Introduction to Medical
Microbiology
Mulualem Tadesse (PhD, Assistant
Professor)
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Course description & objectives
Course description
•It is designed to prepare students to describe, differentiate, and identify
pathogenic microorganisms using concepts and principles of microbiology
and applications of microbiological techniques in health care and
community setting
Course objectives
After completion of this course, the student will be able to:
•describe the nature of medically important microorganisms, classification,
and mode of transmission;
•explain the pathogenesis and clinical outcome of infections;
•identify basic microbiology laboratory diagnostic methods/ tests; and
•apply the skills in infectious disease prevention and control practices.
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Microbiology
Historical background
They study of microbes or microorganisms
Microbes, or microorganisms are minute living things that are
usually unable to be viewed with the naked eye.
It considers the microscopic forms of life and deals about their
evolution, classification, morphology, reproduction,
physiology,
participation in the process of nature,
helpful and harmful relationship with other living things,
significance in science and industry
Medical microbiology
is the study of causative agents of infectious diseases of
humans and their reactions to such infections.
In other words it deals with etiology, pathogenesis,
laboratory diagnosis, specific treatment and control of
infection (immunization).
What are Microorganisms?
Microorganisms are creatures that are not directly
visible to the unaided eye, with dramatic biological
diversity.
Viruses ,
bacteria,
fungi,
protozoa and
some algae
Sub divisions of microbiology
Bacteriology – which deals with bacteria
Mycology- which deals with fungi
Virology -studies about viruses
Parasitology: Deals about parasites
Protozology – which deals with Protozoa.
Immunology – the science which concerned with
mechanisms of body protection against pathogenic
microorganisms and foreign cells and substances.
Historical background
Man kind has always been affected by diseases which were
originally believed to be visitations by the gods
Hippocratus, father of medicine, observed that ill health
resulted due to changes in air, winds, water, climate, food,
nature of soil and habits of people.
Fracastorius (1500 G.C.) proposed that the agents of
communicable disease were living germs, that could be
transmitted by direct contact with humans and animals, and
indirectly by objects ;
o but no proof because of lacking experimental evidence
Historical background
Antony Van Leeuwenhoek (1632-1723 G.C.),
Father of Microbiology, observed “animalcules” using simple
microscope with one lens.
He was the first person who properly described the different shapes
of bacteria.
Question raised - where did they originate?
Although Leeuwenhoek was not concerned about the origin of
micro-organism; many other scientists were searching for an
explanation for spontaneous appearance of living things from
decaying meat,
stagnating ponds, fermenting grains and infected wounds
Historical background
Two major theories were formulated
1. Theory of Abiogenesis
2. Theory of Biogenesis
Theory of Abiogenesis
deals with the theory of spontaneous generation; stating that living
things originated “spontaneously” from non-living things.
Aristotle (384-322 BC): The founder of a theory spontaneous
generation.
He observed spontaneous existence of fishes from dried ponds,
when the pond was filled with rain.
Theory of Biogenesis
Francisco Redi
States that life comes from pre existing life
He is the scientist who first tried to set an experiment to disprove
spontaneous generation.
Performed experiments that disproved theory of Spontaneous
Generation for more complex forms of life
Utilized jars containing meat.
Some were covered, some were not.
Maggots appeared in uncovered jars.
The controversy on spontaneous generation took 200 years.
Theory of Biogenesis: -
Francesco Redi.
Hypothesized: Redi suspected that flies landing on the meat laid eggs
that eventually grew into maggots
Biogenesis
In 1858 German scientist, Rudolf Virchow
challenged spontaneous generation with his concept of
biogenesis
Living organisms arise from pre-existing life
Virchow presented his idea to the scientific community,
but could not back it up with a convincing experiment
Settlement of Spontaneous Generation
In 1861, a French scientist -Louis Pasteur demonstrated
where microorganisms came from
Father of Medical Microbiology
Demonstrated the microorganisms exist in the air and could
contaminate sterile solutions by passing air through cotton
filters
o The filter trapped tiny particles floating in the air
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Louis pasture (1822- 1895)
was the scientist who disproved the theory of abiogenesis
once and for all.
Performed experiment to disprove Theory of spontaneous
generation.
In his experiment he filtered air through cotton plug.
He placed plug in infusion broth, broth became cloudy -
organisms present in the air.
He designed a large curved flask (pasture goose neck flask)
and placed a sterile infusion broths.
Flasks remained sterile unless tilted or neck broken.
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Louis pasture.- experiment
• Pasteur proved that microorganisms entered to the broth
with the air and micro organisms did not evolve
spontaneously
The Germ Theory of diseases
Pasture has also developed the germ theory of diseases,
which states that a specific disease is caused by a specific
type of microorganism.
Robert Koch, in 1876 established an experimental
procedure to prove the germ theory of disease, which
states that specific disease is caused by specific pathogen.
The scientific procedure is known as Koch’s Postulate.
Koch’s Postulate: - proof of germ theory of disease
A Micro-organism can be accepted as a causative agent of an
infectious disease only if the following conditions are
satisfied.
1. The specific causative agent must be found in every case of the
disease.
2. The disease organism must be isolated from the lesions of the
infected case and maintained in pure culture.
3. The pure culture, inoculated into a susceptible or experimental
animal, should produce the symptoms of the disease.
4. The same bacterium should be re-isolated in pure culture from
the intentionally infected animal.
Fig. Koch’s postulate
Exceptions to Koch’s postulate
Many healthy people carry pathogens but do not exhibit
symptoms of the disease.
Some microbes are very difficult or impossible to grow in vitro
(in the laboratory) in artificial media. Eg. Treponema pallidum.
Many pathogens are species specific. Eg. Brucella abortus
cause abortion in animals but not in humans.
Certain diseases develop only when an opportunistic pathogen
invades imuno-compromised host.
Any Last questions ???
