CM1 – CU1: Scope of Microbiology
His research showed that various
Germ
- Is derived from the Latin word germen,
which means to sprout or germinate. First
applied to bacteria in the nineteenth century to
explain disease-causing cells that grew
quickly.
Microbes
- Often known as microorganisms, are
microscopic living organisms that are visible
only with a microscope.
Microbiology
- is the study of all living organisms that are
too small to be visible with the naked eye.
This includes bacteria, archaea, viruses, fungi,
prions, protozoa, and algae, collectively
known as 'microbes'.
Pioneers in the Science of Microbiology
Anton van Leeuwenhoek (1632–1723)
- Referred to as the “Father of Microbiology,”
the “Father of Bacteriology,” and the “Father
of Protozoology.”
- As a hobby, he grinded tiny glass lenses,
which he mounted in small metal frames, thus
creating what today are known as single-lens
microscopes or simple microscopes.
- In many of these specimens, he observed
various tiny living creatures, which he called
“animalcules.”
Louis Pasteur (1822–1895)
- Discovered forms of life that could exist in
the absence of oxygen. He introduced the
terms “aerobes” (organisms that require
oxygen) and “anaerobes” (organisms that do
not require oxygen).
- Created pasteurization to eliminate wine
spoilage-causing bacteria.
- A vaccine was developed to prevent rabies in
dogs and effectively used to treat human
rabies.
- Discovered alcoholic fermentation process.
microorganisms create distinct fermentation
products. Yeasts ferment grape glucose to
ethanol, but invading bacteria like Acetobacter
ferment glucose to acetic acid (vinegar),
affecting wine taste.
Joseph Lister
- During the 1860s Joseph Lister, an English
surgeon, reasoned that surgical infection
(sepsis) might be caused by microorganisms.
(Sepsis = The condition resulting from the
presence of pathogenic microbes or their
products in blood or tissues.)
- Devised methods to prevent microbes from
entering the wounds of his patients. His
procedures came to be known as antiseptic
(against sepsis) surgery, and included hand
washing, sterilizing instruments, and dressing
wounds with carbolic acid (phenol).
Ignaz Philip Semmelweis
- About this same time (1840s), a physician by
the name of Ignaz Philip Semmelweis began
using antiseptic procedures to prevent
"childbirth" or puerperal fever (a serious and
often fatal disease associated with infection
contracted during delivery).
Robert Koch
- Direct evidence demonstrating that bacteria
were disease-causing agents (etiological
agents) was provided by Robert Koch, a
German physician, in 1867.
- Koch identified Bacillus anthracis as the
cause of anthrax in sheep and cattle. Koch
developed a series of experiments to prove a
specific microbe caused an illness. These
postulates, known as Koch's, contributed
significantly to the germ theory of illness.
- Koch found B. anthracis spores that can
withstand harsh environments.
- Koch created procedures for fixing, staining,
and photographingbacteria.
- Koch's research on tuberculin, a protein from
M. tuberculosis, led to a skin test for the
disease.