Introduction to Microbiology – Historical Concepts (Vocabulary Flashcards)

Vocabulary flashcards covering key historical microbiology concepts from the notes.

Robert Hooke (1665)

First to observe and describe cells under a microscope.

Antoni van Leeuwenhoek (c. 1680s)

First to observe bacteria under a microscope.

Mycobacterium leprae

Bacterial causative agent of leprosy.

Quarantine

Geographical isolation of infected individuals to reduce disease spread (e.g., leper colonies as an example).

Spontaneous generation

Theory that life can arise from nonliving matter; challenged and disproven by Redi and Pasteur; opposed by biogenesis.

Francisco Redi (1668)

Experiment showing that maggots arise from flies, not from decaying meat.

Biogenesis

Theory that living organisms arise from pre-existing life.

Louis Pasteur

French microbiologist who disproved spontaneous generation, linked microbes to disease, and pioneered pasteurization and fermentation.

Pasteurization

Heating liquids to kill pathogens and reduce spoilage (e.g., milk, wine) as developed by Pasteur.

Fermentation

Microbial conversion of sugars into alcohol or acids; central to Pasteur’s work in microbiology.

Germ theory of disease

Idea that specific diseases are caused by specific microorganisms; advanced by Pasteur and others (not proven by Pasteur alone according to the notes).

Koch's Postulates

A four-part set of criteria to establish that a specific microbe causes a particular disease.

Streptococcus pyogenes

Bacterial species proposed as the cause of strep throat.

Silkworm disease and microbes (Pasteur’s work)

Pasteur linked silkworm disease to microbial infection, illustrating microbe–disease associations.