Intro to microbiology (L1)

• Microbiology in Health Care

  • Preparation of guidelines for antimicrobials
  • Monitor antibiotic use and expenditure
  • Teaching health care professionals, public, and patients
  • Hospital pharmacists attend wards rounds and are a point of contact between pharmacy and other health care professionals
• Just in our gut, we have 500-1000 bacterial species
• Classes of microorganisms


  • Hazard Group 1 - Unlikely to cause human disease
  • Hazard Group 2 - Can cause human disease, unlikely to spread to community, effective prophylaxis or treatment available
  • Hazard Group 3 - Can cause severe human disease, may spread to community, effective prophylaxis or treatment available
  • Hazard Group 4 - Causes severe human disease, likely to spread to community, no effective prophylaxis or treatment available
• Microbiological Lab Design


  • Safety
  • Lab research zone
  • Clean zone
  • Lab support
  • Primary barrier
  • Secondary barrier
  • Work-top benches must withstand decontamination
• Physical infrastructure


  • Sign with biohazard symbol and containment level
  • Restricted access
  • Bench tops able to withstand heat
  • Ergonomically suitable furniture
  • Sinks with potable hot and cold water near exit
  • Open spaces between and under benches, cabinets and equipment accessible for cleaning
  • Fire control systems
  • Smooth and easy to clean walls, ceilings, etc.
• CFU= colony forming unit, the number of cells that can form a colony
• CFU equation = no. of CFU x dilution factor
• Microorganism: a microscopic organism, that can exist in its single-celled form or as a colony of cells
• Probiotics: live cultures of bacteria that are beneficial to the host
• Why do people take probiotics after a course of antibiotics?

  To restore the good bacteria in the gut, as antibiotics wipe out the good bacteria while it targets the microbes causing the infection
• Pathogenic bacteria: bacteria that can cause infection