Microbiology for Allied Health
D. Page Baluch
Microbiology
Many technical terms, names of cell structures are formed from Latin or Greek roots micro - very small; bio – life; ology – study
study of very small living organisms that cannot be seen with unaided eyes
Microorganisms or microbes
They are virtually everywhere - ubiquitous
Types of Microorganisms
Bacteria
Fungus
Yeast & molds
Bacillus
E. coli
Algae
Archaebacteria
Diatom
Dead Sea salt pillar
Protozoa
Virus
Paramecium
HIV
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Why study microbiology?
W e have trillions of living microbes in our bodies
– indigenous or normal microflora
3% known microbes are disease-causing
(pathogens)
Essential for life on planet e.g oxygen production, nutrients recycling, food chain,
Industrial use e.g. bioremediation (decompose industrial waste), genetic engineering (gene transfer), food & beverage (bread, butter, cheese, beer, wine), antibiotics (penicillin, tetracycline) Microbiology
Different specialties within microbiology
Bacteriology
Virology
Mycology
Phycology
Parasitology
Immunology
Applied microbiology – apply knowledge of microbiology to different aspects of society, medicine & industry.
Medical microbiology
Clinical microbiology
History of Microbiology
Oldest fossils of microbes – 3.5 billions years old (compared to animal 630 millions years old) Earliest infectious disease was recorded in
3180 B.C. in Egypt (disease was also known as pestilence)
Since microorganisms cannot be seen with the naked eye, the development of microbiology largely relies on the development of microscopes
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History of Microbiology
Major contributors
Robert Hooke - the first cell in cork
“Observation XVIII" of the
Observation
Micrographia by Hooke, 1665
Micrographia by Hooke
History of Microbiology
Major contributors
Robert Hooke - the first cell in cork
Anton van Leeuwenhoek - the first living microbe
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