History of Microbiology, Golden Ages, and Biosafety

A set of question-and-answer flashcards covering key figures, concepts, discoveries, and safety levels from the lecture notes on the history of microbiology.

What is the Transition Period in microbiology and what concept does it cover?

The period marking the shift from spontaneous generation to biogenesis, leading into the Golden Ages of Microbiology.

Which scientists are associated with refuting spontaneous generation in the notes?

Redi and Spallanzani demonstrated that life does not arise from non-living matter.

Which scientists contributed to early microscopy and cell observation?

Hooke observed cells; van Leeuwenhoek was the first to see microorganisms with a microscope.

Who developed the smallpox vaccine using cowpox (the origin of vaccination)?

Edward Jenner.

What hygiene practice did Semmelweis advocate for in 1847?

Hand hygiene to prevent puerperal (childbed) fever.

Who is considered the first epidemiologist for linking cholera to contaminated water?

John Snow.

What is pasteurization and who pioneered it?

Pasteurization is heating liquids to kill pathogens; pioneered by Louis Pasteur.

What does the germ theory of disease propose and how is it connected to asepsis?

It proposes that microorganisms cause disease and led to aseptic techniques to prevent infection.

What are Koch's postulates?

A set of four criteria used to establish that a specific microbe causes a disease.

Who discovered agar as a solid culture medium and why is it important?

Angelina Hesse introduced agar for solid media, enabling better bacterial growth and isolation.

What is the significance of Brucella abortus found in milk (1918) in the notes?

It highlighted the presence of pathogens in milk and spurred pasteurization standards, adopted widely by 1967.

Who are the key figures associated with penicillin and its development?

Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin; Howard Florey and Ernst Chain developed its mass production and purification.

How do Jenner's vaccination approach and Pasteur's vaccine approach differ?

Jenner used immunity from exposure to cowpox to protect against smallpox; Pasteur used attenuation of pathogens to create vaccines for various diseases.

What is an attenuated vaccine and which polio vaccines illustrate it?

A live pathogen weakened so it elicits immunity; Sabin's oral polio vaccine is live attenuated (vs Salk's inactivated vaccine).

What techniques are associated with the Second Golden Age of microbiology?

Electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and radiolabeling enabling subcellular study and DNA structure analysis.

Who contributed to determining the structure of DNA and what technique aided it?

Crick and Watson built the DNA double-helix model; Franklin’s X-ray diffraction data and Wilkins’ contributions aided the discovery.

What are the differences between Salk’s and Sabin’s polio vaccines?

Salk’s vaccine is an inactivated, injected vaccine; Sabin’s vaccine is a live attenuated, oral vaccine.

What is the significance of X-ray diffraction in molecular biology?

It provided crucial structural data leading to the discovery of the DNA double helix, notably through Franklin’s work.

Who are the main contributors associated with the Second Golden Age of antibiotics?

Fleming discovered penicillin; Chain and Florey developed its production and purification.

What do the terms bioremediation and bioweapons refer to in microbial genetics?

Bioremediation uses microbes to clean pollutants; bioweapons involve using microbes as weapons.

What is microbial evolution and why is antibiotic resistance important?

The study of how microbes evolve over time; antibiotic resistance arises due to selection pressure and leads to emerging and re-emerging diseases.

What are the four biosafety levels (BSL) and their general risk categories?

BSL-1: minimal risk; BSL-2: moderate risk; BSL-3: serious disease via inhalation; BSL-4: life-threatening/exotic agents with maximum containment.

Give examples of agents associated with each biosafety level as mentioned in the notes.

BSL-1: nonpathogenic organisms; BSL-2: E. coli, Staphylococcus aureus; BSL-3: Mycobacterium tuberculosis; BSL-4: Ebola virus, Marburg virus.

Which early scientists promoted spontaneous generation and which refuted it, according to the notes?

Aristotle promoted spontaneous generation; Redi and Spallanzani refuted it.

What is the role of Pasteur in the development of microbiology?

Pioneered pasteurization, contributed to germ theory and vaccines, and advanced concepts leading to aseptic techniques.

What is the overarching purpose of implementing Biosafety Levels (BSL) in laboratories?

To protect laboratory staff, the public, and the environment from infectious agents by ensuring appropriate containment.

Key figures and their contributions during the First Golden Age of Microbiology include whom?

Louis Pasteur (pasteurization, vaccine development, disproved spontaneous generation) and Robert Koch (established Koch's postulates, identified disease-causing agents).

What impact did electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction have on microbiology during the Second Golden Age?

They enabled detailed visualization of subcellular structures, viruses, and molecular components like DNA, propelling advancements in microbial genetics.