Chapter 1 (History of Microbiology)

Question 1

Define Microbiology

Answer 1

the study of organisms too small to see w/ a microscope

Question 2

Define Microorganism (microbes)

Answer 2

living things too small to be seen w/ the naked eye & w/o a microscope

Question 3

Define Taxonomy

Answer 3

classification of something especially organisms
grouping things by similarity (morphology & physiology)
-Carolus Linnaeus

Question 4

Define Spontaneous Generation (abiogenesis)

Answer 4

getting life from non-life (non-living material)

Question 5

Define Biogenesis

Answer 5

life comes from life

Question 6

Define Etiology

Answer 6

the study of the cause of disease

Question 7

Define Germ Theory

Answer 7

microorganisms are responsible for disease
-proposed by pasteur following fermentation
-particular disease has specific symptoms & caused by a specific organism (pathogen)

Question 8

Define Pathogen

Answer 8

microbe that causes disease

Question 9

Define Fermentation

Answer 9

the conversion of sugars to alcohol
-Pasteur’s experiment

Question 10

Define Pasteurization

Answer 10

prevent from going bad. heating liquid to kill some microbes
- Father of microbiology –> Pasteur

Question 11

Define Bioremediation

Answer 11

using microbes to clean the environment

Question 12

Who was Antoni van Leeuwenhoek?

Answer 12

Dutch fabric merchant
-first to look @ living sample
-crafted lens
-5 catagoreies of miccroorganisms that were decribed by
Leeuwenhoek (Prokaryotes, small animals, fungi, algae,
protozoa) didn’t find viruses b/c using a light microscope
-found “wee animalcules”
-biggest contribution to micro… (royal society of London)

Question 13

What types of microbes did he see?
What two things did he do that was so important to the field of microbiology?

Answer 13

-living samples, examined water & found “wee animalcules”
-first to look @ living samples & Royal society of London

Question 14

Who was Carolus Linnaeus?

Answer 14

Swedish botanist
-developed taxonomy
-Genus & specific epithet= binomial naming system using two
names

Question 15

Define taxonomy
Know how to correctly write out the Genus and specific epithet of an organism
What are the 3 Domains of life?

Answer 15

Taxonomy: classification of something especially
organisms(grouping things together by similarity)
Genus & specific: Capitalized genus specific lowercased and
underlined
3 domains of life: bacteria, archaea (prokaryotes),
eukarya (eukaryotes)
Acellular microbes: viruses, virions, prions (disease in
animals)

Question 16

What four questions were scientists trying to answer during the “Golden Age” of Microbiology?

Answer 16

1) Is spontaneous generation of life possible?
2) What causes fermentation?
3) What causes disease?
4) How can we prevent infection & disease?

Question 17

The Spontaneous Generation debate:
Aristotle
Be able to describe the experiments performed, the results obtained, and the conclusions that were drawn from the results

Answer 17

Nile river dry= no life
Water=frogs (getting life from non-life) abiogenesis &
spontaneous generation

Question 18

The Spontaneous Generation debate:
Redi
Be able to describe the experiments performed, the results obtained, and the conclusions that were drawn from the results

Answer 18

Fly deposit eggs on gauze
Conclusion: for larger animals like comes from life
(biogenesis)-life get more life

Question 19

The Spontaneous Generation debate:
Needham
Be able to describe the experiments performed, the results obtained, and the conclusions that were drawn from the results

Answer 19

-meat/ plants boiled for short time killing all living organisms &
closed w/cork
-Conclusion: spontaneous generation of microbes

Question 20

The Spontaneous Generation debate:
Spallanzani
Be able to describe the experiments performed, the results obtained, and the conclusions that were drawn from the results

Answer 20

-Longer boil time & sealed glass & no growth
-Conclusion: spontaneous generation does not happen w/
microbes
Critics arguments: sealed no air nothing grow & prolonged
heat killed “ life force”

Question 21

The Spontaneous Generation debate:
Pasteur
Be able to describe the experiments performed, the results obtained, and the conclusions that were drawn from the results

Answer 21

-Neck swan flask: steam escapes air moves out of flask w/o
contamination just settle in bend
-Conclusion: Biogenesis: life comes from life( to get more
microbes you need to start off w/ some microbes

Question 22

What is etiology? What is the “germ theory of disease”?

Answer 22

Etiology: the study of the cause of disease
Germ Theory: microorganisms are responsible for disease

Question 23

Robert Koch - Describe Koch’s postulates – what are they for?

Answer 23

Koch’s Postulates: process/rules to identify pathogen (4)
1) a. suspected causative agent must be found in every cause
of disease &
b. be absent from healthy host
2) agent must be isolated & growth outside of host (not lab but
human body)
3) agent introduced in a healthy host, that individual must get
the disease
4) same agent must be isolated from the diseased
experimental host (#3)

Question 24

What else did Robert Koch do for Microbiology?

Answer 24

-1st to discover a pathogen
-1st to photograph bacteria
-one cell = one colony (cfu/ml)
-simple staining techniques
-Use of petri dishes
-Aseptic techniques w/loop

Question 25

What did Richard Petri do?

Answer 25

-the dish (using glass dish)
- used potato (not all grow on potatoes, broth (didn’t solidify),
gelatin (melt & some grow @ room temp)

Question 26

What did Fanny Hess do?

Answer 26

-use agar as solidifying agent (she would use for jams & jelly)

Question 27

What did Hans Christian Gram do?

Answer 27

-take any bacterium treat w/ staining technique & end come
up w/ pink & purple cells
-Gram + (stain purple)
-Gram - (stain pink)

Question 28

Describe contributions of Semmelweis

Answer 28

HOW DO WE PREVENT INFECTION & DISEASE?
-doctor/students work w/ autopsy then deliver babies; babies
die told to wash hands
-Chlorinated lime water (↑ pH b/c microbes die in acid) to
prevent puerperal fever (kill those giving birth)

Question 29

Describe contributions of Lister

Answer 29

HOW DO WE PREVENT INFECTION & DISEASE?
-Phenol: strong organic solvent damaging to microbe cleanse
wounds that cause infection (antiseptic)

Question 30

Describe contributions of Nightengale

Answer 30

HOW DO WE PREVENT INFECTION & DISEASE?
-Nurse
-Cleanliness of hospitals

Question 31

Describe contributions of Snow

Answer 31

HOW DO WE PREVENT INFECTION & DISEASE?
-Epidemiology: study of spread of disease
-pump shut down–> epidemic stopped

Question 32

What did Edward Jenner do? (hint: it involves a kid)

Answer 32

HOW DO WE PREVENT INFECTION & DISEASE?
-wondered if infection by cowpox could prevent an infection by small pox
-milk maid didn’t get small pox b/c cow pox protecting
from small pox
-Coined the term VACCINE after the cowpox virus VACCINA

Question 33

Paul Erlich had a good idea. What was he looking for?

Answer 33

-search for “magic bullet” for syphilis –> chemical that would kill the pathogen, but not the human host
-chemotherapy: use chemicals internally yo kill microbes

Question 34

Alexander Fleming made a discovery that changed medicine forever. What was it?

Answer 34

-Discovered penicillin

Question 35

Spontaneous Generation: This debate is a good example of how the scientific method works. Can you describe the scientific method?
 What are the steps?
 What’s the difference between a theory and a hypothesis?

Answer 35

-Observations lead to ?’s about phenomenon
-Generate hypothesis
-Conduct experiment to test hypothesis
-Based on observed results hypothesis is: Accepted (support hypothesis) Rejected (not support hypothesis Modify hypothesis.
-A hypothesis is an assumption made before any research has been done. It is formed so that it can be tested to see if it might be true. A theory is a principle formed to explain the things already shown in data.