micro 1.1

What natural treatment might Ötzi have used for his infections?

The woody fruit of Fomitopsis betulinus fungus, having laxative and antibiotic properties.

What ancient practice is mentioned in the Bible regarding disease control?

Quarantining people with leprosy and other diseases.

Where was the earliest urban sanitation system constructed, and when?

In Mohenjo-daro and Harappa (Indus Valley) around 2500 BCE.

How did ancient Greeks explain disease?

They attributed disease to bad air ('mal'aria') or miasmatic odors.

What was the Cloaca Maxima in ancient Rome?

A giant sewer carrying waste away from Rome into the Tiber River.

Who is considered the 'father of Western medicine' and what was his belief about disease?

Hippocrates; he believed diseases had natural causes, not supernatural ones.

What important observation about immunity did Thucydides make during the Athenian plague?

Survivors did not get re-infected when caring for sick people.

What did Marcus Terentius Varro propose about disease?

Invisible 'minute creatures' enter the mouth and nose to cause disease.

What experimental method did al-Razi use to select a hospital location?

He hung raw meat around the city to find where it rotted slowest.

What medical distinctions did al-Razi make?

He distinguished measles from smallpox and tested specific treatments for each.

What is the Canon of Medicine and who wrote it?

An influential medical encyclopedia written by Ibn Sina (Avicenna) in 1025 AD.

Define microorganisms (microbes).

Very small organisms, mostly requiring a microscope to be seen.

Who first observed microbes, and what did he call them?

Antonie van Leeuwenhoek in 1675; he called them 'animalcules'.

What time period is known as the 'Golden Age of Microbiology'?

1857 to 1914.

Name two contributions of Louis Pasteur to microbiology.

Discovered microbial fermentation, invented pasteurization, and developed vaccines.

What was Robert Koch's major contribution to microbiology?

Demonstrated a direct link between a specific isolated microbe and human disease.

What is the Gram stain used for?

Differentiating bacteria into gram-positive and gram-negative groups.

What are the potential causes of meningitis?

Bacteria, fungi, viruses, or reactions to medication/heavy metals.

How is cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) obtained and what tests are performed?

Via lumbar puncture; tested by visual inspection, microscopy, Gram stain, and culture.

What percentage of bacterial meningitis cases show bacteria in CSF with Gram stain?

About 80%.

What is the purpose of a microscope in microbiology?

To produce magnified images of microscopic organisms and specimens.

Why are stains and dyes used in microbiology?

To add color to microbes to make them visible under a microscope.

What is a growth medium and what does it typically contain?

Nutrient mixture containing water, salts, carbon, and nitrogen sources.

What is a Petri dish and its standard dimensions?

A flat-lidded dish, typically 10-11 cm wide and 1-1.5 cm high.

What is a test tube used for in microbiology?

To grow microbes in broth, semisolid, or solid growth media.

What is the purpose of a Bunsen burner or microincinerator in the microbiology lab?

To sterilize lab equipment like inoculation loops using heat.

What is an inoculation loop and how is it used?

A wired handheld tool used to streak or transfer microbes.

What is the earliest known evidence of fermented beverages?

A Neolithic Chinese village (c. 7000 BC) making rice, honey, and fruit alcohol.

Define fermentation in the context of food production.

Microbial conversion of sugars into alcohol, gases, and organic acids.

List three examples of fermented foods historically produced with the aid of microbes.

Beer, wine, bread, yogurt, cheese, or pickled vegetables.

What two pathogens infected Ötzi the Iceman?

Trichuris trichiura (parasitic worm) and Borrelia burgdorferi (Lyme disease bacterium).