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Microbiology
Specialized area of biology that deals with organisms ordinarily too small to be seen without magnification.
Microorganisms
A living thing ordinarily too small to be seen without magnification.
Classification
Orderly arrangement of organisms into groups.
Nomenclature
System of assigning names.
Binomial nomenclature
Two-name system of naming organisms (Latin, Greek). Two names: Genus, species. It's always underlined or italicized. Genus first letter always capitalized, species not capitalized. Once it's been mentioned, the genus name can be shortened.
Acellular organisms
Viruses. Exist without a cellular structure.
Cellular organisms
Prokaryotes and Eukaryotes.
Prokaryotes
Organisms whose genetic material is not enclosed in membrane and lack specific organelles including a nucleus (bacteria).
Eukaryotes
Organisms whose genetic material is enclosed in nucleus (fungi, protozoa, algae).
Prokaryotes versus Eukaryotes
Prokaryotic cells are smaller than eukaryotic cells, and in addition to lacking a nucleus, they lack other complex internal compartments called organelles. All prokaryotes are microorganisms while only some eukaryotes are microorganisms (including algae, protozoa, molds and yeasts- and even anthropods).
Binary fission
The way bacteria reproduce. Splitting of a parent cell into two equal parts.
Pathogen
Disease causing agents.
Genetic engineering
Manipulates the genetics of microbes, plants, and animals for the purpose of creating new products and genetically modified organisms.
Recombinant DNA
Switch DNA from one organism to another to design new organisms.
Lactic acid bacteria
Dairy products, yogurt and cheese.
Hypothesis
A tentative explanation or statement to account for what is observed or measured.
Theory
Hypothesis backed by growing data.
Spontaneous generation
Life can rise from nonliving material.
Cell theory
All things are made of cells.
Biogenesis
the production of living organisms from other living organisms
Fermentation
Organisms convert sugar into alcohol or acid (vinegar). Using bacterial/fungal enzymes, convert food substrate from one form to another. Aid in slow food spoilage. Foods use it for flavor and other properties. Fermentation products include Lactic acid, acetic acid, yeast, etc.
Pasteurization
To kill organisms by heat, some spoiling agents still stay.
Germ theory of disease
Theory that microbes can invade other organisms and cause diseases.
Koch's postulates
Set of procedures to determine if a microbe causes a certain disease. Verified the germ theory of disease.
Aseptic technique
Aimed at reducing microbes in a medical setting and preventing wound infections. Lister proposed the idea of aspetic techniques and the importance of hand washing and equipment sterilization.
Chemotherapy
Treatment of disease by the use of chemical substances. Now problem with drug resistance.
Synthetic drugs
Chemical substances made in a lab.
Antibiotics
Chemical substance made by microbes.
General sizes of macroscopic organisms?
1 mm
Size of Microscopic organisms?
1 um to 100 um
Size of Viruses?
10 nm to 100 nm
What are the 3 domains used in the Woese-Fox system of classification?
Bacteria, Archaea, Eukarya.
Which domain are fungi members of?
Eukarya
Which domain are Viruses?
Neither
Viruses
Neither prokaryote or eukaryote; acellular. Very small (nm). Need an electron microscope to see them. Parasite. Core/caspid contains nucleic acids and a protein coat. Some envelope around caspids.
Bacteria
Prokaryote. All are microbes. Has a cell wall made up of Eubacteria peptidoglycan. Absorb nutrition. Reproduce by binary fission. Unicellular. Commonly found in biofilms.
Algae
Unicellular, some are multicellular. Reproduce asexually and sexually. Nutrition by photosynthesis. Cell wall made of cellulose.
Fungi
Some are unicellular, some are multicellular. Nonmotile. Reproduce by asexual and sexual reproduction. Cell wall made of chitin. Fungi digest outside then ingest, absorb by release enzymes into environment. Cell membrane made of ergosterol instead of cholesterol.
Protozoa
Unicellular. Reproduce sexually and asexually. No cell wall. Absorb nutrition. Use pseudopods, cilia and flagella for motility.
Name 3 cellular structures protozoa use for locomotion
Pseudopods, flagella, cilia.
Be familiar with the ways that microbes affect the world.
Found everywhere, part of the ecosystem (make greenhouse gasses, soil formation, mineral extraction), Nutrient recycling (CO2 and Nitrogen fixation). Decomposition. Interactions with other organisms- pathogens or beneficial.
What general metabolic process used by microbes aids in food production?
Fermentation.
Why did the study of microorganisms not officially begin until the 1500s?
Microscope not developed until the 1500's.
Hooke
Coined the term "cell."
Needham
Spontaneous bacteria in heated broth with cover.
Pasteur
S-neck flask and aseptic technique. Vaccine for cholera and rabies.
Schwann & Schleiden
All living things are made of cells.
Lister
Use carbolic acid sprayer (phenol) to sterilize surgical wounds and instruments to reduce infection.
Semmelweis
Hand washing during child birth by doctors.
Jenner
Vaccine for smallpox.
Venter & Smith
Complete sequence of bacterial genome.
What are the three theories of how life emerged discussed in lecture?
Cell theory, biogenesis, spontaneous generation.
What were the major accomplishments of the Golden Age of Microbiology?
Fermentation Pasteurization, Germ Theory, Vaccination.
Why does milk spoil even if it is pasteurized?
Some spoilage organisms stay.
Name two foods that are pasteurized besides milk
Eggs, Honey.
What are the two types of chemotherapy?
Synthetic drugs and antibiotics.
Sterile
Complete absence of viable microbes.
Aseptic
Prevent infection.
Inoculation
Cultivating (CULTURING) microorganisms by introducing a sample (INOCULUM) into a container of nutrient medium.
Culture
Observable growth that appears in or on the medium (cloudiness, colony)
Incubation
The medium is placed in a temperature-controlled chamber (INCUBATOR) to allow for growth that is observed macroscopically as growth on the plate surface or cloudiness in a liquid medium. Important because this is where cells have a chance to duplicate.
Isolation
Separate individual microbes and achieve isolated colonies
Inspection
Colonies/broth observed macroscopically for growth characteristics (Color, texture, size) for analysis.
Identification
Determine the type of microbe.
Inoculum
Sample.
Agar
Growth medium that is flexible, holds nutrients and moisture. Solid at room temperature, not readily digested by organisms.
Synthetic/defined growth media
All chemicals known.
Complex growth media
Exact chemical makeup unknown.
General purpose growth media
Broad spectrum, usually nonsynthetic/complex, no specific growth requirements (nutrient agar or TSA). Grows a bunch of things at once. Just put a bunch on and see what grows.
Enriched growth media
Complex medium with added special nutrients (vitamins, serum), growth of fastidious organisms. Example: Blood agar.
Selective growth media
One or more agents that inhibit growth of certain organisms from a mixed sample. Kills one type and selects a different one.
Differential growth media
Allow for the growth of different microbes but permits ways of telling them apart. Doesn't kill one type.
Fastidious organisms
Organisms that require complex nutrients and special growth factors.
Colony
Mounds of cells, consists of one species.
Pure culture
Only one known species/type of microbe identified.
Mixed culture
Two or more easily identified species of microbes- the different types SHOULD be there.
Contaminated culture
Once pure/mixed culture with undesired organisms (CONTAMINANTS) added that ruins experiment.
Magnification
The ability of a microscope lens to make the image of an object to appear enlarged.
Resolution
Resolving power, the ability of a microscope lens to distinguish between two separate entities that sit near one another, ability to show detail.
Virtual image
Image observed by the eye. Formed by ocular lens.
Real image
Formed by objective lens, closest to the specimen.
Total magnification
Power of objective lens X power of ocular lens.
Mount
Specimen placed on glass slide.
Smear
Dead or fixed preps.
Why are studying microbes a challenge for scientists?
Microbes hard to see without help, Can have contamination from other undesirable organisms, Microbes found in complex associations so need to separate and identify different organisms, Need to grow organisms in artificial conditions.
What are the 5 I's of culturing microbes?
Inoculation, Incubation, Isolation, Isolation, Inspection, and Identification.
What are examples of instruments used for inoculation?
Loop, needles, pipettes, swabs.
Only 1% of all microorganisms are studied in the lab. Why do you think this is the case?
Some microbes are nonculturable meaning we can't supply them with the proper growth medium.
What are the advantages of the use of agar as the hardening agent in growth medium as compared to gelatin?
Agar is solid at room temperature and not digestible by organisms. Also, agar is flexible and holds moisture and nutrients.
Agar is what type of macromolecule and is made from what organism?
Carbohydrate
What are the differences between synthetic and complex media?
We know all of the chemicals of synthetic media but complex media has one or more unknown chemicals.
If blood or milk is added to a medium, is it complex or synthetic?
Complex.
Liquefiable or reversible solid media example
Agar, Gelatin.
Nonliquefiable media example
Potato slices.
General Purpose Medium
Nutrient agar/ Trypticase soy agar (TSA).
Complex media example
Nutrient agar/blood agar/ EMB/ MacConkey agar.
Enriched media example
Blood agar.
Selective media example
EMB/MacConkey agar/ Sabourauds/Salmonella Shigella.
Differential media example
Hektoen/EMB/ Blood Agar/Bird Seed.
examples of growth media that have multiple functions
MacConkey and Blood Agar and Mannitol Salt Agar.
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