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• Microbiology is the study of organisms that are so small they cannot be seen with the naked eye, also known as microorganisms.
• Microbiology is divided into different fields of study including Bacteriology, Virology, Mycology, Parasitology, Phycology, and Immunology.
• Saboraud’s dectrose agar is a type of selective media.
• Selective media contain one or more substances that encourage the growth of only a specific target microorganism and inhibit the growth of others.
• Microbiology has an impact in the daily lives of humans.
• Thyer-Martin agar is a type of selective media.
• Lowenstein-Jensen medium is a type of selective media.
• Mannitol Salt agar is a type of selective media.
• McConkey’s agar is a type of selective media.
• Some microorganisms are essential in biotechnology and a wide range of industries which include food and beverage, pharmaceuticals, mining, genetics and many more.
• Some microorganisms, especially bacteria and fungi, are important sources of antimicrobial agents.
• Some microorganisms act as saprophytes or decomposers of waste products and dead organisms, making them essential in maintaining a balanced ecosystem.
• The study of microorganisms has led to a better understanding of how microorganisms produce disease, paving the way to better disease management and control.
• Alexander Fleming discovered the antibiotic penicillin.
• Edward Jenner developed a vaccine for smallpox.
• A compound microscope includes a Brightfield Microscope used to visualize bacteria and fungi, a Darkfield Microscope used to study specimens that are unstained or transparent and absorb little or no light, a Phase-contrast Microscope, a Fluorescence Microscope, a Confocal Microscope, an Electron Microscope, and a Scanning Probe Microscope.
• Paul Ehrlich discovered Salvarsan for the treatment of syphilis.
• Robert Hooke discovered the cell.
• Acid-fast stain has two methods: Ziehl-Neelsen stain, also known as the “hot method” because it requires steam-bathing the prepared smear after addition of the primary dye, and Kinyoun stain, also known as “cold method” as it does not utilize heat after addition of the primary stain, which is oil-based.
• Simple Stains use a single dye which can either be aqueous (water-based) or alcohol-based.
• In the 1930s, the electron microscope was developed.
• Staining is used to give color to the organisms, making them easier to see under the microscope.
• Robert Koch formulated Koch’s postulates.
• Differential Stains are used to differentiate one group of bacteria from another, with two types: Gram Stain which distinguishes gram-positive from gram-negative bacteria, and Acid-fast stain which is used for bacteria with high lipid content in their cell wall, hence cannot be stained using Gram stain.
• Joseph Lister applied the theory of aseptic surgery to medical procedures.
• Certain diseases which were thought to have been eradicated are now re-emerging.
• Anton Von Leeuwenhoek created a single-lens microscope that he used to make observations of microorganisms called animalcules.
• Louis Pasteur performed countless experiments that led to his germ theory of disease and developed the process of pasteurization.
• Hiss stain is used to identify the capsule or slime layer.
• Semi - solid media exhibit a clot-like consistency at ordinary room temperature and contain agar at concentrations of 0.5% or less that allows thickening of the media without producing a firm substance.
• LAMB(Loeffler’s Alkaline Methylene Blue) is used to identify metachromatic granules.
• Non-synthetic media are complex media that contain at least one ingredient that is not chemically defined, which means that it is neither a simple or pure compound.
• Solid Media contain a solidifying agent such as 1.5% - 2% agar, giving them a firm surface on which cells can form discrete colonies.
• Blood sugar contains general nutrients with 5% - 10% (by volume) blood added to a blood agar base.
• Dorner and Schaeffer stain is used to identify Fulton stain is used to identify spores.
• Fischer - Conn stain is used to identify flagella.
• General Purpose media are designed for primary isolation of a broad spectrum of microbes and contain a mixture of nutrients that support the growth of both pathogenic and non-pathogenic organisms.
• Dyer stain is used to identify the cell wall.
• Chocolate agar is a type of nutrient medium that is used for the culture of fastidious organisms such as Haemophilus sp.
• Synthetic media contain chemically-defined substances which are pure organic and/or inorganic compounds.