Microbial Biotechnology Flashcards

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1
Q

Who discovered micro-organisms?

A

Antonie van Leeuwenhoek called them ammalcules

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2
Q

General information on microbes?

A

Represents more than 60% of the earths life.

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3
Q

What are the growth characteristics of microbes?

A

Growth is limited due to nutrient availability
And they produce toxic compounds
Need to grow in carefully controlled environments
Can cause diseases.

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4
Q

What is a pandemic?

A

Endemic that has spread over a wide geographical area.
Plague
COvid-19
HIV
Smallpox
Ebola
Zika

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5
Q

What is biological warfare?

A

Using biology as weapons
Germany used anthrax and the plague in WW1
WW2 lab experiments on prisoners.
Biological weapons banned in 1975.

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6
Q

What is a vaccine?

A

Infecting an individual with a small part of a disease so that the bodycan make antibodies or using genes from a disease causing agent

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7
Q

How were vaccines discovered?

A

During the smallpox epidemic people infected themselves with cowpox. Was eradicated in 1977. COpies of the disease are kept in USA and russia - for incase of reemergence.

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8
Q

What is directed evolution?

A

mimics the natural selection process to change proteins or nucleic acids depending on the consumer’s specific needs.

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9
Q

Can exinct diseases reemerge?

A

Yes, in 2002 the polio virus was synthesized by using its genome and allowing i to self-assemble.

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10
Q

What was the first protein to be produced by recombinant DNA technology?

A

Insulin, was previously obtained from pigs, but some minor health issues due to pigs and humans not being the same.

Now insulin is produced using large-scale industrial plants with fermentation, centrifuges and purification columns.

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11
Q

Is there a solution/ vaccine for malaria?

A

It is treatable but there are no vaccines.
But artemesin is an anti-malarial compound.

New production method of artemisinin
Producing artemisinic acid in S.cerevisea
Chemically convert artemisinic acid into artemisinin.
Production costs the same as it would to extract it from plants.

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12
Q

Why can artemesinin not be exracted from plants?

A

Much longer process takes up to a year and a half whereas synthetically takes a couple weeks.

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13
Q

What industries are microbes responsible for?

A

Washing powders
Plastics
Cleaning environmental pollution
Pharmacuticals
Food industry enzymes
Alcohol

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