Microbiology Foundations: Branches, Microbes, History, Classification & Lab Methods
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136 Terms
What is mycology?
The study of fungi, including yeasts and molds.
What does protozoology focus on?
The study of protozoa.
What is phycology?
The study of algae.
Define parasitology.
The study of parasites and host interactions.
What is immunology?
The study of the immune system and how the body defends against pathogens.
What does microbial genetics encompass?
The study of heredity, mutation, gene expression, and genetic engineering in microorganisms.
What is the etymology of 'microbiology'?
It comes from Greek words: 'Mikros' (small), 'Bios' (life), and 'Logos' (study).
What is the difference between 'microorganism' and 'microbe'?
'Microorganism' is a general term for microscopic organisms, while 'microbe' often refers to their role in infection and disease.
What is medical microbiology?
The diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of infectious diseases.
What does serology study?
Antibodies in blood serum, particularly as indicators of infection.
What is epidemiology?
The study of the frequency, distribution, and spread of disease.
Define bacteriology.
The study of bacteria.
What is virology?
The study of viruses.
What is etiology in microbiology?
The study of the causation of disease.
What is infection control?
The practice of hygiene in healthcare settings to control nosocomial infections.
What is bioremediation?
The use of microbes to degrade organic matter and detoxify pollutants.
What is industrial microbiology?
The use of microbes for the production of enzymes, antibiotics, and biofuels.
What is agricultural microbiology?
The use of microbes to control insects and pests.
What does microbial leaching involve?
Using microorganisms to process and harvest precious metals from toxic heavy metals.
What is the role of microorganisms in digestion?
Microorganisms in the digestive tract are essential for digestion and nutrient absorption.
What is nitrogen fixation?
The process by which nitrifying bacteria convert atmospheric nitrogen gas into compounds usable by plants.
What are genetically modified bacteria used for?
To protect crops from pests and freezing.
What is the significance of photosynthetic microbes?
They produce over 50% of Earth's oxygen and are involved in decomposition and nutrient recycling.
What is the importance of microorganisms in ecosystems?
They drive nutrient cycles, maintain homeostasis, and are essential for the breakdown and recycling of nutrients.
What is synthetic microbiology?
Engineering microorganisms with new capabilities using synthetic biology and genetic circuits.
What is the focus of molecular biology in microbiology?
The study of DNA, RNA, plasmids, gene regulation, and microbial genetics.
What are Gram-negative pathogens?
Pathogens that are part of the indigenous microflora but can cause disease under certain conditions.
What is the Human Microbiome?
The collection of microbes living on and within humans, estimated to have a near 1:1 ratio with human cells.
What is indigenous microflora?
Microbes that live on and in our bodies without causing disease.
What are opportunistic pathogens?
Microbes that can cause disease when the host's immune system is compromised.
What is antimicrobial resistance (AMR)?
The ability of bacteria to resist the effects of drugs, leading to treatment failures.
What diseases can pathogens cause?
Infectious diseases and microbial intoxications.
What is the forecast for deaths due to AMR between 2025 and 2050?
39 million deaths directly attributable to bacterial antimicrobial resistance.
Who is known as the Father of Microbiology?
Antonie van Leeuwenhoek, who first observed microorganisms in the 1670s.
What is the Theory of Spontaneous Generation?
The early belief that living organisms could arise from nonliving matter.
What is the Theory of Biogenesis?
The hypothesis that living organisms arise only from preexisting life forms, proposed by Rudolf Virchow.
What did Francesco Redi demonstrate?
He disproved spontaneous generation by showing that maggots come from flies, not decaying meat.
What is the Germ Theory of Disease?
The principle that specific infectious diseases are caused by microscopic organisms.
What is fermentation?
A metabolic process where microorganisms break down carbohydrates into acids, gases, or alcohol without oxygen.
What is pasteurization?
A process of heating liquids or foods to kill disease-causing microorganisms and spoilage enzymes.
What did Louis Pasteur contribute to microbiology?
He developed pasteurization, disproved spontaneous generation, and contributed to the Germ Theory of Disease.
What is the Aseptic Technique?
A set of procedures used to prevent contamination by pathogens in healthcare and laboratory settings.
What was the Goose Neck Flask Experiment?
An experiment by Pasteur that demonstrated that microorganisms in the air caused microbial growth in broth.
What diseases did Robert Koch identify the causative agents for?
Tuberculosis, Cholera, and Anthrax.
What significant contribution did Robert Koch make to microbiology?
He developed techniques related to microbiology and confirmed the causative agent of Anthrax.
What is spoilage?
The process where food or substances become unfit to eat due to microbial activity.
What is the significance of the 1905 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine?
Awarded to Robert Koch for his work on tuberculosis.
What is the role of efflux pumps in antimicrobial resistance?
They eject drugs from bacterial cells, contributing to resistance.
What is enzymatic inactivation in the context of AMR?
The process by which bacteria produce enzymes that deactivate antibiotics.
What is target site modification?
A mechanism of resistance where bacteria alter the antibiotic's target site to prevent drug binding.
What is the estimated global impact of AMR?
AMR now accounts for 1 in 6 laboratory-confirmed bacterial infections worldwide.
What is the significance of the term 'microbiology'?
It refers to the study of microorganisms, coined by Louis Pasteur.
What methods did early microbiologists develop for bacteria?
Methods for fixing, staining, cultivating bacteria, testing antiseptics, and distinguishing bacteriostatic from bactericidal concentrations.
Who was the first to use agar as a solid culture medium in bacteriology?
Robert Koch
What are Koch's Postulates?
Four criteria to establish a causative relationship between a microbe and a disease: 1) Observe, 2) Isolate, 3) Infect, 4) Re-isolate.
Who discovered the causative agent of Anthrax?
Robert Koch discovered that Bacillus anthracis is the causative agent.
Which bacterium causes Pneumonia?
Streptococcus pneumoniae
Who discovered penicillin?
Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin in 1928.
What did Alexandre Yersin discover?
He discovered the bacteria that causes plague, Yersinia pestis.
What is the causative agent of Meningococcal meningitis?
Neisseria meningitidis
Who discovered the causative agent of Typhoid Fever?
A.A. Gartner discovered Salmonella typhi.
What is the significance of Carolous Von Linnaeus in microbiology?
He is known as the Father of Taxonomy and established the binomial system of nomenclature.
What did Charles Louis Laveran discover?
He discovered that the causative agents of Malaria and African Sleeping Sickness are parasitic protozoa.
What is the role of Hans Christian Gram in microbiology?
He developed the Gram stain to identify and classify bacteria.
What did Ignaz Semmelweis advocate for?
He advocated for hand disinfection to reduce puerperal fever mortality.
Who is considered the Pioneer of Epidemiology?
John Snow, for his work on the cholera outbreak in London.
What did Edward Jenner develop?
He developed vaccination techniques against smallpox.
What did Emil von Behring receive a Nobel Prize for?
For his work on serum therapy (Serology).
What is the causative agent of Diphtheria?
Corynebacterium diphtheriae
What did Dmitri Ivanovski discover?
He discovered that the causative agent of Tobacco Mosaic Disease is the Tobamovirus tobacco mosaic virus (TMV).
What is the causative agent of Traveler's Diarrhea?
Escherichia coli
Who discovered the causative agent of African Sleeping Sickness?
Robert Forde and Joseph Dutton discovered Trypanosoma brucei gambiense.
What is the significance of Sergei Winogradsky in microbiology?
He is the founder of Soil Microbiology and demonstrated bacterial nitrification.
What is the causative agent of Gas Gangrene?
Clostridium perfringens
What did Martinus Beijerinck discover?
He recognized viral dependence on cells for reproduction and coined the term virus.
What is the causative agent of Tetanus?
Clostridium tetani
What concept did Aristotle propose around 300 BC?
Spontaneous Generation
Who proposed the germ concept in 1546?
Fracastoro
Who was the first to observe microbes in 1676?
Leeuwenhoek
What significant medical advancement did Jenner achieve in 1796?
The Smallpox Vaccine
Which scientist proved the germ theory in 1857?
Pasteur
What did Pasteur develop in 1861?
Pasteur's flasks
What did Koch demonstrate in 1876?
Bacterial causation of disease
What antibiotic did Fleming discover in 1928?
Penicillin
What did Avery identify as genetic material in 1944?
DNA
Who discovered the DNA double helix structure in 1953?
Watson and Crick
What did Woese discover in 1977?
Archaea
What major public health achievement occurred in 1979?
Smallpox eradicated
What technique did Mullis invent in 1983?
PCR technique
What was the first bacterial genome fully sequenced?
Completed in 1995
What was completed in 2003?
Human Genome Project
What project was initiated in 2007?
Microbiome Project
What bacterial technology was developed in 2012?
CRISPR-Cas9
What is taxonomy?
The science of classification of living organisms
What mnemonic helps remember the levels of classification?
Did King Philip Come Over For Good Spaghetti
What is the most inclusive taxonomic level?
Domain or Superkingdom
What is the smallest and most specific taxon?
Species
What is nomenclature in taxonomy?
The assignment of names to various taxa
What does the Binomial System of Nomenclature involve?
Combining the genus name and species name
What does 'sp.' denote in scientific naming?
Single species