BIO 120 LE 1 BACTERIA

INTRODUCTION - Simple single- celled organisms whose genetic

WHAT IS MICROBIOLOGY? material is not enclosed by a nuclear membrane
- Study of microorganisms that are of microscopic size (prokaryotic)
- Microbes are microscopic organisms, usually single - Divided into main subgroups:
celled, so tiny that millions can fit into an eye of a 1. Eubacteria
needle. 2. Archaebacteria
- They are the oldest form of life on earth. - The study of bacteria is called bacteriology.
- Without microbes we couldn’t eat or breathe. - Ex. Photobacterium
- Without us, they are probably just fine. (Source:
www.microbeworld.org) DIFFERENT BACTERIAL SHAPES

WHY STUDY MICROBIOLOGY?

- Causative agents of infectious diseases
- Environmental importance
1. Food chain
2. Decomposers
3. Produce oxygen and other organic compounds
4. Sewage treatment; degradation of environmental
pollutants

IMPORTANT AGENTS FOR RESEARCH

- Simple cell structure
- Rapid rate of growth - Ex.
- Easier and relatively inexpensive to culture o Streptococcus
o Rickettsia bacteria
5 KINGDOM CONCEPT OF LIVING ORGANISMS: BY ROBERT o Dividing bacteria
WHITTAKER o Bacteria with flagella
1. Kingdom Monera o Spirochaete
2. Kingdom Protista
3. Kingdom Fungi ARCHAEA: THE EXTREMISTS
4. Kingdom Plantae - type of microorganism that usually live in extreme
5. Kingdom Animalia conditions.
- can live in swamps or ponds where there is no
(1980’S) 3 KINGDOM CONCEPT: CARL WOESE oxygen.
- Ex. Haloarchaeal organisms entrapped in salt crystals
obtained from solar salterns of Goa, India.
- Not all the Archaea are extremophiles.
- Many live in more ordinary temperatures and
conditions.
- For example, scientists can find archaeans alongside
bacteria and algae floating about in the open ocean.
- Some archaeans even live in your guts.

FUNGI
- Eukaryotic chemoorganotrophic organisms
GROUPS OF MICROORGANISMS - They are known as saprobes or saprophytes; i.e they
1. Procaryotic microbes feed on dead organic matter.
- Bacteria - They are non-photosynthetic, they have cell walls
- Archaea - They obtain their food thru absorption
2. Eucaryotic microbes - Many are unicellular some are multicellular and
- Fungi macroscopic
- Protozoa - The study of fungi is called Mycology
- Algae - Examples:
3. Other microorganisms o Penicillium Mold: Penicillin is an important
- Viruses antibiotic derived from the mold Penicillum
- Prions notatum
- Viroids o Useful fungus: cultures of Penicillium
roqueforti have been grown on slope
 cultures for analysis in the laboratories of
one of the main cheese factories in France
o Black bread mold: This black bread mold
growing on a piece of stale bread shows the
mycelium, which are the interwoven white
threads that make up the vegetative
portion of the fungus. The small dark spots
are the fruiting bodies, or sporangia, from
which the spores are released.
o Bread yeast: type of micro-fungus. It is a
useful microorganism which is used in
cookery. It causes bread to rise by releasing
carbon dioxide gas, which gets trapped in
the dough.
o Fly agaric: The brightly coloured fly agaric is
dangerous to eat. It is one of several
poisonous mushrooms containing ibotenic
acid and a number of other organic poisons.
If eaten, can cause hallucinations and result
in coma
o Chicken of the woods: (Laetiporus
sulphureus) safe to eat
o Edible mushrooms: sold in our local market
have been grown on a large scale in
buildings or caves in which temperature and
humidity are strictly regulated
PROTISTS: ALGAE
- Eukaryotic, plant-like protists
- Photoautotrophs (source of energy is light)
- Photosynthetic, contains chlorophyll
- Unicellular and multicellular
- Have thin and rigid cell walls
- Motile, by flagella, or by gliding
- The study of algae is called Phycology
- Examples:
o Polysiphonia: marine red algae
o Chlamydomonas: a unicellular green alga. It
is motile and has two tail-like flagella that it
uses for locomotion.
o Rhodymenia palmata: edible algae
o Green Algae: may appear as single cells,
amorphous sheets, or collections of long
filamentous strands. Phylum Chlorophyta
o Intertidal Plants
o Red Coralline Algae: belong to the Phylum
Rhodophyta; They can incorporate calcium
carbonate into their cell walls, giving the
body a rigid, segmented appearance and
texture.
- Algae are capable of living in habitats in which few
other organisms could survive. They can live virtually
wherever there is sunlight and adequate moisture.
- Algae are found in freshwater lakes, ponds, streams,
swamps, on moist soil, wood, and throughout the
sunlit zones of the marine environment, as well as
on the snowfields and glaciers of Antarctica (left)
and in thermal hot springs at Yellowstone National
Park, Wyoming (right).
PROTISTS: PROTOZOA
- Eukaryotic, animal like-protists
- Cercozoa, Alveolates, Euglenozoa, Amoebozoa
- Unicellular, some live in colonies
- Structurally more complex, no cell walls
- Some have complex life cycles involving several
hosts
- Motile (flagella, cilia, pseudopodia)
- Study of protozoa is called Protozoology
- Examples:
o Diplomonads
o Vorticella: bell- shaped with a contractile
stalk (bottom) to anchor itself to the
surface; a flattened top with a mouth
surrounded by a wreath of cilia
o Paramecium: single-celled organisms that
propel themselves by minute, hair-like
projections called cilia.
o Trypanosoma brucei: moving past human
red blood cells in the blood. It is motile and
has a single flagellum for locomotion.
o Amoeba proteus: are freshwater single-
celled microbes that feed on bacteria and
smaller protozoa. They use pseudopodia
(cytoplasmic extensions) to engulf their
food and for locomotion.
o Foraminefera
VIRUSES
- Infectious acellular agents with nucleic acid
surrounded by proteinaceous capsomers that form a
coat called a capsid.
- Obligate intracellular parasites
- Very minute, can only be seen thru the electron
microscope
- Their genetic material could either be DNA or RNA
- The study of viruses is called virology.
- Examples:
o Mimivirus: Largest know virus
o Tobacco mosaic virus
o Archaeal Virus
o Polio virus: a serious disease, which can
cause paralysis.
o T2 bacteriophage viruses
SUBVIRAL ENTITIES: A. PRIONS
- Specific infectious protein molecules which are
capable of replication
- Composed of single protein called PrP
- Discovered by Stanley Prusiner in 1982
- Scrapie disease in sheep is caused by prions
- Creutzfeldt Jacob Disease (CJD) in humans is caused
by prions
o Brain shrinkage and deterioration occurs
rapidly
 o Brain section showing spongiform
pathology characteristic of Creutzfeldt
Jacob
- They lack DNA or RNA and consists of only proteins;
- They spread by triggering normal proteins to change
their structure to the abnormal, damaging form
SUBVIRAL ENTITIES: B. VIROIDS
- Extremely small circular pieces of RNA that are
infectious and pathogenic to plants
- Several plant diseases including some of
chrysanthenum, potatoes, coconut and avocado, are
caused by viroids
VIROIDS
- Short pieces of infectious RNA
o 300-400 nucleotides long
o Do not encode proteins
o Possibly derived from introns
- Lacks a protein coat
- Internally paired (forms step-loops) that protect it
from degradation
- Example
o Potato spindle tuber disease
APPLIED AREAS OF MICROBIOLOGY
a. Agricultural Microbiology
- Useful for sustainable plant production
- Uses beneficial microorganisms: eg. N2 fixers that
provide Nitrogen to plants
- Rumen microorganisms: help digest hay, grasses in
rumen of animals (cows, sheeps)
- Nutrient Cycling: C ,S , P , Fe
b. Aquatic Microbiology
- Deals with microscopic living organisms in fresh
water or salt water living systems
- Deals with microbes that help to breakdown wastes,
& recycling of chemical elements in soil, water, air
and water purification
c. Medical Microbiology
- Study of causative agents of diseases and its
preventive measures
- Includes study of biological characteristics of
microorganisms & their relationship with human
hosts
- Study of diagnosis, prevention and treatment of
diseases
d. Aero-Microbiology
- Study of microbes present in the air; those that are
involved in spoilage and contamination as well as
dissemination of diseases
e. Food Microbiology
- Study of microbes involved in food production
- Studies microbes involved in food spoilage
- Involves food preservation and preparation
- Eg: vinegar, soy sauce, alcoholic beverages, milk &
milk products, meat, etc.
f. Industrial Microbiology
- Study of microbes involved in the production of
medicinal products (antibiotics & vaccines),
industrial chemicals, fermented beverages, proteins
and hormones
g. Exomicrobiology/Astromicrobiology
- Study of microbes involved in the exploration of life
in the outer space
- Outline of what might be microscopic fossils of
bacteria-like organisms found in meteorite
ALH84001. The tube-like objects are less than 1/100
the width of a human hair.
h. Geochemical Microbiology
- Concerns the use of microbes on geological and
chemical processes
- Study of microbes involved in coal, mineral and gas
formation; recovery of minerals from low grade ores.
i. Biotechnology
- Biotechnology: a process is which humans use the
metabolism of living things to arrive at a desired
product; involves the genetic manipulation of
microorganisms
- Application of technology using living organisms to
obtain useful products
j. Microbial Ecology
- Study of interactions of between microorganisms
and their environment (biological, chemical and
physical)
- Less than 1% of environmental microorganisms can
be cultured in the laboratory
MODERN DEVELOPMENTS OF MICROBIOLOGY
a. Immunology
- Study of immunity
- Studies function and disorders of the immune
- system
- Defense mechanisms of our human body
b. Virology
- Study of viruses
c. Recombinant DNA technology Or Genetic Engineering
- Refers to techniques of manipulating the DNA, so as
to reconstruct DNA molecules
- Recombinant DNA: reconstructed from joining genes
from one cell to genes of another cell.
d. Marine Microbiology
- Study of the microorganisms (bacteria, archaea,
viruses and microbial eukaryotes) in the marine
environment, including their biodiversity, ecology
and biogeochemistry
e. Molecular Microbiology
- Interactions between various cell systems of
microorganisms including DNA, RNA and protein
biosynthesis and manner in which interactions are
regulated
- Genomics: DNA sequencing methods
- Sub-disciplines:
o Proteomics: study of patterns of proteins
 o Metabolomics: study of patterns of
metabolic expressions
HISTORY OF MICROBIOLOGY
a. Robert Hooke (1663)
- Studied materials from plant & trees
- Described for the first time the cellular structures
“little structures”
- Published his description of cells “Micrographia”
1665
b. Anton Van Leeuwenhoek (1676)
- Best known for his work in the development &
improvement of the microscope
- Used simple instrument to examine stagnant water
- He called the microscopic organisms “animalcules”
- Submitted his detailed description to the Royal
- Society of London
- Father of Bacteriology & Protozoology
- Question raised: where did they originate?
THEORY OF SPONTANEOUS GENERATION (ABIOGENESIS)
- This theory existed to explain the origin of some
forms of life.
- Living organisms arose ‘spontaneously” from non
living organisms, from non-living , dead
- decaying matter. Eg. Flies came from decaying meat
- Believed to explain the origin of animalcules
c. Francis Redi (1668)
- Performed experiments that disproved the Theory of
SG for more complex forms of life
- Hypothesis: New organisms are produced only by
existing organisms (maggots come from flies)
d. John Needham (1745)
- Performed experiments to contradict Redi’s
experiments
- Introduced the first culture media for microbial
growth
- Utilized broth by boiling meat & grain to extract the
nutrients
- What causes organisms to appear in a decaying
broth?- “vital force”
- Needham’s Hypothesis: Spontaneous generation
e. Lazzaro Spallanzani (1729-1799)
- Repeated Needham’s experiments
- Boiled broth after placing it in flasks
- Sealed the flasks, results were consistent with Redi’s
- Spallanzani’s Hypothesis: Microbes come from air &
boiling will kill them
GOLDEN AGE OF MICROBIOLOGY (1875-1914)
- Period of about 50 years of rapid development
- Causes of diseases identified, control methods
developed, work began on viruses
f. Edward Jenner (1798)
- Initiated the technique of vaccination
- Developed the small pox vaccination
- Used fluids from cow pox (vaccinia) lesions
- Father of Immunology
g. Louis Pasteur (1857-1864)
- Performed experiments to disprove the Theory of
Spontaneous Generation
- Filtered air through cotton plug, place the cotton
plug in infusion broth, broth became cloudy
- Placed the boiled infusion broths in swan-necked
flasks
OTHER CONTRIBUTIONS OF PASTEUR
- Introduced the technique of preventing spoilage of
wine: Pasteurization
- Introduced the “Germ Theory of Disease” after
discovering silk worm disease is caused by a
protozoan
- Developed treatment for preventing rabies using
dried spinal cord from infected dogs (rabies vaccine)
- Father of Microbiology
h. Ferdinand Cohn (1828-1898)
- Studied unicellular algae under the microscope and
later the photosynthetic bacteria
- Particularly interested in heat resistant bacteria
which led him to discover the important group of
bacteria that form endospores
- First to describe the life cycle of Bacillus (endospore
forming bacteria)
- Studied large filamentous bacteria (sulfur oxidizing
bacteria. Produced from the oxidation of H2S, and
identified the granules as sulfur (Beggiatoa mirabilis)
i. Robert Koch (1876)
- Introduced the “solid medium” by using agar,
allowed to observe colony morphologies
- Introduced the inoculating loop, a simple instrument
used to transfer bacteria and prepare pure culture
- While studying a disease in cattle, he identified the
bacterium causing the disease as Bacillus anthrasis
- Introduced the Koch’s Postulates: the concept that a
disease is caused by a single organism; Germ Theory
of Disease
- Father of Medical Microbiology
j. Joseph Lister (1827-1912)
- Introduced the antiseptic technique (aseptic
technique), 1867
- Use phenol (carbolic acid) as disinfectant, a germ-
killing substance applied to wounds during operation
(surgery)
k. Martinus Beijerinck (1889)
- Discovered filterable agents called “viruses”
(poisons, toxins)
- Discovered agent in tobacco plant fluids
- Formulated the enrichment culture technique;
microbes are isolated from the natural environment
in a highly selected fashion by manipulating nutrient
and incubation conditions to favor a particular group
of metabolic organisms
l. Sergei Winogradsky (1890)
- Successful in isolating or enriching several bacteria
from the natural environment
 - Particularly interested in bacteria that cycle Nitrogen
and Sulfur compounds, illustrated that there are
specific bacteria that are linked to specific
biogeochemical transformation
- Introduced the concept of CHEMOLITHOTROPHY :
oxidation of inorganic compounds linked to energy
conservation from his studies of sulfur oxidizing
bacteria
m. Paul Erlich (1908)
- Introduced the concept of chemotherapy
- Use of salvarsan for the treatment of syphilis
(chemotherapeutic agent)
- Father of Chemotherapy, has won a NobeL Prize for
Physiology & Medicine
n. Alexander Fleming (1929)
- Discovered the first antibiotic-penicillin, which led to
the discovery of other fungi that secreted
antibacterial substances (antibiotics)
- 1945: Nobel Price for Physiology and Medicine