MICROBIOLOGY

I. Generalities
INTRODUCTION TO
MICROBIOLOGY
 Objective:
At the end of lecture student can:
• Define Microbiology
• Explain the importance of microbiology in nursing
practice.
• Explain Binomial Nomenclature
• List contribution of the following scientist in
the field of microbiology
– A. V. Leeunvenhork
– F. Redi
– L. Pasteur
– R. Koch
• Distinguish between eukaryotic and prokaryotic
cell.
• List some basic properties of virus.
• List basic nutritional requirements of
microorganisms.
• Classify bacteria on the bases of their
nutritional requirement and morphology.
What is MICROBIOLOGY??
 • Very small to be
MICRO
seen by naked eye

BI • Lif
O e

LOGY • Science/
branch
So Why We Study
Microbiology?
Infectious Diseases are responsible for
Significant Mortality and Morbidity
Worldwide
In the Developed World about 1/3rd of all admitted
patients are those suffering from an infection.
DEFINITION:
Microbiology:
Is the science that deals with the study of micro-organisms (too small to be
seen by naked eye) their activities and their influences on different aspects
of life.
The organisms are widely distributed in nature.
Some of them are beneficial to man and some are harmful.

Medical microbiology deals with microbes that are harmful to man.

Eff ects on H u m a n beings:
Microorganisms

Benefi cial Harmful

Food Food
Bread, Wine, Cheese, spoilage
Yoghurt,
Vine ga r
Disease
Industrial applicatio n s s
E n z y m e s , Amin o BaÆerial
acids, Vitamins, Amibiotics, Viral
Vacc Fungal
inès, Pha rm aœutica l
industries. Sewage treatment
Agriculture
Recycling of e l eme n ts,
Nitrifying bacte ri a
Methods of study of Microorganism
• Light microscopy :
• Immersion microscopy
• Dark-field microscopy
• Phase-contrast microscopy

• Electron microscopy

• Luminescent microscopy
The agents of human infections belong to

Bacteria

Parasites Microbes Viruses

Fungi
 Bacteriology: is the science studying bacteria.
 Virology: is the science studying viruses.
 Mycology: is the science studying fungi.
 Parasitology: is the science studying parasites.
 Why is microbiology
important in nursing?

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 Everyday nurses’ encounter with microbial world while
working in medical health care settings.
 To prevent spread of infection
 To maintain sterile field
 To collect specimens
 To implement immunization schedule in
hospitals

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• Nurses are involved in controlling infection in
hospital, so nurses must know about microbiology.
• To know about harmful and harmless
microorganisms to human being.
• Nurses apply the microbiology knowledge in
health care for drug production, diagnosis and
sterilization methods and cleanliness.
• Nurses use hot water or anti- septic as a
measure to sterilize the surgical knives,
needles, scissors and other metals instruments
• Microbiology also gives knowledge to nurses on
how to h a n d l e a p a t i e n t a n d h i s s a m p l
e s i n f e c t e d w i t h communicable diseases to
free from microbes.
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How do we name
Microorganism?
BINOMIAL SYSTEM
 Binomial
System
Bi: Means 2
Nomial: Means
name

1. Name of Genus
2. Name of Species
e.g.
• Staphylococcus
aureus
– Staphylococcus
(genus)
– aureus (species)
• Escherichia coli ????
Histor
y
 DISCOVERY ERA:
“Spontaneous generation”
• Aristotle (322-384) and others believed that
living organisms could develop from non-
living materials.
• Examples:
• Meat produces maggots
• Mud produces fishes
• Grain produces mice
 DISCOVERY ERA
Antony van Leeuwenhoek
1632 – 1723 was a Dutch
businessman and scientist. A
largely self-taught man in science.
He is known as "the Father of
Microbiology", and one of the
first microscopists and
microbiologists Inventor of
the first microscope
• Leeuwenhoek earned his living
as a draper, but spent much of
his spare time constructing
simple microscopes composed of
double convex glass lenses held
between two silver plates.

• His microscope could magnify

around 50 to 300
• times.
• Described live
microorganisms in teeth
scrapings, rain water, and
peppercorn infusions.
 TRANSITION ERA:
Francesco Redi
(1626 - 1697)He showed that maggots
would not arise from decaying meat, when
it is covered.
 GOLDEN ERA:
Louis
•Pasteur
He is the father of Medical Microbiology.
• He pointed that no growth took place in swan
neck shaped tubes because dust and germs
had been trapped on the walls of the curved
necks but if the necks were broken off so
that dust fell directly down into the flask,
microbial growth commenced immediately.
• Pasteur in 1897 suggested that mild heating
at
62.8°C (145°F) for 30 minutes rather than
boiling was enough to destroy the
undesirable organisms without ruining the
taste of the product, the process was called
Pasteurization.
Contributions of Loius pasteur:

 He coined the term “microbiology”, aerobic, anaerobic.

 He disproved the theory of spontaneous germination.
 He demonstrated that anthrax was caused by bacteria and also
produced the vaccine for the disease.
 He developed live attenuated vaccine for the disease.
 He invented the processes of pasteurization, fermentation and the
development of effective vaccines ( rabies and anthrax).
 Pasteur demonstrated diseases of silkworm was due to a
protozoan parasite.
 Germ Theory of Disease:

KOCH’S CONTRIBUTIONS
• Koch developed four
postulates that aided in
the definitive
establishment of the
germ theory of disease.
 a
0

0 t‘Jo p a t h o g e n s

Suspected
patnogen
I r
• Based upon cell characteristics, living
organisms are recognized as having
✓ Eukaryotic
✓ Prokaryotic cell type
 Prokaryotes
• They are small cells.
• Don’t have a true nucleus
• Have a single chromosome
• (DNA).
• Have no nuclear
membrane.
• Have a small ribosomes
(70S).
• Reproduce by binary
fission.
•
 A Typical Prokaryote
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Cytoplas Ribośómes A Cell Cell

m Mãmbrane
 Eukaryotes
• Have a true nucleus
with a nucleolus
surrounded by a
nuclear membrane.
• Contain organelles, such as
mitochondria and
lysomsomes.
• Have multiple
chromosomes.
• Cell division is by
mitosis or meiosis.
 Cell

u
0
 Characteristics of Prokaryotic & Eukaryotic cells

Characteristic Prokaryote Eukaryote

Size Relatively small Larger
DNA content Nucleoid Nucleus
Chromosome One More than
number one
Mitochondria Absent Present
Nuclear membrane Absent Present
Size of ribOsomes 8oS
7oS
Multiplication Binary division Mitotic
Enzyme system Simple Complex
 Bacteria
• They are small and simple
Prokaryotes
• Their genetic material is a single
naked chromosome without
nuclear membrane.Surrounded by
a rigid cell wall.
• They contain 70S ribosomes
but no organelles, and
replicate by binary fission.
Parasites
Are eukaryotics.Either unicellular
(protozoa) or multicellular
helminths(worms)
 Fungi:
• Are eukaryotic cells with a
complex cell wall (chitin).
• Their cell membrane contains
sterol.
• Have chromosomes which are
enclosed by a nuclear
membrane and the cell contains
ribosomes and mitochondria.
• Exists as yeast, mold or both.
• Reproduce typically by asexual
and sexual mechanisms.
 Prion
• The word prion derives
from"proteinaceous infectious particle
• Prions are misfolded proteins ( small
protein particle) with the ability to
transmit their misfoldedshape onto
normal variants of the same protein.
• They characterize several fatal and
transmissible neurodegenerative
diseases in humans and many other
animals
 Viruses
• Are not cells and not
visible with the light
microscope.
• Replicate only in living
cells.
• Contain NO organelles.
• Contain either DNA or
RNA surrounded by a
protein coat.
Definition of Virus:
A virus is a
submicroscopic
infectious agent that
replicates .«...... . ,.
only inside the living
cells of an organism,
is a small parasite that
cannot reproduce by
itself.

Viruses infect all

types of life forms,
from animals and
plants to
microorganisms,
including bacteria
and archaea.
Nutritional Requirement
of Microorganisms:
Nutrients are substances used in biosynthesis
and energy release and therefore are required for
microbial growth
Classification of bacteria:
Bacteria can be classified in many ways. The first classification
scheme was published in 1773 and many more have appeared
since.
•Science of microbiology has developed other kind of
classification but medically important classification are as
follow:
➢ Morphological
➢ Anatomical
➢ Staining
➢ Cultural characteristics
➢ Nutrition
➢ Environmental factors
➢ Biochemical reactions
➢ Antigenic structure
Shapes of
Bacteria
There are 3 Basic
Shapes:
• Round
• Elongated
• Spiral
Round:
Bacilli or Rods:
Spirochetes:
 Morphological classification:
1. TRUE BACTERIA
• Cocci – Spherical or oval cells.
➢ Monococci (Cocci in singles)
➢ Diplococci (Cocci in pairs)
➢Staphylococci (Cocci in
grape like clusters)
➢ Streptococci (Cocci in
chains)
➢ Tetrad (Cocci in group of
four)
➢ Sarcina (Cocci in group of
eight)
• Bacilli – Rod-shaped
bacteria
➢ Diplobacilli.
➢ Streptobacilli
➢ Chinese-letter
form
➢ Coccobacilli
➢ Comma-shaped
2. ACTIINOMYCETES
(actin- ray, mykes-
fungus)
• These are rigid organisms
like true bacteria but they
resemble fungi in that
they exhibit branching
and tend to form
filaments.
• They are termed such
because of their
resemblance to sun rays
when seen in tissue
sections.
3.
•Spirochetes
These are relatively
longer, slender, non
branched
• microorganisms of
spiral shape having
several coils
4. Mycoplasma
• These bacteria lack in rigid
cell wall (cell wall lacking)
and are highly
pleomorphic and of
indefinite shape.
5. Rickettsia
and Chlamydia
These are very small,
obligate, Intracellular
parasites.
 Based on Anatomical features

• Capsule
 Capsulate –
Streptococcus
pneumoniae
 Non-capsulate –
Viridans streptococci
• Flagella
 Flagellate
• Monotrichou
s
• Lophotricho
us
• Amphitricho
us
• Peritrichous

 A flagellate
• Spore
• Spore-forming –
Bacillus spp.
• Non-sporing –
Escherichia coli
 Based on Staining reaction:
• GRAM’S STAIN
➢ Gram-positive
cocci
➢ Gram-negative
cocci
➢ Gram-positive
rods
➢ Gram-negative
rods
A. Free-living (extracellular bacteria)

i. Gram-positive

a. Cocci Streptococcus Pneumonia, pharyngitis,

cellulitis

Staphylococcus Abscess of skin and other

organs
 (i) Aerobic Bacillus
Anthr a x

(z) Anaerobic Clostridium Tetanus, gas gangrene,

botulism

c. Non-spore-forming rods

(i) NonPiIamentous Diphtheri a

Corynebacteriklm
Listeria Meningitis

(z) Filamentous Actinomyces Actinomycosis

Nocardia Nocardiosis
 a. C oc c i Neisseria Gonorrhea, meningitis
b. Rods
(a) Faculrative
(a) Straight
(i) Respiratory Me ningitis
organisms
Bordetella W h o o p i n g cough
Legionella Pneumonia
(ii) Z oor ofic Brucella Brucellosis
organisms
Francisella Tularemia
Paste urella Cellulitis
Versiriia Plague
(iii) Enteric and Escherichia Urinary
related organisms tract
EnferobacLer infection,
Serratia
diarrhea
U rina ry
Xlebsiella
tract
infection
Salmonella
Pneumoni
Shigella a
Proteus Pneumoni
a, urinary
tract
infection
 (b) Curved Campylobacter Enterocolit is

Helicobacter Gastritis, peptic ulcer

Vibrio Cholera

(z) Aerobic Pseudomonas Pneumonia, urinary tract

infection

(3) Anaerobic Bacteroides Peritonitis

Mycobacterium Tuberculosis, leprosy

3- Acid-fast

B. Non-free-living (obligate Rickettsia Rocky Mountain spotted fever,

intracellular parasites) typhus, Q fever

Chlamydia Urethritis, trachoma,

psittacosis
ll. f lexible, thick walled Treponema Syphilis
cells spirochetes)

Borrelîa Lyme disease

Leptospira Leptospirosis

III. WALL LESS

CELLS Mycoplasma Pneumonia
Based on environmental factors:

• Oxygen
dependence
• Temperature
• pH
• Salt concentration
• Atmospheric
pressure
 Temperature

• Psychrophiles: Grow well at zero or below 7C

(15-25) –Pseudomonas fluorescens
• Mesophiles (20-45C) – Escherichia coli, Salmonella
enterica, Staphylococcus aureus
• Thermophiles Grow well above 45C- Bacillus
stearothermophilus
• Extremely thermophiles (as high as 70C)
Optimum(80-90) Thermus aquatus, Thermococcus
spp
 Oxygen dependence
• Aerobe (grow in ambient temperature, which contains
21% O2 and a small amount of CO2, 0.03%) (Neisseria)

• Obligate aerobes – Strictly require O2 for their

growth (Pseudomonas aeruginosa)

• Microaerophilic (grow under reduced O2, 5-10% and

increased CO2, 8-10%)- Campylobacter jejuni,
Helicobacter pylori
 Oxygen Dependence

• Obligate anaerobe – Clostridium spp.

• Facultative anaerobe (capable of growing

either in presence or absence of O2)- E. coli

• Capnophilic (require increased concentration of

CO2, i.e., 5-10%) – H. influenzae,N.gonorrhoeae
 D e m o n s t r a ti o n o f O x y g e n R e q u i m m e n t s

Hig
h

O*
tensio
n
Aerobic Microaerophilic Facultative Anaerobi
L{top growth) (growth
Aerotolerant anaerobic anaerobic c
o just below (growth (some (bohom
surface) throughou growth in growth)
w t) Oy)
pH
• Acidophiles: pH: >6
(Lactobacillus
acidophilus)
• Alkaliphiles: pH:
<8 (Vibrio)
• Neutralophiles:
(pH 6-8)
• Majority of the
medically
important bacteria
 Salt concentration

• Halophiles
• Non-
halophiles