Transcript Fundamentals of Microbiology

Fundamentals of Microbiology
The Microbial World and You
Of Microscopes and
Observations
 Anton
van Leeuwenhoek
– simple, single-lens microscope
– observed animalcules
– first to observe bacteria
From Monk’s Room to Unit of
Life
 Robert
Hooke
thought what he
was looking at
resembled the
rooms monk’s
occupied…..
Cells
from the 17th to the 19th
century
 It
was the middle of the 19th century
before major improvements of the
compound microscope made study of
microorganisms reasonable
 There were basic techniques for
studying microbes which were not
devised until the late 19th century
Perplexing Questions Drove
Development of Microbiology
Does
spontaneous
generation
occur?
What
is the
nature of
contagious
disease?
Spontaneous Generation
Pile
garbage in the streets …..
Bring to life … rats
Hang meat to cure …Generate
… flies
Put mutton broth out to cool …
Create … microorganisms
Misconceptions Can Die Hard
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Needham
– experiments showed that the part of air necessary
to living organisms is oxygen
Spallanzani
– elegant experiment disproving spontaneous
generation
» sealed flask necks then boiled broth….nothing
grew
Needham or something else used to dispute any
work discrediting the idea of spontaneous
generation.
Took in the neighborhood of 200 years to put this
idea to rest
Enter Louis Pasteur - Beer
and Wine Expert
 Believed
that
fermentation was
microbial process
rather than a strictly
chemical one
 Believed that
microorganisms
carried on dust
particles were
responsible for
spoilage
Two Little Experiments-One
Giant Leap for Biogenesis
 Sealed
flasks containing boiled mutton broth
– opened in the dusty streets of Paris meant
contamination
– opened in the clear clean air of the snow
fields on Mont Blanc meant no
microorganisms