Chapter 1.
Microbiology: An Introduction
Microbiology: the study of very small living organisms which include
Bacteria, Archaea, Protozoa, some Fungi, some Algae.
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• Viruses, Viroids and Prions are non-living particles (acellular infectious agents) that may
cause disease in human, animals or plants.
• Microscopes are instruments used to observe microorganisms.
• Microorganisms ( or microbes) are too small to be seen by the unaided eyes.
• They are found almost everywhere (ubiquitous). Those that live in various parts of the
human body are called indigenous microflora (or normal flora or microbiota).
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Why study microbiology
A) Beneficial Microbes(87%):
1) Decomposers or saprophytes (organisms that live on dead or decaying
organic matter) break down dead organic materials (plants and animals)
into inorganic nutrients.
2) Recycle chemical elements (such as oxygen, carbon, and nitrogen) in soil,
water and air.
3) Microbes are essential for life on this planet. For example, some microbes
produce oxygen by the process known as Photosynthesis.
4) Many microbes are used in various industries, such as food, beverages,
and chemicals. The use of microbes in food industry is called Biotechnology
or Industrial Microbiology.
5) Some microbes ( called normal flora or microbiota) Live in human and
other animals, they are important to maintain good health.
6) Production of drug, antibiotics and vaccines.
7) Bioremediation : is the use of microorganisms to decompose or remove
pollutants (example, oil spills).
8) Genetic engineering : manipulate microbes to produce substances such as
insulin. 3
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B) Pathogenic microorganisms (3%) are harmful:
1) Some cause food spoilage and pharmaceutical products.
2) Microorganisms cause two types of diseases:
[a] Infectious diseases are diseases caused by microorganisms
“NOT ALL DISEASES ARE CAUSED BY MICROBES”
[b] Microbial Intoxications:results when a person ingests a toxin (poisonous
substance) that has been produced by a microbe.
A parasite: An organism that lives on or in another living organism
Examples of infectious diseases:
C) Opportunistic or Opportunists microorganisms (Approximately 10%):
Opportunistic pathogens are microorganisms, that inhabit our bodies, with the
potential to cause disease, but do not cause disease under normal conditions.
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B) The minority microorganisms (3%) are harmful:
1) Some cause spoilage of food and pharmaceutical products
2) Few are pathogenic. Pathogens are microorganisms that cause disease
Infectious diseases are diseases caused by microorganisms
“NOT ALL DISEASES ARE CAUSED BY MICROBES”
A parasite: An organism that lives on or in another living organism
Examples of infectious diseases:
C) Approximately, 10% of microorganisms are opportunistic or opportunists.
Opportunistic pathogens are microorganisms, that inhabit our bodies, with the
potential to cause disease, but do not cause disease under normal conditions.
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Brief History to Microbiology
• Microbes discovered around 3.5 billion years ago preserved in fossils and occupied earth before
animals and humans.
• Scientists studied infectious disease in the ancient ages through mummies (tuberculosis & syphilis).
Anton Van Leeuwenhoek (1632-1723)
(the Father of Microbiology)
• First observed bacteria & protozoa.
• Single-lens microscope (simple microscope).
• Described microbes as animcules.
• Samples teeth, pond water, rain water, blood, sperms.
• Scientists believed at that time “life could develop spontaneously from
inanimate substances, such as decaying corpses, soil, and swamp gases.
The idea that life can arise spontaneously from nonliving material is called
the theory of spontaneous generation or abiogenesis :
“living cells can arise only from preexisting cells”.
A) “Spontaneous Generation” or “Abiogenesis” : says that
“living organisms arise from nonliving matter”.
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Louis Pasteur (1822-1895) demonstrated that microorganisms everywhere
Contributions of Louis Pasteur in the field of microbiology:
1. He discovered the fermentation process. He demonstrated
that different types of microorganisms produce different fermentation products.
Examples: Yeasts (Fungi) convert glucose in grape into ethanol (ethyl alcohol);
Acetobacter (bacteria) convert the glucose into acetic acid (vinegar)
2. He developed the process of pasteurization to kill microbes that cause spoilage &
disease.
3. He developed vaccines to prevent rabies, anthrax, chicken cholera
4. He introduced the terms aerobes and anaerobes.
5. He disproved the theory of spontaneous generation. By developing
“Pasteur’s Swan Necked Flask Experiment”
•
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C) “The germ theory of disease” which says that:
“a particular microorganism causes a particular disease”
It was proposed by Robert Koch (1843-1910)
Koch’s Postulates
1) The microorganism or other pathogen must be
present in all cases of the disease
2) The pathogen can be isolated from the diseased
host and grown in pure culture
3) The pathogen from the pure culture must cause
the disease when inoculated into a healthy,
susceptible laboratory animal
4) The pathogen must be re-isolated from the new
host and shown to be the same as the original pathogen
Exceptions of Koch’s postulates:
o Some pathogens will not grow on artificial media. Viruses
o Many pathogens are species-specific
o Some diseases are not caused by one pathogen
o Some pathogens become altered when grown in vitro
Koch’s contributions to microbiology:
• He developed methods of fixing and staining bacteria
• He developed methods of cultivating bacteria on solid
media and obtaining pure culture 9
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Vaccination and Immunity
1796: Edward Jenner inoculated a person with cowpox virus. The person was
then protected (immune) from smallpox. This was called vaccination.
In a vaccination, immunity (resistance to a particular disease) is conferred by
inoculation of a vaccine.
A vaccine: A biological preparation that improves immunity to a particular
disease.
Immunology: is the study of immunity.
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy is the chemical treatment of infectious disease
Infectious diseases: are diseases caused by microorganism.
Microbial intoxication: is a disease caused by microbial toxins.
Antimicrobial agents are either:
A) Antibiotics, substances produced naturally by bacteria and fungi to inhibit the
growth of other microorganisms. Penicillin
B) Synthetic drugs, chemically prepared in the laboratory, Sulphonamide
C) Semi-synthetic, antibiotics that are modified in the laboratory. Ampicillin
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Bacteriology: the study of structure, Medical Microbiology: is concerned with
functions, and activities of bacteria medicine and microbiology
Virology: the study of viruses and their Diagnostic or clinical Microbiology: is
effects on living cells. concerned with the laboratory diagnosis of
infectious diseases.
Mycology: the study of fungi Food microbiology: is concerned with the
production of food and prevention of food
spoilage, poisoning and toxicity.
Protozoology: the study of protozoa Biotechnology (industrial microbiology): the
use of microorganisms in industry
Phycology: the study of algae Microbial ecology: The study of the
relationship between microbes and the
environment
Parasitology: the study of parasites Agricultural microbiology: is concerned
with agriculture (soil) and microbiology
Applied microbiology: knowledge of Veterinary microbiology: is concerned with
microbiology to be applied to different diseases and prevention in animals, 12
