HISTORY OF MICROBIOLOGY

• Antibiotics are produced naturally by bacteria and fungi to kill or prevents the growth of microorganisms.
• Microbiology is defined as the study of organisms that are too small to be seen by the naked eye.
• The discovery of microorganisms was first suggested by Lucretius (98 - 55 B.C) and Girolamo Fracastoro (1478 - 1553).
• Francesco Stelluti (1577 - 1723) made earlier observations on bees and weevils using a microscope supposedly supplied by Galileo.
• Anton van Leeuwenhoek (1632 - 1723) is considered as the “first true microbiologist” and is the first person to observe and accurately describe living microorganisms such as bacteria and protozoa, thus the accorded title of “Father of Bacteriology”.
• Anton van Leeuwenhoek used the term “animalcules” to describe microorganisms.
• Anton van Leeuwenhoek used his self-made single lens microscope with 50x to 300x magnification to study bacteria and protozoa.
• Spontaneous Generation states that life arises from non-living matters.
• Aristotle (384 - 322 BC) mentioned that simple invertebrates could arise from spontaneous generation.
• Francesco Redi (1626 - 1697) demonstrated that maggots could not arise from spontaneous generation decaying meat.
• John Needham (1731 - 1781) observed that boiled mutton broth eventually became cloudy after pouring it into a flask that was sealed tightly and asserted that organic matter possessed a “vital force” that could give rise to life.
• Lazzaro Spallazani (1729 - 1799) improved the previous experiment of Needham by heating the broth placed in a sealed jar and observed that no growth took place as long as the flasks remained sealed.
• Rudolf Virchow (1821 - 1902) challenged the doctrine of spontaneous generation with the concept of biogenesis.
• Theodor Schwann (1810 - 1882) observed that no growth occurred in a flask that contained a nutrient solution after allowing the air to pass through a heated tube.
• Henrich Schroder (1810 - 1885) and Theodore von Dusch (1824 - 1890) noticed that no growth occurred after allowing air to pass through a sterile cotton wool placed on a flask of heat-sterilized medium.
• Louis Pasteur (1822 - 1895) disproved the doctrine of spontaneous generation and proved that while the air does not generate microbes itself, microorganisms are indeed present in it and can contaminate a sterile solution.
• John Tyndall (1820 - 1893) showed that dusts carry germs that could contaminate a sterile broth.
• Tyndallization is a form of sterilization in the 19th century that uses moist heat for three consecutive days to eradicate vegetative cells and endospores.
• Robert Koch discovered “Bacillus anthracis” the causative agent of anthrax, in 1876.
• Howard Florey and Ernst Chain made the purification process for penicillin and clinical trials to humans.
• The suspected microorganism must be isolated from a diseased host and grows in a pure culture.
• Robert Koch developed a culture media for observing bacterial growth isolated from the human body.
• Robert Koch postulates that the microorganisms must be present in every case of the disease but absent from a healthy host.
• Joseph Lister introduced the system of antiseptic surgery in Britain.
• Antoine-Laurent Lavoisier showed the importance of oxygen to life.
• Theodor Schwann stated that yeast cells are responsible for the conversion of sugars to alcohol.
• Pasteur proved that the presence of air, bacteria convert the alcohol in the beverage into vinegar or acetic acid.
• Julius Richard Petro developed the petri dish, which is a circular glass or plastic plate for holding the culture media.
• Robert Koch was the first to show irrefutable proof that bacteria indeed cause diseases.
• Paul Ehrlich discovered salvarsan (arsphenamine) for the treatment of syphilis.
• Synthetic drugs are drugs/medicine prepared from chemicals in the laboratory.
• The same disease must be present when the isolated microorganisms are inoculated into a healthy host.
• Pasteur stated that the souring and spoilage of wine are caused by different bacteria.
• Ignas Semmelweis demonstrated that routine handwashing can prevent the spread of diseases.
• The Germ Theory of Disease is based on the concept that microorganisms can cause disease.
• Chemotherapy is the use of chemical substances in the treatment of diseases and also refers to the chemical treatment of non-infectious diseases such as cancer.
• Louis Pasteur described that certain microorganisms known as yeast convert sugar to alcohol in the absence of air (fermentation).
• Ferdinand Cohn discovered that there are bacteria that could withstand a series of heating and boiling due to heat-resistant structures known as endospores.
• Robert Koch discovered Mycobacterium tuberculosis, which is the causative agent of pulmonary tuberculosis in 1882.
• Fanny Hesse suggested the use of agar, a solidifying agent, in the preparation of culture media.