Main Themes of Microbiology

Piles of individual cells, that originated from One Parental Cell, that has divided repeatedly resulting in a large accumulation of cells that are visible without maginification.

Individual cells that make up a colony that need to be viewed with the aid of a microscope.

Biology that deals with Living Organisms Too Small to be seen without Magnification

Microorganisms or Microbes (Not Germs)

Bacteria, Fungi, Protista and Virus

• Primitive Prokaryotic Cell,
• Three basic shapes: Bacillus, Coccus and Spiral
• Reproduce asexually via binary fission
• Can form pairs, chains, clusters or other groupings

• Eukaryotic organisms,
• may be unicellular or mulitcellular, mushroom, yeasts and molds

• Eukaryotic organisms,
• unicellular and multicellular Protozoa are motile and are typically heterotrophs
• they reproduce asexually and sexually

• Viruses are not “alive” Lack cell membrane
• Cannot reproduce without a host
• Do not metabolize energy
• Generally smaller than 200nm in diameter
• All viruses are obligate intracellular parasites

• Primitive Cell
• Smallest in size
• Produces DNA
• has Plasma Membrane
• has Ribosoms
• have no Nucleus or membrane bound compartments called Organells
• Bacteria are composed of Prokaryotic cells

• Larger in size
• Produces DNA
• has Ribosomes
• has a Nucleus and menbrane bound Organells
• Microbs include Fungi and Protoza, Organisms include Plants and Animals

• They both contain
• DNA
• Ribosomes
• Plasma Membrane

• Each type has at least two parts Nucleic acid core: DNA or RNA Capsid,
• An Outer layer composed of Protein subunits Some enveloped by membrane Others “naked”

Because they are Not Cells, and they can Only reproduce Only when it is Inside a Living Host

DNA or RNA, Single Strand or Double Strand

Metric Units

• Decimeter, dm
• Can be seen with the Naked Eye

• Centimeter, cm
• Can be seen with the Naked Eye

• Millimeter, mm.
• Can be seen with the Naked Eye

• Micrometer, um.
• Can be seen with a Light Microscope

• Nanometer, nm.
• Can be seen with a Electron Microscope

• Angstrom, A (it has a small dot top of the A)
• Can be seen with an Atomic Force Microscope

• Kingdom
• Phylum
• Class
• Order
• Family
• Genus
• Species

A system for referring to organisms by a Genus and Species name

It is Internationally recognized

• The First name is the Genus name (Generic Name) of the Organism, it First letter is Capitalized and Underlined
• Second Letter the Species name, underlined but not capitalized. eg Homo sapiens

• First to See and Describe Bacteria.
• Considered to be the First microbiologist.
• Grinded lenes to 300-500x
• Recorded all his findings
• Called them Animalcules
• Sent his drawings to Royal Society of Lundon

Made the First Smallpox Vaccination from cowpox

• Father of Handwashing
• Pioneer of Aseptic Policy
• Decreased Childbed Fever or Puerperal Sepsis in Hospitals
• But Findings were not excepted

• Abiogenesis
• The believed ability that Living organisms may be generated from non-living things

• The Father of Epidemiology
• Contributed to the Koch theory
• Proved that the Cholera Outbreak came from Contaminated Water
• Developed Basic Laboratory Techniques for microbiology as the Pure Culture Technique
• Used Petri Plates and solid medium to grow Microorganisms
• Developed the Gram Stain and other Staining procedures

• Worked with Koch
• Uncovered that some molecules of a dye bound to some microorganism but not to others
• Developed a cure for Syphilis
• Identified selective killing
• Fother of Chemotherapy

• First person to report seeing Microorganisms
• Published a Book called Micrographia
• He was able to see Cellular structures of Plants and Fungi
• He failed to see Bacteria

• Studied Anthrak (Bacillus anthracis) proof that a cattle disease (anthrax) was caused by a particular bacterium
• Established the Germ Theory of Disease (Microorganisms can cause Disease)
• 1st. A microbe has to be found in every case of the disease
• 2nd. The microbe must be isolated and grown in pure culture
• 3rd. When the cultured microbe is inoculated into another animal it must cause the same dieease
• 4th. The same microbe must be re-isolated from the inoculated animal

• Type of nucleic acid (RNA or DNA)
• Size and shape
• Presence / absence of outer envelope

living cells can only arise only from other living cells

• In 1861 Pasteur conclusively disproved spontaneous generation using specially designed flasks with a
• long S-shaped neck.

The Electron Microsocpe which allowed scientes to see Viruses and Very Small Bacteria