History of Microbiology

Question 1

Key features of how Robert Hooke helped develop microbiology:

Answer 1

• Compound microscope
• Coined the phrase cells when observing cork
• Micrographia, published in 1665

Question 2

Key features of how Antonie van Leeuwenhoek helped develop microbiology:

Answer 2

• Simple microscope 200x

- Wrote to Royal Society - “animalcules” in 1683

Question 3

When was abiogenesis first discovered and by who?

Answer 3

Aristotle 384-322 BC

Question 4

How first challenged abiogenesis?

Answer 4

Francesco Redi

Question 5

What is abiogenesis?

Answer 5

Spontaneous generation

Question 6

What did John Needham’s argue about abiogenesis?

Answer 6

Case of life force and vital atoms

Question 7

What refuted spontaneous generation in the microscopic world?

Answer 7

Lazzaro Spallanzani

Question 8

Who came up with the term ‘germ’?

Answer 8

Charles Bonnet

Question 9

Who conclusively disproved spontaneous generation?

Answer 9

Louis Pasteur

Question 10

How did Louis Pasteur disprove the spontaneous generation?

Answer 10

By the swan neck experiment

Question 11

Who came up with the germ theory of disease?

Answer 11

Robert Kock

Question 12

What is Koch’s Postulates?

Answer 12

1. Suspected pathogenic organism must alway be present in animals surfing from disease and should not be present in healthy individuals
2. Organims must be cultivated in pure culture away from animal body
3. Cells from a pure culture of the suspected organism should cause disease in healthy animal
4. Organsim should be preisolated and shown in the same as the original

Question 13

What tool can be used to fulfil the first postulate?

Answer 13

Microscopy straining

Question 14

What tool can be used to fulfil the second postulate?

Answer 14

Laboratory culture

Question 15

What tool can be used to fulfil the third postulate?

Answer 15

Experimental animals

Question 16

What tool can be used to fulfil the fourth postulate?

Answer 16

Laboratory resolution and culture

Question 17

In terms of today, how accurate or relevant is Koch’s Postulates?

Answer 17

It is still accurate however not alway able to satisfy all postulates for every infectious disease

Question 18

When may we not be able to follow Koch’s Postulates?

Answer 18

• Animal model not always available for a particular disease

- Cannot culture the suspected pathogen

Question 19

Who discovered antibiotics?

Answer 19

Alexander Fleming

Question 20

What did Alexander Fleming discover?

Answer 20

Penicillum notatum prevented growth of Staphylococcus aureus

Question 21

How did Chain and Florey contribute to antibiotics?

Answer 21

Provided how to produce and synthesise and generate penicillin

Question 22

How did Edward Jenner discover vaccinations?

Answer 22

• Epidemic of smallpox hit
• Noted that milkmaids with cowpox did not become infected
• Took material from pustules of milkmaids and inoculate a child

Question 23

What book did Edward Jenner publish in 1798?

Answer 23

An inquiry into the Causes and Effects of the Variolae Vaccinae

Question 24

How is the ‘Tree of life’ currently generated?

Answer 24

• By comparing nucleic acid sequences specifically rRNA

- Present in all living things

Question 25

Which rRNA is used in making the ‘Tree of life’?

Answer 25

16s rRNA

Question 26

How do you compare 16S rRNA between species?

Answer 26

• Isolate DNA encoding for 16S rRNA
• Amplify it and sequence it
• Compare different sequences
• Generate phylogenic tree

Question 27

Out of the three domains which are included in prokaryotes?

Answer 27

Bacteria and archaea

Question 28

Out of the three domains which are included in eukaryotes?

Answer 28

Eukarya

Question 29

What are some modern advances in microbiology?

Answer 29

• phylogenetic stains
• Community sampling of rRNA revealing diversity of bacteria in nature
• Discover of marine Archaea
• First genome sequence
• First large scale metagenomics project