SCOPE OF

MICROBIOLO
GY

CHAPTER I
WHAT IS MICROBIOLOGY?

 From the Greek word mikros (small), bios (life) and logia or logos (study of)

 It is the study of organisms that are so small they cannot be seen with the naked eye.

 Microorganisms or microbes categories:

 Cellular Prokaryotes - Bacteria, cyanobacteria, and archeans
 Cellular Eukaryotes – fungi, protozoa and algae
 Acellular – viruses (infectious agents/particles)

Pathogens – are disease – causing microorganisms (3%)

Nonpathogens – majority of microorganisms, that do not cause disease
DIFFERENT FIELDS OF MICROBIOLOGY
 Bacteriology – study of bacteria
 Virology – study of viruses
 Mycology – study of fungi
 Parasitology/ Protozoology – study of protozoans and parasites
 Phycology – study of algae
 Immunology – study of the immune system and its response to pathogens
 Medical Microbiology – study of pathogens, the diseases they cause, and body’s defense against
disease; it deals with epidemiology, transmission, disease – prevention, aseptic techniques, treatment
and production of vaccines
PIONEERS IN THE MICROBIOLOGYANTON VAN
LEEUWENHOEK
A surveyor
First person to see live bacteria and protozoa
Sometimes referred as the “Father of Microbiology”,
“Father of Bacteriology” and “Father of Protozoology”
He created the single – lens microscope or the simple
microscope out of his hobby of framing tiny glass lenses
Took sample from his own teeth and combined it with
acid rain to observe 1000 more animacules moving in
the sample. Arousing interest of other scientist to study
on microorganisms.
PIONEERS IN THE MICROBIOLOGYLOUIS
Fermentation – a vital process, respiration without
air
Alcoholic Fermentation – conversion of glucose to
ethanol alcohol by the action of yeast (fungi)
Pasteurization – a process to kill microbes/pathogens
in many types of liquids.
Heating liquids to 63 – 65 degrees celcius for
30minutes or to 73 to 75 degrees for 15 seconds.
PASTEUR
A French Chemist
He discovered what occurs during alcoholic fermentation
and pasteurization
He discovered forms of life that can survive without
oxygen
Aerobes – organisms requiring oxygen
Anaerobes – organisms that do not require O2
Contributes to germ theory of disease and changes
hospital practices to minimize the spread of disease
He developed vaccines to prevent chicken cholera, anthrax
and swine erysipelas
PIONEERS IN THE MICROBIOLOGY
ROBERT KOCH
A German Physician
Koch’s postulate – series of scientific steps to prove the
cause of disease (germ theory of disease)
He discovered that Bacillus Anthracis produces spores
capable of resisting adverse conditions
He developed methods of fixing, staining and
photographing bacteria as well as cultivating bacteria on
solid media.
He also discovered that Mycobacterium tuberculosis
causes tuberculosis and Vibrio cholerae causes
cholera
EVOLUTION OF MICROBIOLOGY
MICROSCOPE was
discovered
Robert Hooke use it and
discovered the cell – the basic
unit of living organisms (CELL
THEORY)
Mid – 1600s
Anton von Leeuwenhoek
(Father of Microbiology)
created single – lens
microscope, he use it to observe
microorganisms he called
‘animalcules”
He provided accurate description
of bacteria, fungi and protozoa
1670s
Louis Pasteur
Germ Theory of Disease
Process of Pasteurization – a
method of killing
microorganisms in different
types of liquids, and which
became the basis of aseptic
techniques
Aerobes and anaerobes
Process of Fermentation
Middle and late 1800s
Golden Age of Miicrobiology
Robert Koch proved
microorganisms caused certain
diseases through a series of
scientific steps – Koch’s
Postulates
Edward Jenner – discovered
vaccines for smallpox
Joseph Lister – Aseptic surgery
1st decade of 1900s
Use of Antibiotics
Paul Ehrlich – discovered
Salvarsan for treatment of
syphilis
Alexander Fleming – Penicillin
from Penicillum notatum
Reduced incidence of infectious
diseases
WWII
INDIGENOUS MICROFLORA
 It has been estimated that as many as 500 to 1000 different species of microorganisms live on and in us. They are
called INDIGENOUS MICROFLORA OR INDIGENOUS MICROBIOTA for most part, they are beneficial to us.

 They inhibit the growth of pathogens in those areas of the body where they live by occupying space, depleting the food
supply and secreting materials that may prevent or reduce the growth of pathogens.
OPPORTUNISTIC PATHOGENS

 Some organisms that inhabit or live in our body are

OPPORTUNISTIC PATHOGENS
 They do not usually cause disease

 They have the potential to cause infections if they gain access

to a part of our body where they do not belong.
 Other opportunistic pathogens strike when a person
becomes run down, stressed out or weakened
PHOTOSYNTHESIS

 Microbes produce oxygen by the process called

PHOTOSYNTHESIS
 Algae and cyanobacteria – are groups of photosynthetic
bacteria that produces oxygen
SAPROPHYTES

 DECOMPOSERS

 Many microorganisms are involved in the decomposition

of dead organisms and the waste products of living
organisms
 Saprophytes aid in fertilization by returning inorganic
nutrients to the soil.
 They break down dead and dying organic materials into
NITRATES, PHOSPHATES and other chemicals
necessary for growth of plants
GENETIC ENGINEERING

 Genetically engineered microbes are used to

decompose industrial wastes (oil spills) known as
BIOREMEDIATION
 Genetically engineered bacteria and yeast produce
variety of substances such as insulin, various types of
growth hormones, interferons and materials for use as
vaccines
MICROBIAL ECOLOGY

 Study of relationships between microbes and the

environment
 Some soil bacteria can convert ammonia to nitrites and
nitrates, facilitating the nitrogen cycle
 Knowledge of these microbes is important for farmers who
practice crop rotation to replenish nutrients in the fields
and to gardeners who keep compost pits as a source of
natural fertilizer
PLANKTON

 Algae and bacteria serves as food for tiny

animals
 Microbes serves as important links in food chain
 PLANKTON – microscopic microorganism in
the ocean, serves as the starting point in many
food chains
 PHYTOPLANKTON – Tiny marine plants and
algae
 ZOOPLANKTON – Tiny marine animals
AID IN DIGESTION

 Some microorganisms live in the intestinal tracts of

animals, where they aid in digestion of food and in
some cases, produce substances that are of value to the
host animal.
ANTIBIOTIC

 A substance produced by a
microorganism that is effective in
killing or inhibiting the growth of
other microorganisms
STUDY OF DISEASES

 Infectious diseases – when a pathogen

colonizes the body and subsequently causes
disease
 Microbial Intoxication – when a person
ingests a toxin (poisonous substance) that has
been produced by a microorganism
MICROSCOPY

 A microscope is an optical instrument that can magnify

organisms a hundredfold or even a thousand fold.
 It is used to view and observe microorganisms too
small to be seen by naked eye
 The resolving power is the ability of the lens system to
distinguish between two adjacent objects. It defines the
image clarity of a microscope
 A microscope containing only one magnifying
lens
SIMPLE MICROSCOPE Maximum magnifying power of 300x the size of
an organism/object observed
COMPOUND MICROSCOPE

 Contains more than 1 magnifying lens with resolving

power of 1000x
 Eyepiece (ocular) – magnifying power of 10x
 Objective – positioned directly above the organism viewed
 Commonly use 4 objectives 4x, 10x 40x and 100x

 Total magnification is calculated by multiplying the ocular (10x) to

the objective used ( usually 10x objective is used in laboratories)
 40x (400x) – high dry objective used for large microorganisms
such as algae and protozoans
 100x (1000x) – oil immersion objective used for bacteria which are
very small

 Visible light is the main source of illumination

 0.45 micrometer is the wavelength of a visible light, smaller than
half of 0.45um will not be visible for a compound light microscope

 The higher the magnification the more light is needed

Can magnify object 1000 to 1500 times. It is used to visualize
bacteria and fungi. Objects less than or thinner than
0.2micrometer cannot be visualized. Specimen appears dark
against the surrounding bright viewer field of the microscope.
Cells need to be stained.
Utilizes reflected light instead of transmitted light, with a
special condenser that has an opaque disc that blocks the light,
such that only the specimen is illuminated. Ideal for studying
unstained or transparent and absorb little or no light. Used to
view spirochetes (Treponema pallidum in syphilis)
PHASE – CONTRAST MICROSCOPE

 Based on the principle that differences in refractive

indices and light waves passing through transparent
objects assume different phases.
 It has a contrast – enhancing optical technique in
order to produce high – contrast images of specimens
that are transparent which include thin tissue slices,
living cells in culture and subcellular particles. (nuclei
and organelles)
DIFFERENTIAL INTERFERENCE CONTRAST MICROSCOPE

 Similar to phase – contrast microscope except that it

utilizes two beams of light instead of one and therefore
has higher resolution.
 Useful in examining living specimens when normal
biological processes might be inhibited by standard
staining procedures.
 However, 3 dimensional image may not be accurate
since the enhanced areas of light and shadow may
distort the appearance of the image
FLUORESCENCE MICROSCOPE

 Makes use of ultraviolet light and

fluorescent dyes called
FLUOROCHROMES.
 Can be used to visualize structural
components of small specimens
such as cells and to detect the
viability of cell populations
 May also be used to visualize the
genetic material of the cell (DNA
and RNA)
CONFOCAL MICROSCOPE

 Also known as confocal laser scanning microscope

(CLSM) or laser confocal scanning microscope
(LCSM)
 It uses optical imaging technique that increases
optical resolution and contrast of the micrograph by
using a spatial pin – hole to block out – of – focus
light in image formation.
 It is used together with computers to produce a three
– dimensional image.
 It is useful in the study of cell physiology
ELECTRON MICROSCOPE

 Utilizes the beam of electrons to create an image of

the specimen.
 It is used to visualize viruses and subcellular
structures of the cell.
 2 types are transmission EM and Scanning EM

 It can magnify object 10, 000 times.

SCANNING PROBE MICROSCOPE

 It is used to study the molecular and atomic shapes of

organisms on a nanoscale.
 A physical probe is used to scan back and forth over
the surface of a sample
 It can also be used to determine the variations in the
temperature inside the cell as well as its chemical
properties