Microbiology

→Microbiology is an advanced biology course 1.Photosynthetic algae and bacteria (such as cyanobacteria)
→Study of microbes, which are extremely small (microscopic) produce much of the oxygen in our atmosphere
living organisms and certain non-living organisms and certain 2.Microorganism are involved in the decomposition of dead
non-living entities organisms and waste products
→Living microbes are known as cellular microbes or 3.Saprophytes are organisms that live on dead and/or decaying
microorganisms; examples include bacteria, archaea, some organic matter
algae protozoa, and some fungi 4.The use of microbes to clean up toxic wastes and other
→Non-living microbes are known as acellular microbes or industrial waste products is known as bioremediation
infectious particles; examples include viroid, prions, and viruses 5. Many microbes play essential roles in various elemental
cycles, e.g., the carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, sulfur, and
Acellular and Cellular Microbes phosphorus cycles
6. Algae and bacteria serves as food for tiny animals, they are
important links in food chains
7.Microbes that live in the intestinal tracts of animal’s aid in the
digestion of food and produce beneficial substances
8.For many years, microorganism have been used as “cell
models”, the more that scientists learned about microbial cells,
the more they learned about cells in general.
9.Microbes are used in many industries, e.g., food, beverage,
chemical, and antibiotic industries and in genetic engineering
→In genetic engineering, a gene or genes from one organism
is/are inserted into a bacterial or yeast cell; the cell that receives
the new gene(s) is then capable of producing the gene
→The scientific term for disease-causing microbes is pathogens
product(s) coded for by the new gene(s)
→Microbes do not cause diseases are called nonpathogens;
→The use of living organisms or their derivatives to make or
most microbes are nonpathogens
modify useful products or processes is call biotechnology
→Microbes that live on and in our bodies are referred to as our
indigenous microflora
→Some members of our indigenous microflora are
opportunistic pathogens Escherichia Coli DNA repair Colon cancer and
→Opportunistic pathogens are microbes that can cause other cancers
disease, but usually do not; they can be thought of as microbes
that are awaiting the opportunity to cause disease
→Pathogens cause two categories of diseases: infectious
diseases and microbial intoxications
Microorganism Use
Categories of Diseases Caused by Pathogens Microbial Mass (Biomass)
• Live →Baker’s yeast
→Test-cultures for microbial
assays
• Dead or Processed →Yeast autolysates
→Single cell protein
Enzymes →Home Cheesemaking
• Invertase
• Pectin Esterase
• Rennin
Primary Metabolites →Vitamins
→Ethanol
Why Study Microbiology? →Amino Acids
Secondary Metabolites →Antibiotics

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→Citric Acid
→Polysaccharides
Semi-synthetic Penicillin →Transformed Products
(Amoxicillin, Ampicillin,
Methicillin)
Rhizobium and Mycorrhiza →Microbial Inoculants
Bacillus Thuringensis against →Microbial Inoculants
Lepidopterans
Themes in Microbiology
→Understanding the nature and functioning of the microbial
world.
→Applying our understanding of the microbial world for the
benefit of humankind and planet Earth
Microbiology as a Basic Biological Science
→Uses microbial cells to probe the fundamental processes of
life
→Microbiologists have developed a sophisticated
understanding of the chemical and physical basis of life and
have learned that all cells share much in common
Microbiology as an Applied Biological Science
→Microbiology is at the forefront of many important
breakthroughs in human medicine.
→Microorganisms affect the everyday lives of humans in both
beneficial and detrimental ways.
• Human insulin can now be manufactured in the
bacteria E. coli in an industrial scale
• Human growth hormone previously isolated from
cadavers, is also manufactured in bacterial cells
• Bt corn- resistance from the corn borer is due to the
insertion of a gene from the bacteria, Bacillus
Thuringensis
Microbiology in Historical Context
→Robert Hooke- in his famous book MICROGRAPHIA (1665), the
first book devoted to microscopic observations, Hooke
illustrated the fruiting structures of molds. This was the first
known description of microorganisms.
Fruiting Blue Molds Microscope used by Hooke
→Antoni Van Leeuwenhoek
-The first to see bacteria, the smallest microbial cells, which he
termed “wee animalcules”
-He constructed extremely simple microscopes containing a
single lens to examine various natural substances for
microorganisms
- He discovered bacteria in 1676 while studying pepper water
infusions
→Ferdinand Cohn
-His interests in microscopy led him to the study of unicellular
algae and later to bacteria, including the large sulfur bacterium
Beggiatoa
-Particularly interested in heat resistance in bacteria, which led
to his discovery that some bacteria form ENDOSPORES.
-Also described the life cycle of the endospore-forming
bacterium Bacillus and showed that vegetative cells but not
endospores were killed by boiling
-Cohn also laid the groundwork for a system of bacterial
classification
-He devised effective methods for preventing the contamination
of culture media, such as the use of cotton for closing flasks and
tubes.
→Louis Pasteur
-a French chemist who made numerous contributions to the
newly emerging field of microbiology and, in fact, his
contributions are considered by many people to be the
foundation of the science of microbiology and a cornerstone of
modern medicine.
-One of the first to recognize the significance of OPTICAL
ISOMERS.
-Pasteur discovered that the mold Aspergillus metabolized D-
tartrate, which bent light to the right, but did not metabolize its
optical isomer, L-tartrate
-He began to suspect that some chemical activities were
catalyzed by microorganisms.
-Pasteur initiated studies on the mechanism of ALCOHOLIC
FERMENTATION.
-The yeast cells were thought to be chemical substance formed
by the fermentation.
-Microscopic observations and experiments convinced Pasteur
that alcoholic fermentation was catalyzed by living
microorganisms, the YEAST CELLS.
-Pasteur also developed vaccines for anthrax, fowl cholera, and
rabies.
-Pasteur’s work on rabies was the most famous success.
-Joseph Meister, the first human to receive Pasteur’s rabies
vaccinations
Spontaneous Generation
-living organisms could develop from nonliving matter
→Francesco Redi
-Carried out experiments on decaying meat and its ability to
produce maggots spontaneously.
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-Using covered and uncovered containers of meat, he
demonstrated that the generation of maggots by decaying
meat resulted from the presence of fly eggs, and meat did not
spontaneously generate maggots.
→John Needham
-Used microscopic observation to support spontaneous
generation
-He pointed out that boiled extracts of hay or meat gave rise to
microorganisms after sitting for a while.
-He also suggested that the organic matter in the extracts
contained a “vital force” that could give the properties of life on
nonliving matter.
→Lazzaro Spallanzani
-Modified Needham’s experiment by using sealed glass
flasks that contained water and seeds and then placed
the flasks in boiling water.
-He found that no growth took place as long as the
flasks remained sealed.
-He proposed that air carried germs to the culture
medium but also commented that external air might be
required for growth of animals already in the medium.
→Louis Pasteur
-He found out that extensive heating of a nutrient
solution followed sealing it prevented the growth of
microorganisms
-He ended the Theory of Spontaneous Generation by
using the “Swan Neck” flask (Pasteur Flask) in one of his
experiments
Infectious Diseases and Koch’s Postulates
→Robert Koch
-a German physician, made numerous contributions to
the science of microbiology
a. Koch made many significant contributions to the
germ theory of disease. For example, he proved that the
anthrax bacillus (B. anthracis), which had been
discovered earlier by other scientists, was truly the
cause of anthrax. He accomplished this using a series of
scientific steps that he and his colleagues had
developed; these steps later became known as Koch’s
Postulates
b. he discovered that B. anthracis produces spores,
capable of resisting adverse conditions.
developed methods of fixing, staining, and
photographing bacteria as well as cultivating bacteria on
solid media. One of Koch’s colleagues, R.J. Petri,
invented a flat glass dish (now known as a Petri dish) in
which to culture bacteria on solid media. It was Frau
Hesse—the wife of another of Koch’s colleagues—who
suggested the use of agar (a polysaccharide obtained
from seaweed) as a solidifying agent. These methods
enabled Koch to obtain pure cultures of bacteria
d. Koch discovered the bacterium (M. tuberculosis) that
causes tuberculosis and the bacterium (Vibrio cholerae)
that causes cholera.
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→Koch’s work on tuberculin (a protein derived from M.
tuberculosis) ultimately led to the development of a skin
test valuable in diagnosing tuberculosis

Careers in Microbiology
→A microbiologist is a scientist who studies microbes.
→there are many career fields within the science of
microbiology
1. Bacteriology-bacteria
2. Phycology-algae
3. Protozoology-protozoans
4. Mycology-fungi
5. Parasitology-parasites
6. Virology-virus

Other Career Fields

→Medical Microbiology
-Involves the study of pathogens, the disease they cause
and the body’s defenses against disease.
-Concerned with epidemiology, transmission of
pathogens, disease-prevention measures, aseptic
techniques, treatment of infectious diseases,
immunology, and production of vaccines.

→Clinical Microbiology or Diagnostic Microbiology

-a branch of medical microbiology
-Concerned with the laboratory diagnosis of infectious
diseases of humans.

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