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MICROBIOLOGY

- branch of Biology which deals with the study of minute organisms not visible to the
naked eye.

SCOPE :
1. BACTERIOLOGY – Bacteria
2. MYCOLOGY – Fungi
3. PARASITOLOGY – Protozoa & Parasitic worms
4. PHYCOLOGY – Algae
5. VIROLOGY – Viruses

IMPORTANT CONTRIBUTORS TO MICROBIOLOGY :

 1600 - Zaccharias Janssen invented the first compound microscope


 1665 - Robert Hooke first observed cells
 1673 – Anton van Leeuvenhoek observed live microorganisms
 1735 – Carolus Linnaeus - nomenclature for organisms
 1798 – Edward Jenner - first vaccine (smallpox )
 1835 – Agostino Bassi – discovered silkworm fungus
 1840 – Ignaz Semmelweiss – demonstrated that physicians who did not disinfect
their hands routinely transmitted puerperal or childbirth fever from one OB
patient to another
 1857 – Fermentation was introduced by Louis Pasteur
Fermentation process whereby yeasts convert sugars in the beverage into alcohol
in the absence of air.
 1861 – Pasteur disproved Spontaneous Generation
 1864 – Pasteurization – solution to spoilage; process whereby enough heat is
applied to beverages to kill most of the bacteria which cause spoilage
 1867 – Aseptic Surgery was introduced by Joseph Lister
> applied the Germ Theory of Disease
> used carbolic acid ( phenol ) in the treatment of surgical wounds
> the practice reduced the incidence of infections and deaths
 1876 – Robert Koch explained the Germ Theory of Disease by making a postulate
(POSTULATE - sequence of experimental steps directly relating a specific
microbe to a specific disease )
 1879 – Albert Ludwig Sigesmund Neisser discovered the causative agent of
gonorrhoea
 1881 – Walter Reed/ Carlos Finlay discovered Yellow Fever
 1882 – Robert Koch discovered the causative agent of tuberculosis
- Hess invented Agar media
 1883 – Robert Koch – discovered the causative agent of cholera
 1884 – Elie Metchnikoff explained phagocytosis
- Hans Christian Joachim Gram – devised a staining procedure for
bacterial cells
- Theodore Escherich – discovered E.coli
 1887 – Julius Richard Petri invented the Petri dish
 1889 –Shibasaburo Kitasato discovered the causative agent of tetanus
 1890 – Emil von Behring developed Diphtheria anti-toxin
 - Paul Ehrlich – Theory of Immunity
 1898 – Kiyoshi Shiga discovered the causative agent of bacillary
dysentery
 1910 - Carlos Chagas discovered the protozoan which causes
sleeping sickness
- Paul Ehrlich discovered Syphilis

 1928 – Alexander Fleming, Ernst Chain and Howard Florey


discovered Penicillin
 1934 – Rebecca Lancefield discovered Streptococcal antigens
 1944 – Oswald Avery, Colin MacLeod, Mc Carty reported that
genetic material is DNA
 1952 – Selman A. Waksman discovered Streptomycin
 1964 – Michael Epstein, Bert Achong, Yvonne Barr – reported that EBV can
cause human cancer
 1978 – Carl R. Woese – proposed that Archaea should be placed in
separate domain
 1981 – Lynn Margulis reported the origin of eukaryotic cells
 1982 –Aaron Klug showed the structure of TMV
 1997 – Stanley Prusiner discovered and named proteinaceous infectious particles
(prions ) & demonstrated a relationship between prions and deadly neurological
diseases in humans and animals

USES OF MICROBES :

 Recycling of Vital Elements


 Sewage Treatment – Zooglea
 Bioremediation - Pseudomonas
 Insect/ Pest Control
 Making Food and Beverages
 Medicines
 Normal Microbiota
 Research and Teaching Aid

MICROSCOPY
I. Brightfield Microscopy
- objects are observed against a bright background
- inexpensive and easy to use
- used to observe various stained specimens and to count microbes
II. Darkfield Microscopy
- uses a special condenser with an opaque disc that blocks light from entering the
specimen
-specimen appears light against a dark background
- used to examine living microorganisms that are invisible in brightfield
microscopy, do not stain easily or are distorted by staining
- used to detect T.pallidum in the diagnosis of syphilis

III. Phase Contrast Microscopy


- uses a special condenser containing an annular diaphragm
- direct and reflected or diffracted light rays are brought together to
produce the image
-no staining required
- used to facilitate detailed examination of the internal structures of living
specimens

IV. Fluorescence Microscopy


- uses UV or near UV source of illumination that causes fluorescent
microbes in a specimen to emit light
- used to rapidly detect and identify microbes in tissues or clinical
specimens

IV. Electron Microscopy – uses beam of electrons instead of light


A. Transmission Electron Microscopy
- excellent resolution
- allows examination of cellular and viral structures
- magnifies image up to 200,000X
- image produced is 2D
B. Scanning Electron Microscopy
- used to study the surface features of cells and viruses
- image produced appears 3D
- magnifies image up tp 10,000X

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