Foundations in Microbiology
Fifth Edition
Talaro
Chapter
1

Microbiology
• The study of of organisms too small to be seen without magnification
– bacteria
– viruses
– fungi
– protozoa
– helminths (worms)
– algae
2

3

Branches of study within microbiology • Immunology
• Public health microbiology & epidemiology
• Food, dairy and aquatic microbiology
• Biotechnology
• Genetic engineering & recombinant DNA technology 4

Microbes are involved in
• nutrient production & energy flow
• decomposition
• production of foods, drugs & vaccines
• bioremediation
• causing disease

5

Impact of pathogens
• Nearly 2,000 different microbes cause diseases • 10 B infections/year worldwide
• 13 M deaths from infections/year worldwide

6

7

8

Characteristics of microbes

9

10

Antonie van Leeuwenhoek

• First to observe living microbes • his single­lens magnified up to 300X

(1632­1723)

11

12

Spontaneous generation
Early belief that some forms of life could arise from vital forces present in nonliving or decomposing matter.
(flies from manure, etc)

14

Louis Pasteur
• Showed microbes caused fermentation & spoilage
• Disproved spontaneous generation of m.o.
• Developed aseptic techniques. • Developed a rabies vaccine.

(1822­1895)

15

16

Germ theory of disease
Many diseases are caused by the growth of microbes in the body and not by sins, bad character, or poverty, etc.

Robert Koch
• Established a sequence of experimental steps to show that a specific m.o. causes a particular disease. • Developed pure culture methods. • Identified cause of anthrax, TB, & cholera.
(1843­1910)

18

Taxonomy ­ system for organizing, classifying & naming living things
• Domain ­ Archaea, Bacteria &
Eukarya