Microbiology

Chapter 1:
 Microbes – are said to be Ubiquitous
 Micro – means a very small
- anything so small that it must be viewed with a microscope
- an optical instrument used to observe very small objects
 Microbiology – is the study of microbes
 Microbes can be observed only with the use of various types of microscope
 Ubiquitous – meaning they are virtually everywhere
 Germs – are the microbes that cause disease
The 2 major of categories of Microbes:
Acellular microbes – AKA infectious particles; include viruses and prions
Cellular microbes – AKA microorganisms; include all bacteria, all archaea, all protozoa, some
algae and some fungi.
Cellular Microbes
Prokaryotes – are less complex, composed of cells that lack a True nucleus, such as archaea and
bacteria
Eukaryotes – are more complex, composed of cells that contain True nucleus, such as
algae,fungi and protozoa
 Pathogens – microbes that are cause disease, 3% of microbes are pathogenic
 Non pathogens – microbes that do not cause disease
The microbes that help us “microbial allies”
The microbes that harm us “ microbial enemies “
 Indigenous microbiota – AKA Human microbiome, live on and the human body. 10
trillion cells X 10= 100 trillion microbes
 Opportunistic pathogens – AKA Oppurtunist, microbes that do not cause disease under
ordinary conditions
The use of the older terms “Normal Flora” and “Indigenous microflora” is discourage because
“flora” refers to plants.
 Bacterium called Escherichia coli lives on intestinal tract
 Algae and cyanobacteria – a group of photosynthetic that produce oxygen
 Bioremediation – genetically engineered microbes (decomposing industrial waste)
 Antibiotics – used to treat patient with a infectious disease (effective in killing or
inhibiting the growth of other microbes)
 Genetic engineering – microbes are essential in this field where a gene or genes from
one organism
Microbes has been used as “cell models”
Some microbes produce oxygen by the process known as “Photosynthesis”
  Decomposer or Saprophytes – these microbes break down dead and decaying organic
material (lives on dead or decaying organic matter)
 Decomposition – is a process by which substances are broken down into simple forms of
matter
 Microbial ecology – the study of the relationships between microbes and the
environment
 Plankton – serve as the starting point of many food chains
 Phytoplankton – tiny marine plants and algae
 Zooplankton – tiny marine animals
•Biotechnology – the use of living organism or their derivatives to make or modify useful
products or processes
Microbes cause 2 categories of diseases
 Infectious disease – A pathogens colonizes a person’s body > The pathogens causes
disease > This type of disease is known as infectious disease > Example: MRSA infection,
Gas gangrene
 Microbial intoxication – A pathogens produces a toxin in vitro > A person ingest the
toxin. The toxin causes the disease > This type of disease is known as microbial
intoxication > Examples: Staphylococcal food poisoning, Foodborne botulism
•First microorganisms on earth: Archaea and Bacteria
Pioneers in the science of Microbiology
 Anton Van Leeuwenhoek – Father of Microbiology, Bacteriology, Protozoology (single
lens microscopic)”animalcules” means various tiny living creatures found in the
specimens thru microscope, Robert Hooke
Theory of spontaneous generation – AKA abiogenesis, Life can arise spontaneously
from nonliving material
 Rudolf Virchow – German scientist who first proposed the theory of biogenesis
 Louis Pasteur – A French chemist who made numerous contributions in the field of
Microbiology
•Fermentation
~ Yeast convert the glucose in grapes to ethyl alcohol (ethanol)
~Acetobacter (a bacteria) converts glucose to acetic acid (vinegar)
Pasteur’s Contributions
*Theory of spontaneous generation
*Aerobes (Organism that requires oxygen) -Anaerobes (Organism that do not requires
oxygen)
*Pasteurization - a process that kill microbes that were causing wine to spoil
 Robert Koch – A German physician
*Germ theory disease – Anthrax Bacillus (B. Anthracis) Discovered that this bacteria
produces spores, capable of resisting adverse condition [Koch Postulates)
Methods of cultivating bacteria in a solid media
  RJ.Petri – invented a flat glass dish (AKA Petri dish)
 Frau Hesse – suggested the use of AGAR (A polysaccharide obtained from
seeweed)
Tuberculin -a protein derived from M. Tuberculosis
Exception’s to Koch’s postulates
 Obligate intracellular pathogens – AKA Obligate intracellular parasites, they
can survive and multiply only with living host cell
 Pathogens are species – specific
 Disease called synergistic infection or polymicrobial infection – combined
effects of two or more different microbes. [AKA T’rench mouth’ and bacterial
vaginosis]
Careers in Microbiology
i. Microbiologist – a scientist who studies microbes
ii. Bacteriologist – a scientist who specializes in bacteriology, the study
of the structure, functions and activities of bacteria
iii. Phycologist/Algologists – study the various types of algae
iv. Protozoologists – explore the area of Protozoology, the study of
protozoa
v. Mycologists -the study of fungi
vi. Virologist – who study viruses and their effects on living cells of all ,
study of viroids and prions
vii. Virologist and cell biologists – genetic engineers who transfer genetic
materials (DNA)