MODULE 3 Flashcards
Virus
smallest/simplest bio entities
* depends on host cell for replication and metabolism
Bacteria
Unicellular
* free-living (own metabolism etc.)
* simple morphologies conceal complex biochem and interactions
Fungi
Eukaryotes
* uni or multicellular
* macro and micro
* fruiting body vs. spores of mushrooms.
Protists
Eukaryotes
* Protozoa: animal-like (predatory)
* diverse, hard to classify (polyphiletic)
Algae
Eukaryotes
* plant-like protists
* photosynthetic
Algae or Protozoa?
Euglena
* photosynthetic processes AND
* hunt down prey
Robert Hooke 1664
Describes microscopic structure of blue moulds, using a 30x magnification microscope
* drawings
Antonie van Leeuwenhoek 1684
develop powerful microscope (300x)
* first evidence of bacteria and protists
Louis Pasteur 1861
disproved the theory of spontaneous generation
Spontaneous Generation
the idea that non-living objects can give rise to living organisms
Robert Koch pioneered
- staining methods for microscopy
- use of solid growth media (agar)
- “Germ theory”
Koch 1876
Definitive proof that microbes cause disease (i.e. germ theory)
Koch’s postulates
An organism that causes a disease must :
* Be found in all cases of the disease
* Be isolated from the diseased host in pure culture
* Produce same disease in experimentally-infected host
* Be re-isolated from the experimentally-infected host
Alexander Fleming 1928
Found mould growing on a petri dish that killed the bacteria (Staphylococcus) around it
* bacteria causative agent for pneumonia etc.
Howard Florey and Ernst Chain 1935-45
Purified penicillin and developed mass production methods
* first effective antibiotic
* helped Allies win WWII
Normal Flora
- Found at specific sites
- Specialised
- Mostly bacteria
- Acquired at birth, diet, environment
Positive effects of Normal Flora
- ‘prime’ the immune system
- provide nutritional benefits
- compete with pathogens
Negative effects of Normal Flora
- Can cause disease if moved to wrong location
- Can cause disease even in normal location: if the habitat changes
obligate pathogens
are always harmful
opportunistic pathogens
cause disease in specific conditions
* Numbers – abnormally high cell density
* Location – wrong place
* Host health – immune system compromised
* Virulence factors – e.g. gain antibiotic resistance
One Health concept
consider animals, plants, and the environment when managing disease
MDR-TB
Multidrug resistant TB = bad
XDR-TB
Extensively drug-resistant TB = very bad
Microbes in food production
- Rumen microbes help cows digest grass
- Symbiotic fungi enhance plant growth
- Soil microbes recycle wastes into nutrients
- Decomposition
Microbes in food processing
Many foods require fermentation - flavour, preservative step etc.
Microbes in retail/restaurants
Some microbes are food sources
* (fungi, algae)
* Yeast
* Kelp, seaweed
microbes when eating
Gut microflora beneficial to health
* GI tract
Bad microbes in production
- Pathogens infect animals and plants
- Post-harvest contamination can ruin crops
- Irrigation water can be contaminated with pathogens