Module 1: History of Microbiology Flashcards
What is microbiology?
The study of life and organisms that are too small to be seen with the naked eye.
What are microorganisms?
Name 4 examples
Microscopic organisms that are too small to be seen with the naked eye.
- bacteria
- fungi
- protozoa
- virus
What are the 6 branches of microbiology?
- medical microbiology
- public health microbiology & epidemiology
- immunology
- industrial microbiology
- agricultural microbiology
- environmental microbiology
Medical Microbiology
deals with microbes that cause disease in humans
Public Health Microbiology & Epidemiology
monitors and controls the spread of disease in communities
Immunology
studies the complex web of protective substances and cells produced in response to infection
Industrial Microbiology
safeguards our food and water; also includes biotechnology
Agricultural Microbiology
concerned with the relationships between microbes and domesticated plants and animals
Environmental Microbiology
study effects of microbes on the earth’s diverse habitats; aquatic, soil, geo, astro
Microbes and Photosynthesis
Microbes account for more than 70% of the earth’s photosynthesis
Biological Decomposition and Recycling
breakdown of dead matter and wastes into simpler compounds
Examples of human use of microorganisms
- baker’s and brewer’s yeast
- cheese making
- genetic engineering/biotechnology
- bioremediation
Anton Van Leewanhoek
- 1632-1723
- father of microbiology
- first microscope
Edward Jenner
- 1749-1823
- the father of immunology
- small pox vaccine
Louis Pasteur
- 1822-1895
- showed that microbes in the dust/air were the cause of contamination in infusions and broth
- pasteurization
Joesph Lister
- 1827-1912
- father of surgery & sterilization
- first to introduce aseptic techniques aimed at reducing microbes in a medical setting and preventing wound infections
Robert Koch
- 1749-1823
- developed methods for studying bacteria
What was discovered in the 1970s?
discovery of restriction enzymes
- molecular scissors inside bacteria that chop up DNA in specific ways
- genetic engineering
What happened in the 1980s?
importance of biofilms in infectious disease
- biofilms = accumulation of bacteria and other minerals on surfaces
- danger to the success of any foreign body implanted in the body
What happened in the 2010s?
genetic identification of the human microbiome
Germ Theory
specific microorganisms cause specific infectious diseases
Koch’s Postulates
series of scientific steps which are used to verify whether or not a microorganisms is the cause of a disease
Postulate #1
find evidence of a particular microbe in every case of a disease
Postulate #2
isolate that microbe from an infected subject and cultivate it in our culture in the laboratory; characterize fully
Postulate #3
inoculate a susceptible healthy subject with the laboratory isolate and observe the same resultant disease
Postulate #4
re-isolate the same agent from this subject
Exceptions to Koch’s Postulates (5)
- some infectious agents cannot be grown in the laboratory
- many pathogens are species-specific
- some disease are caused by multiple microorganisms
- pathogens may become altered when grown in vitro
- not all diseases are caused by microorganisms
