Week 1

• What is a microbe?

  A living organism requiring a microscope
• What is the size range of microbial cells?

  From millimeters to 0.2 micrometers
• What are super-size microbial cells?

  Some protists like giant amoebas
• How do many microbes form complex structures?

  Cells differentiate into distinct types
• What is a virus?

  A non-cellular particle with genetic material
• What does a microbe's genome tell us?

  How it grows and interacts with species
• Who devised the method of DNA sequence analysis?


  Fred Sanger
• What is a metagenome?

  A collection of environmental DNA sequences
• What is the definition of a microbe?

  A living organism needing a microscope
• How did microbes shape human history?

  Through their use in food and disease
• What are some products made using yeast and bacteria?

  Bread, cheese, and alcoholic drinks
• What did microscopists in the 17th and 18th centuries contribute?


  Key concepts about microbes
• What was the "golden age" of microbiology?

  The 19th century's advances in disease principles
• What disease did Yersinia pestis cause?

  Bubonic plague
• How did the bubonic plague affect society?

  Led to social transformation during the Renaissance
• Who was the first microscopist to publish a systematic study?

  Robert Hooke
• What did Antonie van Leeuwenhoek observe?

  Single-celled microbes
• What is spontaneous generation?

  The idea that life arises from non-life
• What did Lazzaro Spallanzani demonstrate?


  Microbes arise from preexisting microbes
• What did Louis Pasteur discover about fermentation?


  It has a microbial basis
• What are Koch's postulates?

  Criteria for identifying disease-causing microbes
• What did Robert Koch contribute to microbiology?

  Developed principles for microbial investigation
• What is nitrogen fixation?

  Reducing nitrogen gas to ammonia
• What are extremophiles?

  Microbes from extreme environments
• What is the significance of Geogemma?

  It reduces rust at high temperatures
• What are Koch's postulates?

  1. Microbe found in all disease cases
  2. Microbe isolated and grown in pure culture
  3. Microbe introduced to healthy host causes disease
  4. Same strain obtained from newly diseased host
• How do microbes support natural ecosystems?

  • Cycle essential minerals
  • Fix atmospheric nitrogen
  • Contribute to oxygen production
• What are the contributions of Louis Pasteur to microbiology?

  • Discovered microbial basis of fermentation
  • Showed that spontaneous generation does not occur
  • Developed pasteurization techniques
• What did Sergei Winogradsky study?

  • Microbes in natural habitats
  • Their unique metabolic processes
  • Interaction with inorganic minerals
• Who is the module leader for the course on microbes?

  1. Caray A Walker
• What is the main focus of the module titled "What are Microbes?"

  Bacterial classification and identification
• What are the learning objectives of the module?

  • Describe the importance of bacterial classification
  • Discuss methods of bacterial classification and identification
  • Write bacterial names using correct nomenclature
• Who proposed the system of classification for organisms?

  Linnaeus
• What does classification involve according to Linnaeus?

  Grouping similar organisms together
• What language is used for naming organisms in classification?

  Latin
• What is the definition of classification?

  Sorting life-forms into categories
• Who proposed the system of classification that is still in use today for all living organisms, including bacteria?

  Linnaeus
• What is the purpose of classifying organisms?

  To understand the relationships between living organisms, ancestry and evolution, catalogue recognized species, and identify pathogens and disease outbreaks
• What is the correct way to write the name of a bacterial species?

  Bacillus cereus
• What does the abbreviation "Bacillus sp." mean?

  An unknown species of the genus Bacillus