Introduction to Microbiology, Microbiological Concepts & Biochemistry of Microbes
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Which doctor first used handwashing to reduce clinical infection?
Ignaz Semmelweis
In 1870, which doctor was the first to use antisepsis for surgery?
Joseph Lister
What is abiogenesis and who disproved that this is how infections start?
Abiogenesis is the theory of spontaneous generation. Louis Pasteur was able to disprove this
Which scientist first demonstrated that microorganisms caused infectious disease? What two diseases did this person study in the process?
Robert Koch demonstrated that microorganisms caused infectious disease through his Germ Theory of Disease (Koch’s Postulates). In the process, he studied anthrax and tuberculosis
What is a pure culture?
A population of a certain type of cells that are cultured and grow separately from any other type of cell
List Koch’s Postulates
• The specific causative agent must be found in every case of an infectious disease • This agent is taken and cultured purely • A sample is inoculated and transferred to a healthy, susceptible animal. This must cause the same infection. • The microbe is extracted from the infected animal
Three domains of life
• Eubacteria • Archea • Eucarya
Principle members in eubacteria
• Gram positive bacteria - Gram negative bacteria
Principle members in eucarya
• Protozoa • Algae • Fungi
What is the main difference between eukaryotic and prokaryotic cells
Eukaryotic cells have a nucleus, prokaryotic cells have no nucleus
Key features of algae
• Eukaryotic • Photosynthetic • Unicellular or multicellular
Three motility mechanisms for protozoa
• Cilia • Flagella • Psuedopodia
Are fungi eukaryotic or prokaryotic?
Eukaryotic
How do fungi differ from plants and animals?
• Differ from plants as they do not use photosynthesis for energy • Differ from animals as they have a cell wall
Name the two different types of fungi and how they differ to each other
Moulds: multicellular, reproduce through spores (sexually and asexually) Yeasts: unicellular, reproduce by budding (asexually)
The cell wall of bacteria contains polysaccharide and peptidoglycan, true or false?
True
Name the two structures that make up all viruses
• Nucleic acid (DNA/RNA) - A protein coat (capsid)
Viruses that infect bacteria
Bacteriophages
Harmless microorganisms
• Around 87% of microorganisms are harmless • These organisms are helpful and have an important role in the food chain • e.g. decomposition, nitrogen fixation
Opportunistic microorganisms
• 10% of microoganisms are opportunistic • Microbes that are usually harmless but can be pathogenic when placed in different conditions • e.g. bowel flora that find their way to the bladder
Harmful microogranisms
• Around 3% of microogranisms are overly harmful • Can cause disease when present in the body and upon initial contact with a healthy person • e.g. tapeworm, syphilis
Normal flora
• Microbes that naturally inhabit surfaces of the human body
How can there be a greater microbial load in the body comparing to the number of cells in the body?
• Total microbe load >10^3 • Total cells in the body is 10^3 • This is possible as microbes are much smaller than body cells
Eukaryotes
• Fungi, algae and plants (simple cell wall) • Protozoa and animals (no cell wall) • Nucleus and nuclear membrane • Larger ribosomes • Larger than prokaryotes (10 - 100 micrometres) • Reproduce by mitosis/meiosis