Robert Hooke (1665)
- “Little boxes” – “cells”
- Cell Theory – all living things are made up of cells
Anton van Leeuwenhoek (1674)
- first person to see living microorganisms
(protozoa) – “animalcules”
Archaea Domain: Kingdom Archaebacteria
- are the oldest organisms living on Earth.
- discovered by Carl Woese and George E. Fox
- unicellular prokaryotes, all microscopic.
- live in various places.
Examples: methanogens, halophiles (salt-loving),
thermophiles (heat-loving)
Bacteria Domain: Kingdom Eubacteria
- referred to as “true bacteria”.
- unicellular and microscopic.
- their cell walls are made of peptidoglycan.
- generally reproduce by dividing their bodies into
two equal cells known as binary fission.
- many bacteria swim by moving their appendages
called flagella.
- consist of a very diverse group.
- found in almost kind of places.
Bacteria are classified according to shapes:
 Cocci (sing. coccus) – rounded or spherical.
They can be:
o Diplococcus – in pairs
o Streptococcus – in chains
o Staphylococcus – in clusters
 Bacilli (sing. bacillus) – elongated, rod-
shaped bacteria
 Spirilla – corkscrew-like spiral
Harmful Bacteria:
 Humans
 Propionibacterium acnes – when oil glands
swell and result to pimples.
 Mycobacterium tuberculosis– causes
tuberculosis.
 Leptospira interrogans - a bacterial
infection that causes leptospirosis.
 Animals
 Bacillus anthracis – is responsible for the
disease called anthrax.
Types:
o Skin anthrax – caused by contact
with animal tissue or their products.
o Inhalation and Intestinal anthrax –
caused by inhaling pores and eating
of contaminated or undercooked
meat.
Antibiotics – can prevent and treat bacterial
infection.
 Streptomyces griseus – bacteria that
produce Streptomycin, an antibiotic
used to treat tuberculosis and certain
type of pneumonia.
 Streptomyces venezuelae – produces
Chlorampenicol, an antibiotic used
in killing bacteria that cause typhoid
fever and skin infection.
Beneficial Bacteria:
 Escherichia coli – they provide the
much needed vitamin B12 that
otherwise the body cannot produce.
 Lactobacilli bulgarius and
Streptococcus thermophiles – they
are lactic acid bacteria group
involved in making sour milk or
yogurt.
 Pseudomonas aeruginosa,
Acinetobacter baumanii,
Paenibacillus thiaminolyticus,
Bordetella bronchiseptica and
Lysinibacillus sphaericus – these are
oil-eating bacteria that are able to
breakdowm pollutants through the
process of bioremediation.
 Cyanobacteria – have chlorophyll-
containing cells.
o Tab-tab (Nostoc)
o Single Cell Protein – used as
swine and cattle feed and also for
humans.
o Anabella azollae – converts
nitrogen in air into compounds
usable by plants for growth and
development.
 Bacillus thuringiensis – microbial
pesticide.