LEC 1

• Germ is derived from the Latin word 'germen', meaning to sprout or germinate
• Microbes, also known as microorganisms, are microscopic living organisms visible only with a microscope
• Microbiology is the study of all living organisms too small to be visible with the naked eye, including bacteria, archaea, viruses, fungi, prions, protozoa, and algae
• Anton van Leeuwenhoek (1632–1723) is referred to as the "Father of Microbiology," "Father of Bacteriology," and "Father of Protozoology"
• Louis Pasteur (1822–1895) discovered forms of life that could exist in the absence of oxygen and introduced the terms "aerobes" and "anaerobes"
• Joseph Lister devised methods to prevent microbes from entering wounds of patients, known as antiseptic surgery
• Ignaz Philip Semmelweis used antiseptic procedures to prevent childbirth fever
• Robert Koch provided direct evidence that bacteria were disease-causing agents and identified Bacillus anthracis as the cause of anthrax
• Julius Richard Petri developed the Petri dish for growing and manipulating microbial cultures
• Fanny Hesse developed the use of agar as a solidifying agent for microbiological media
• Hans Christian Gram developed the Gram stain technique to separate two major groups of disease-causing bacteria
• Edward Jenner reported the use of material from an individual infected with cowpox to immunize against smallpox in 1796
• Paul Ehrlich developed the first effective cure for a bacterial disease around 1910 called Salvarsan
• Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin in 1928
• Microorganisms are organisms that can only be seen through a microscope
• The two major categories of microbes are acellular microbes (viruses, viroids, virusoids, prions) and cellular microbes (bacteria, archaea, some algae, all protozoa, some fungi)
• Bacteria are prokaryotic organisms without a nucleus, reproducing through binary fission and found in various ecosystems
• Fungi are eukaryotic microorganisms including molds and yeasts, used in the production of alcoholic beverages and bread
• Protozoa are unicellular eukaryotic creatures with various movement methods like flagella, cilia, or pseudopodia
• Algae are plant-like creatures with cells surrounded by cellulose, essential in microbiology for photosynthesis
• Viruses are genetic material encased in a protein shell, reproducing in living cells and causing damage during duplication
• Bacteriophages are a special type of virus that primarily infects bacteria
• Branches of microbiology include Bacteriology, Immunology, Mycology, Nematology, and Parasitology
• Pure Microbiology involves thorough investigation of organisms and can be classified based on taxonomy
• Branches of Microbiology by Taxonomy include Bacteriology, Immunology, Mycology, Nematology, and Parasitology
• Parasitology is the study of parasites, which can include protozoa and bacteria
• Phycology is the study of algae
• Protozoology is the study of single-celled organisms like amoebae
• Virology is the study of viruses
• Medical microbiology focuses on pathogenic microbes, their role in human illness, microbial pathogenesis, epidemiology, disease pathology, immunology, human microbiota, cancer, and the tumor microenvironment
• Pharmaceutical microbiology studies microorganisms involved in the manufacturing of antibiotics, enzymes, vitamins, vaccines, and other pharmaceutical goods that can cause pharmaceutical contamination and spoil
• Industrial microbiology explores the use of microbes in industrial processes such as industrial fermentation and wastewater treatment, closely linked to the biotechnology industry, including brewing
• Microbial biotechnology involves the manipulation of microorganisms at the genetic and molecular level to generate useful products
• Food microbiology studies microorganisms causing food spoilage and foodborne illness, and the use of microorganisms to produce foods through fermentation
• Agricultural microbiology studies agriculturally relevant microorganisms, including plant microbiology, plant pathology, and soil microbiology
• Veterinary microbiology studies the role of microbes in veterinary medicine and animal taxonomy
• Environmental microbiology studies the function and diversity of microbes in natural environments, including bioremediation to clean air, water, and soils
• Water microbiology studies microorganisms found in water
• Aeromicrobiology studies airborne microorganisms
• Biotechnology is related to recombinant DNA technology or genetic engineering