Medical and Public Health Microbiology

• Microbiology - study of organisms that are too small to be seen by the naked eye
• Microbiology : its purpose is to isolate and identify pathogenic microorganisms
• Antoinne Van Leewenhoek (1632 - 1723) - first true microbiologist
• Antoinne Van Leewenhoek (1632 - 1723) - Known as the Father of Bacterioogy and Protozoology
• Antoinne Van Leewenhoek (1632 - 1723) - First person to observe and accurately describw living microorganism, such as bacteria and protozoa
• Antoinne Van Leewenhoek (1632 - 1723) - used the term “animalcules”, or the tiny living and moving cells seen under the microscope
• Rudolf Virchow (1821 - 1902) - proposed the theory of biogenesis, which states that living cells can arisw only from pre-existing living cells
• Louis Pasteur (1822 - 1895) - Proposed the use of heat in killing microorganisms, which is now called antiseptic technique
• Louis Pasteur (1822 - 1895) - He used the term “vaccine” for attenuated culture.
• Louis Pasteur (1822 - 1895) - Developed the anthrax and rabies vaccine
• Louis Pasteur (1822 - 1895) - He improved the wine-making process (fermentation and pasteurization).
• John Tyndall (1820 - 1893) - showed that dusts carry agents that could contaminate a sterile broth
• Ferdinand Cohn (1828 - 1898) - he discovered that there are bacteria that could withstand a series of heating and boiling because of heat-resistant strutcures known as endospores
• Ignaz Semmelweis (1816-1865) - He demonstrated that routine handwashing can prevent the spread of disease
• Joseph Lister (1827-1912) - introduced the system of antiseptic surgery in Britain
• Joseph Lister (1827-1912) - pioneered promoting handwashing before and after operation, wearing of gloves, sterilizing surgical instruments
• use of phenol as an antimicrobial agent for surgical wound dressing
• Robert Koch (1843 - 1910) - First to show tjat bacteria can cause disease
• Robert K. - Bacilus anthracis, the causative agent of Anthrax
• Robert K. - Mycobacterium Tubercolosis, causative agent of pulmonary tubercolosis
• Fanny Hesse (1850- 1934) - use of Agar, a solidifying agent, in the preparation of culture media
• Julius Richard Petri (1852-1921) - developed the petri dish
• Edward Jenner (1749-1823) - introduced smallpox vaccination through cowpox inoculation
• Ellie Metchnikoff (1845-1916) - first to describe the immune system cells and the process of phagocytosis
• Alexander Flemming (1881- 1955) - Accidentally discovered the antibiotic penicillin (Penicillin notatum)
• Alexander Flemming (1881- 1955) - discovered the lysozome
• Taxonomy - area of biological science that compromises three distict areas :

  • classification
  • nomenclature
  • identification
• Taxonomy - formal system of organizing, classifying and naming living things
• Taxonomy - based on the similarities and differences in the genotype and phenotype of organisms
• Classification - organization of microorganisms that have similar morphologic, physiologic, and genetic traits into specific groups of taxa
• Classification : 9 designations :

  1. Domain
  2. Kindom
  3. Phylum
  4. Class
  5. Order
  6. Family
  7. Genum
  8. Species
  9. Subspecies
• Designation : Domain ; Definition : Bacteria and Archaebacteria
• Designation : Kingdom ; Definition : Composed of a similar phyla, similaritied of DNA and RNA
• Designation : Phylum ; Definition : composed of similar classes
• Designation : Class ; Definition : composed of similar orders
• Designation : Order ; Definition : composed of families
• Designation : Family ; Definition : composed of genera
• Designation : Genus ; Definition : composed of various species with common characteristics
• Designation : Species ; Definition : basic group, collection of bacterial strains with common physiologic and genetic features
• Designation : Subspecies ; Definition : species divided in the following phenotypic :

  1. Serotype - based on serologic differences
  2. Biotype - based on biochemical differences