Name: Janelle V.

Seguin Schedule: S 10:00AM-11:30AM

Program: BSMidwifery Rating: ______

The Microbiology and Parasitology focuses on the mechanisms

that underlie diseases caused by a number of important bacteria,
protozoa and helminths. Agents of communicable disease that lie at
the forefront of current research efforts or represent major neglected
diseases of mankind are discussed, although the course is not
constructed around a taxonomic approach.

Branches of Microbiology
Bacteriology: the study of bacteria.
Immunology: the study of the immune system.
Mycology: the study of fungi, such as yeasts and molds.
Nematology: the study of nematodes (roundworms).
Parasitology: the study of parasites.
Phycology: the study of algae.
Virology: The study of viruses.
Protozoology: The study of protozoa.

Microorganisms are divided into seven types: bacteria, archaea,

protozoa, algae, fungi, viruses, and multicellular animal parasites
(helminths).

Microbiology is the scientific study of microorganisms, those being

unicellular (single cell), multicellular (cell colony), or acellular (lacking
cells). Microbiology encompasses numerous sub-disciplines including
virology, bacteriology, protistology, mycology, immunology and
parasitology. The existence of microorganisms was predicted many
centuries before they were first observed, for example by the Jains in
India and by Marcus Terentius Varro in ancient Rome.
HISTORY

The first recorded microscope observation was of the fruiting bodies of

moulds, by Robert Hooke in 1666, but the Jesuit priest Athanasius
Kircher was likely the first to see microbes, which he mentioned
observing in milk and putrid material in 1658. Antonie van
Leeuwenhoek is considered a father of microbiology as he observed
and experimented with microscopic organisms in the 1670s, using
simple microscopes of his own design. Scientific microbiology
developed in the 19th century through the work of Louis Pasteur and
in medical microbiology Robert Koch.

As the first acknowledged microscopist and microbiologist in history,

Antonie van Leeuwenhoek was the first to undisputedly discover
(observe), study, describe, conduct scientific experiments with a large
array of microscopic organisms (including bacteria, which he called
“animalcules”) and relatively determine their size, using single-lensed
microscopes of his own design.
Martinus Beijerinck, the founding father of the Delft School of
Microbiology, in his laboratory. Beijerinck is often considered as a
founder of virology, environmental microbiology, and industrial
microbiology. In 1676, Antonie van Leeuwenhoek, who lived most of
his life in Delft, Netherlands, observed bacteria and other
microorganisms using a single-lens microscope of his own design.He
is considered a father of microbiology as he pioneered the use of
simple single-lensed microscopes of his own design. While Van
Leeuwenhoek is often cited as the first to observe microbes, Robert
Hooke made his first recorded microscopic observation, of the fruiting
bodies of moulds, in 1665.It has, however, been suggested that a
Jesuit priest called Athanasius Kircher was the first to observe
microorganisms.
The field of bacteriology (later a subdiscipline of microbiology) was
founded in the 19th century by Ferdinand Cohn, a botanist whose
studies on algae and photosynthetic bacteria led him to describe
several bacteria including Bacillus and Beggiatoa. Cohn was also the
first to formulate a scheme for the taxonomic classification of bacteria,
and to discover endospores.Louis Pasteur and Robert Koch were
contemporaries of Cohn, and are often considered to be the fathers of
modern microbiology and medical microbiology, respectively. One of
his students, Adrien Certes, is considered the founder of marine
microbiology. Pasteur also designed methods for food preservation
(pasteurization) and vaccines against several diseases such as
anthrax, fowl cholera and rabies. Koch is best known for his
contributions to the germ theory of disease, proving that specific
diseases were caused by specific pathogenic microorganisms. He
developed a series of criteria that have become known as the Koch's
postulates. Koch was one of the first scientists to focus on the
isolation of bacteria in pure culture resulting in his description of
several novel bacteria including Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the
causative agent of tuberculosis.

Terminologies in Microbiology and Parasitology

Aerobe = organisms that grow in the presence of atmospheric oxygen

Anaerobe = grows in absence of free oxygen
aerotolerant anaerobes = microbes that grow equally well whether or
not oxygen is present
facultative anaerobes = microbes that don’t require oxygen for
growth but do grow better in its presence
microaerophile= requires a low level of oxygen for growth around 2
to 10% but is damaged by normal atmospheric oxygen level
monotrichous = having a single flagellum
amphitrichous = having single flagellum at each end
lophotrichous = cluster of flagella at one or both ends
peritrichous = flagella all over the surface
attenuation = reduced virulence but can provoke the immune system
pathogen = any virus, bacteria or other agents that cause disease
pathogenicity = ability to cause disease
virulence = degree or intensity of pathogenicity of an organism
disinfection = killing, inhibition or removal of microorganisms that
may cause disease. it usually refers to the treatment of inanimate
objects
sterilization = process by which all living cells, viable spores, viruses,
and viroids are either destroyed or removed from an object or habitat
sanitization = reduction of the microbial population on an inanimate
object to levels judged safe by public health standards
bacteremia= presence of viable bacteria in the blood
septicemia = severe condition of bacteremia which includes rapid
multiplication of bacteria and toxins in the blood
viremia = presence of the virus in the blood
pyrogenic = inducing fever
antipyretic = which reduces temperature, given in case of fever
hemolysis = disruption of red blood cells and release of their
haemoglobin
α-hemolysis = partial hemolysis, the greenish zone of incomplete
hemolysis forms around the colony
β-hemolysis = clear zone of complete hemolysis
γ-hemolysis = no hemolysis
antibiotic = substance of microbial origin or its derivative that kills
susceptible microorganism or inhibits their growth
antibody = also known as immunoglobin, a glycoprotein produced in
response to the antigen
antigen = substance, when introduced into the body, stimulates the
production of antibodies
bacteriostatic = inhibiting the growth of bacteria without killing them
bactericide = an agent that kills bacteria

Alga (algae, plural) = A single-celled or multicellular eukaryotic,

photosynthetic organism.
Archaean (archaea, plural) = A prokaryotic, single celled organism.
Bacterium (bacteria, plural) = A prokaryotic, single celled organism.
Binary fission = A type of asexual reproduction in which the cell
divides into two separate daughter cells each with identical DNA.
Biogas = A gas that is produced from the anaerobic (without oxygen)
decomposition of organic matter.
Bioremediation = The use of microbes to break down toxic or
unwanted substances.
Capsid = The protein coat surrounding a virus.
Cell = The basic unit of all living things.
Chlorophyll = A green photosynthetic pigment usually found in
organelles called chloroplasts.
Chromosome = long continuous pieces of DNA that carries genetic
information.
DNA
Deoxyribonucleic acid: the store of genetic information inside living
cells and many viruses.
Enzyme = A protein that facilitates a biochemical reaction by
speeding up the rate at which it takes place within cells.
Eukaryote = A single-celled or multicellular organism which has a true
membrane-bound nucleus and membrane bound organelles.
Extremophile = A microbe that positively thrives in environments that
would kill other organisms.
Flagellum (flagella, plural) = A long thin appendage present on the
surface of some cells such as bacteria and protoctista which enables
them to move.
Fungus (fungi, plural) = A eukaryotic, non-photosynthetic, spore-
forming organism. They range from single celled organisms to very
complex multicellular organisms.

Gene = Basic unit of inheritance located on a chromosome. A gene is

a piece of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) that contains the instructions
for the production of a specific protein.
Host cell = A cell that is infected by a virus or another type of
microorganism.
Hypha (hyphae, plural) = A very fine thread that is the basic structure
of filamentous fungi.
Lysis = The physical rupture of a cell.
Memory cell = A cell which is produced as part of a normal immune
response. These cells remember a specific antigen and are
responsible for the rapid immune response, production of antibodies,
on exposure to subsequent infections by that particular antigen.
Methanogen = Micro-organism that produces methane.
Microorganism (microbe) = A small living thing. The group includes
bacteria, archaea, protozoa, algae, fungi and viruses.
Mould = A multicellular filamentous fungus.
Mycelium = A branched network of fungal hyphae.
Normal body flora = Microbes that have adapted to living on the
body, are usually present and rarely cause home.
Nucleus = The nucleus is the control centre of the cell containing
chromosomes.
Organelle = A membrane enclosed structure, in cells, that has a
specialised function.
Pathogen = An organism that causes disease.
Phagocyte = A white blood cell that can engulf (by phagocytosis) and
destroy invading microorganisms including viruses and bacteria.
There are two separate groups - macrophages and neutrophils.
Photosynthesis = A process that occurs in plants, algae and some
bacteria called the cyanobacteria that traps the sun’s light energy and
uses it to fix carbon dioxide into organic
Prokaryote = An organism that has a simple cell structure without a
membrane bound nucleus or organelles.
Protozoan (protozoa, plural) = A eukaryotic, single celled organism
that usually lacks chlorophyll.
Pseudopodium (pseudopodium, plural) = A temporary extension of
the cytoplasm of an amoeboid cell. It is used in both motility and
feeding.
Sporangium (sporagia plural) = A sac containing spores that
develops from the fruiting body of a fungus.
Vaccine = A special type of medicine that is given to both people and
animals to artificially increase immunity to a particular disease and to
prevent an infectious disease from developing.
Viral envelope = A spiky coat that covers the virus’s protein coat or
capsid.
Virus = An infectious particle that relies on the cellular machinery of
the host cell to grow and replicate.
Yeast = A single-celled fungus