of cells in our body are microbes
Goal of National Institutes of Health (NIH)
Map and sequence healthy human microbiome and normal variation
Establish reference database
10,000 microbial species found
What does The Human Microbiome Project tell us?
Essential for life
Help digest food, produce certain vitamins, regulate immune system, protect against disease-causing bacteria
Variation from person to person
Microbial Biotechnology
The use of microorganisms for the production of products and for cellular work
Do we exploit microbes?
Yes
Microbial Biotechnology Applcations
Commercial production of products and biomass (bioreactors): antibiotics, drugs, consumables
Food industry (e.g. Additives)
Biopolymers (e.g. Bioplastics)
Agriculture (e.g. Biopesticides)
Clean up oil spills, radiation leaks, toxic herbicides, and pesticide residues
Oil and metal recovery
Biomass production
Process produces LOTS of bacteria and other cells
Product production
E.g. Pharmaceuticals, chemicals
Biotransformation
Transformation by cells of a substance to produce a commercially valuable product or to detoxify pollutants
Different types of bioreactors
Stirred tank reactor
Airlift Fermenter
Solid Stare fermentation
Stirred tank reactor
Uses internal mechanical agitation of the culture medium by a series of rotor blades
Airlift Fermenter
Cells are aerated and circulated by air mixing with the media. Air centers the column at the bottom of the vessel and rises as bubbles
Solid state fermentation
Microorganisms are grown on solid substrates that are not completely submerged in liquid media
Everyday uses of fermentation
Vitamins- cereal production, multi vitamins
Enzymes for detergents, e.g. Tide
Alcohol, wine, beer, other fermentation products
Cosmetic additives
Food additives
Pharmaceuticals
Single Cell Protein
Protein extracted from monoculture of microorganisms grown in large volumes for people, livestock, and fish
Essential amino acids provided in concentrated form
Microbes role in food biotechnology
Safer, higher quality foods-diagnostic tools
Better tasting, more nutritious
Improved starter cultures for fermentation
Natural flavoring and colorings; spoilage retardants
Types of Degradable plastics
Compostable, hydro-biodegradable, photo-degradable, Bioerodable
T or F: bacteria are becoming resistant to antibiotics that are commonly used (and misused)
T
Different ways Antibiotics act:
Disrupting the plasma membrane of microbial cells
Inhibiting cell wall synthesis
Inhibiting synthesis of important metabolites such as proteins, nucleic acid, and folic acid
How do we produce new antibiotics?
Combining antibiotic biosynthetic pathways
Feeding unusual substrates to a microorganism and determine product activity
Mutations
Identifying new organisms that produce new antibiotics
