Chapter 1
Scope of Microbiology
Lesson 1.1:
Scope of Microbiology (1 of 2)
1. Describe the achievements of scientists
in the early years of microbiology.
2. Discuss the different types of
microscopes and their use.
3. Explain the theory of spontaneous
generation
4. Discuss the germ theory of disease and
its significance.
5. Name and describe Koch’s postulates.
Lesson 1.1:
Scope of Microbiology (2 of 2)
6. Discuss the origin and evolution of
microorganisms.
7. Describe the differences between
prokaryotes and eukaryotes.
8. Explain the role of taxonomy.
9. Describe the different ways of microbial
transmission.
10. Name and briefly describe the different
uses of microorganisms in everyday life.
Microbiology
Study of microorganisms
Variety of techniques used for:
Visualization
Identification
Study of microbial function
Science of microbiology
Originated with invention of the microscope
Comparison of Cell Sizes
Microscopy allowed humans to magnify
objects and microorganisms not
detectable by the naked eye.
Technological advances have led to the
improvement of microscopes, which
became an essential investigative tool
for biology in general and for the study
of cells, tissues, and microorganisms.
Microscopy and Its Founding
Fathers
Zaccharias and Hans Janssen
Dutch eyeglass makers
Produced the first compound microscope
around 1590
Antony van Leeuwenhoek (1632–1723)
Native of Holland
Father of microscopy
Observed protozoans and bacteria
“Animalcules”
Robert Hooke (1635–1703)
English scientist
Improved design & capability of the compound
light microscope
Observed insects, sponges, protozoans, and
more
Light Microscopes
Uses visible light and optical lenses
Either simple or compound
Ocular lens
Objective lens
Final magnification: Multiply the
enlarging power of both the ocular and
objective lenses
Example: ×10 times ×4 = ×40
Dissection and stereomicroscopes
Low power: For observing whole objects
Bright-field microscopes
Background is lighter than observed
specimen
Most specimens require fixing and staining
Dark-Field Microscopes
Used to view unfixed, unstained
specimens such as living organisms
Background dark, specimen bright
Motility can be easily observed because
the organisms are alive
The dark-field microscope illuminates
from the side rather than directly
through the specimen.
Phase-Contrast Microscopes
Used to view unfixed, transparent
specimens
Effective for observation of cytoplasmic
streaming, motility, and the dynamic
states of cell organelles
Phase-contrast microscopy produces
high-contrast images of transparent
specimens such as living plant and
animal cells, microorganisms, and thin
tissue slices.
The phase-contrast microscope
enhances the contrast of the image by
Fluorescence Microscopes
Ultraviolet illumination
Visualization of specimens that contain
naturally fluorescent substances or that
have been stained with fluorescent
stains/dyes
Used in diagnosis of infectious diseases
Used in microbial ecology
Applied to identify specific antibodies in
response to antigens
Confocal Microscopes
Sharper images
Allows visualization of different planes
of a specimen
Often by using a laser for illumination
Image can be displayed three-
dimensionally with “electronic staining”
Electron Microscopes (1 of 2)
Electron microscopes (EMs) are
sophisticated 20th-century instruments
Transmission electron microscope (TEM)
Electron beam goes through specimen
Special preparation, sectioning, and staining
Two-dimensional images
Good internal detail
Pictures are referred to as electron
micrographs
Electron Microscopes (2 of 2)
Scanning (SEM)
No sections
Scans the surface of an object
Three-dimensional image
Scanning Probe Microscopy
(SPM)
A group of tools used to examine
structures down to the atomic level
Examples include the atomic force
microscope (AFM) and the scanning
tunneling electron microscope (STEM)
Spontaneous Generation (1 of 3)
Abiogenesis: Life develops from
nonliving matter
Proponents
Firmly believed that living things can come
from nonliving matter
Opponents
Started doubting and developed
experiments to contradict abiogenesis
Louis Pasteur ended the controversy
Spontaneous Generation (2 of 3)
Francesco Redi
Maggots from fly eggs
Antony van Leeuwenhoek
Animalcules gave “fuel” for each side of the
debate
John Needham
Turbidity in boiled broth
• Claimed victory for abiogenesis
Spontaneous Generation (3 of 3)
Lazzaro Spallanzani
Repeated Needham’s experiment without
air access to the flask
Louis Pasteur
The definitive experiment with broth in
swan-necked flasks
Germ Theory of Disease (1 of 2)
Suspicion that microorganisms cause
not only spoilage and decay but also
infectious disease
Oliver Wendell Holmes
Childbirth deaths linked to dirty hands of
midwives or physicians
Ignaz Semmelweis
Linked maternity infections to
contamination of hands
Required chlorine solution wash
Germ Theory of Disease (2 of 2)
Joseph Lister
Expanded protocols with aerosol disinfection
Introduced aseptic techniques
Robert Koch
Investigation of anthrax
Convinced of the existence of infectious
microorganisms
Koch’s postulates
Edward Jenner
Smallpox
Immunization: Start of immunology
Koch’s Postulates
Koch’s postulates state the following:
The microbe must be present in every
animal with the disease, and absent in
healthy animals
The microbe can be isolated and grown in
pure culture outside of the host
The cultured microorganism must cause the
same disease in inoculated animals
The same microorganism must then be
isolated from the inoculated animal
Origin and Evolution
of Microorganisms
Origin
The origin of microorganisms is described in
geological time
The rich fossil record of prokaryotic life
suggests that microbes were perhaps the
first living things on earth
Evolution
Prokaryotes go back 3.5 to 4 billion years
Eukaryotic life goes back 2.2 billion years
Classification of Microorganisms
(1 of 2)
Prokaryotes
No membrane-bound organelles, such as a
nucleus (pro, before; karyon, nucleus)
Archaea, bacteria
Eukaryotes
With membrane-bound cell organelles
Algae, fungi, protozoans
Classification of Microorganisms
(2 of 2)
Viruses
Noncellular, submicroscopic particles
Consist of nucleic acid surrounded by a
protein coat
Prions
Not cellular, not viral, lack nucleic acids
Proteins that misfold and become an
infectious agent
Viroids
Do not have a protein coat
Are plant pathogens
Taxonomy (1 of 2)
The formal system of organizing,
classifying, and naming living organisms
Domain, kingdom, phylum (division for
bacteria), class, order, family, and genus,
species, strain
Binomial (scientific) nomenclature:
Established by Linnaeus
Escherichia coli
Taxonomy (2 of 2)
Each organism has at least two names:
Genus and species
Scientific names are italicized or
underlined
Genus is capitalized, and species is in
lower case
After the first use, scientific names may
be abbreviated with the first letter of
the genus
E. coli
Bergey’s Manual of Systematic
Bacteriology
Woese-Fox System: Three
Domains
Based
on genetic rather than
morphologic similarities
Bacteria
Archaea
Eukarya
• Protists
• Fungi
• Plants
• Animals
Microorganisms in
Health and Disease (1 of 2)
Microbial ecology
Often deals with biofilms
Interactions
• Mutualism
• Commensalism
• Synergism
• Parasitism
Microorganisms in
Health and Disease (2 of 2)
Normal flora versus pathogens
Foodborne diseases
Organism/toxin contamination
Waterborne diseases
Organism contamination
Airborne diseases
Aerosols
Applied Microbiology (1 of 2)
Food production
Yogurt, bread
Alcoholic beverages
Wine, beer
Treatment of water supplies
Indicator organisms
Pharmaceutical agents
Penicillin
Applied Microbiology (2 of 2)
Agriculture
Soil microbes, nitrogen cycle
Bioremediation
Petroleum-digesting bacteria
Energy
Fuel cells, ethanol, methane
Forensics
Medicine, criminal justice, epidemiology,
bioterrorism