BIOS 202
Scope and History of
Microbiology
Why is the study of microbiology important
What is the scope of microbiology
What are some major events in the early
history of microbiology
What is the germ theory of disease, what led
to its formation
Microorganisms are units of life which are
smaller than the eye can see.
Micro – smaller than what can be seen with
the unaided eye.
Biology-study of living things
Microbiology=study of microscopic
organisms
“Microorganisms are in us, on us, and nearly
everywhere around us.”
Microorganisms are essential to the web of
life
Microorganisms can be used to cure disease
as well as cause them
Microorganisms are great research tools
Simple structures
Large numbers can be used to obtain more
reliable results
Reproduce quickly/more generations
Microorganisms include a wide variety of
organisms including bacteria, fungi,
protozoa, helminths, and some algae
In addition, microbiology studies viruses and
prions
◦ Viruses are acellular entities that are classified as
microorganisms but are somewhere between living
& nonliving
Viruses have some living characteristics,
which are displayed after they enter a cell
but for the most part cannot do much on
their own which is why they are sometimes
referred to as nonliving
Prions are infectious protein agents
Consist of a singel protein and NO nucleic
acid
Less than 1% of microbes cause disease
Most are innocuous
Many are beneficial to the environment that
they inhabit
◦ Live on roots of plants and produce Nitrogen
In humans, the number of microorganisms in
the body far outweigh the number of human
cells (by a factor of 10)
Basic Research
◦ Various fields classified
by type of organism you want to study (virology,
parasitology)
By disease
By process
Applied Micro
By environment
By industial use
By disease
Important to plant, animal and human health
Helpful in recycling of waste
Produce antibiotics, vitamins, hormones,
beverages, food
Genetic engineering
Gene therapy
Make up a good deal of the environment
The history of Microbiology is OLD…It dates
to before the bible
Egyptian pharaohs protected their tombs with
fungal spores – caused infection in those who
disturbed the tomb
Leprosy described in bible
Greeks – anticipated microbiology – could not
see microorg. But knew they were the cause
of illness (just by observations)
◦ Hippocrates
◦ Thucydides
Bubonic Plague (Black Death) of 542AD
appeared in the Mediterranean region and
killed millions
1347 plague entered Europe and over the
next 300 years it killed 25% of the world’s
population
Smallpox most serious disease in history.
Probably killed more people than any other
Variolation (Chinese) prevented smallpox
1790, Edward Jenner realized that milkmaids
who got cowpox did NOT get smallpox
Jenner inoculated (son) with fluid from a
cowpox blister and his son did NOT get
smallpox. (Variolation)
Vacca (latin for cow) is where we get the term
vaccine
Robert Hooke built the first compound
microscope in 1665 (cells in cork)
Anton Van Leeuwenhoek (lens grinder) made
a microscope that could magnify 300x.He
observed the first “animalcules” or living
cells.
Cell Theory – Schleiden and Schwann
◦ Cells are fundamental units of life and carry out all
the basic functions of living things.
Germ Theory of Disease –
◦ Concept states that microorganisms (germs) can
invade other organisms and cause disease
Spontaneous Generation –
◦ States that living organisms can arise from non-
living entities.
◦ Series of experiments done in the 1860’s by Francis
Redi, Louis Pasteur and others refuted this theory
Francis Redi’s Experiment
Louis Pasteur
Many contributions:
◦ Developed pasteurization (56C in the absence of
Oxygen for 30min), this killed microbes the that
were causing wine to sour
◦ Rabies vaccine
◦ 1st to start associating specific organisms with
specific diseases
Identified and worked with the bacterium that
causes anthrax (Bacillus anthracis)
Developed procedures that grow bacteria in
pure culture but wanted to study single cells
of the organism..this proved difficult until
Wife of his assistant Angelina Hesse
suggested adding agar to liquid mediums
Agar solidified the medium (in a Petri plate)
which allowed Koch to spread liquid medium
on a solid surface
This allowed individual organisms to separate
from each other and grow in their own
colonies
Still used today
After working with Anthrax he devised four
postulates that can be applied to MOST
infectious agents
◦ 1. Specific causative agent must be found in
every case of the disease
◦ 2. Disease organism must be isolated in a
pure culture
◦ 3. Inoculation of a sample of the culture into a
healthy, susceptible animal must
produce same disease
◦ 4. Disease Organism must be recovered from
the inoculated animal
◦ Why can’t you apply these 4 postulates to ALL
infectious agents????
At the same time as Pasteur and Koch were
Inganz Semmelweis and Joseph Lister
◦ Both were convinced that microorganisms cause
infections
Semmelweis recognized the connection
between autopsies and puerperal fever
Both were ridiculed
Read up on Pasteur and Semmelweis and
initiated the use of carbolic acid (dilute) on
bandages and instruments to cut down
infections
His persistence led to the first aseptic
techniques, which were proven to reduce the
number surgical wound infections
Immunology
◦ Jenner, Pasteur, and Elli
Metchnikoff were founders of
Immunology
Metchnikoff (1880s) discovered
concept of phagocytosis
Charles Chamberland (1884) developed
porcelain filters that would remove bacteria
from water
Martinus Beijerinck discovered some
infectious agents were not removed by the
filters - viruses
Medicinal plants have been used since the
beginning of civilization. Some still used
today. Ex. ephedrine, morphine
Metallic agents such as mercury were used to
treat syphilis
Paul Ehrlich (1870s) discovered certain dyes
could stain bacteria but not other cells and
that these dyes could kill microbial cells
“Magic bullet” a chemical that would kill
specific bacteria without hurting other cells.
Coined the term chemotherapy
Alexander Fleming discovered lysozyme –
found in tears and saliva, could kill bacteria
Also discovered that Penicillium mold
prevented the growth of a Staphylococcus
bacteria and realized its potential!
Selman Wakesman coined the term antibiotics
in 1941
Wakesman studied soil samples for growth
inhibiting microorganisms or their products
Eventually streptomycin was created and used
against tuberculosis
Mendel spawned a new field of genetics in
19th century
Most of his work was ignored for many years
1928 Griffith discovered Streptococcus
pneumoniae could alter its nature
1950s Barbara McClintock proposed that
genes could move within genetic material
Her ideas brought about the idea of jumping
genes
1953 Watson and Crick – structure of DNA
Gene therapy 1980s and 90s
Human Genome Project
Microorganisms are not going anywhere.. in
fact they are forever changing and evolving.
Microbiologist have to stay current and try to
stay ahead of the challenges that evolution
has in store.
Microbiology was recognized long before all
of us and will be here for a long time after us
Without special scientist and their drive to
find new information we would all be a lot
more scared of the microbes that are all
around us!
