Lesson 1

Microbiology and
Microorganisms
1.1. Science of
Microbiology
 Microbiology
Study for micro organisms, their interactions with
other organisms and the environment.
Microorganisms
• It is a very small life forms and the observation of it
depends on the use of microscope.
• Organisms that is microscopic, often illustrated using
single-cell or unicellular organisms
TYPES OF
Diseases caused by Bacteria
 Sepsis
 Pneumonia
 Urinary tract infections
 Wound infection
 Tuberculosis
 Cholera
 tetanus
Diseases caused by Virus
 CHICKEN POX
 COMMON COLD
 INFLUENZA
 AIDS
 MUMPS
 MEASLES
 HEPATITIS
Diseases caused by fungi
Candidiasis
Athlete’s
foot
Ringworms
Diseases caused by Protozoan

Malaria
Amoebiasis
Giardiasis
Types of illness that can be caused by eating seafood
contaminated with toxins from harmful algae:

• Ciguatera Fish Poisoning (CFP)

• Neurotoxic Shellfish Poisoning ( NSP)
• Paralytic Acid Poisoning (PSP)
• Domoic Acid Poisoning and Amnesiac Shellfish Poisoning
(ASP)
• Diarrheic Shellfish Poisoning (DSP)
 Branches of Microbiology
Pure microbiology
Bacteriology: the study of bacteria
Mycology: the study of fungi
Protozoology: the study of protozoa
Phycology/algology: the study of algae
Parasitology: the study of parasites
Immunology: the study of the immune system
Virology: the study of viruses
Nematology: the study of nematodes
Microbial cytology: the study of microscopic and submicroscopic details of microorganisms
Microbial physiology: the study of how the microbial cell functions biochemically. Includes the
study of microbial growth, microbial metabolism and microbial cell structure
 Branches of Microbiology
Pure microbiology
Microbial pathogenesis: the study of pathogens which happen to be microbes
Microbial ecology: the relationship between microorganisms and their environment
Microbial genetics: the study of how genes are organized and regulated in microbes in relation to
their cellular functions Closely related to the field of molecular biology
Cellular microbiology: a discipline bridging microbiology and cell biology
Evolutionary microbiology: the study of the evolution of microbes. This field can be subdivided
into:
• Microbial taxonomy: the naming and classification of microorganisms
• Bacterial taxonomy: the naming and classification of bacteria
• Microbial systematics: the study of the diversity and genetic relationship of microorganisms
• Microbial phylogenetics: the study of the manner in which various groups of microorganisms
are genetically related
 Branches of Microbiology
Applied microbiology
Medical microbiology: the study of the pathogenic microbes and the role of microbes in
human illness. Includes the study of microbial pathogenesis and epidemiology and is
related to the study of disease pathology and immunology. This area of microbiology also
covers the study of human microbiota, cancer, and the tumor microenvironment.
Pharmaceutical microbiology: the study of microorganisms that are related to the
production of antibiotics, enzymes, vitamins, vaccines, and other pharmaceutical product
and that cause pharmaceutical contamination and spoil.
Microbial biotechnology: the manipulation of microorganisms at the genetic and
molecular level to generate useful products.
Food microbiology: the study of microorganisms causing food spoilage and foodborne
illness. Using microorganisms to produce foods, for example by fermentation.
 Parasitology

Organisms that live on or within another organisms (host)

and benefit from the association while harming its host.
Often, they obtain nutrients from the host.
Parasitism is defined as the relationship between different
species in which one organism lives on or in the other
organism and benefits from it by causing some harm.
 Types of Parasitism

Obligate Parasitism
 This is the kind of parasitism in which the parasite is completely dependent on the host to
complete its life cycle. Obligate parasites cannot survive without the host. Therefore, they
do not severely harm the host. Fungi, bacteria and viruses exhibit obligate parasitism. For
eg., head lice, when removed from the human scalp, dies.
Facultative Parasitism
 In this kind of parasitism, the parasite is not completely dependent on the host to complete
its life cycle and can survive without the host. A nematode species Strongyloidiasis
stercoral is is found free-living but causes a disease strongyloidiasis when it infects
humans.
HEAD LICE NEMATODE
 Types of Parasitism

Ectoparasitism
 The parasites that live outside the body of the host exhibit ectoparasitism. For e.g., lice and
ticks
Endoparasitism
 Parasites that live inside the body of a host exhibit endoparasitism. For e.g., hookworms and
nematodes.
Mesoparasitism
 The parasites that enter the external openings of the host exhibit mesoparasitism .
lice and ticks Hookworms
 Examples of Parasitism

Parasitism in Humans
 The organisms that parasitize humans include fungi, leeches, lice, viruses, protozoa, tapeworm, etc. Few
organisms such as Helminthes live inside the intestine of the host and causes several infectious diseases, such
as jaundice, malnutrition, diarrhea, etc. All the infections are caused by viruses and bacteria.

Parasitism in Plants
 Small green insects called aphids, parasitize plants by eating their sap. Several types of fungi parasitize crops
ad spoil fruits, vegetables and food grains. The parasitic plants contain modified roots called haustoria which
connect to the host xylem or phloem and drain it of nutrients and water.
leeches tapeworm
Aphids
 Examples of Parasitism

Parasitism in Insects
 Parasitism is very common in insects. Entomophagous parasites attack larva and young insects. A few insects
deposit their eggs within the body of the larva of other insect species. When the eggs hatch, the young one
eats the larva and derives nutrition from it.

A few examples of parasites are tapeworms, fleas, and barnacles. Tapeworms

are flatworms that are found attached to the insides of the intestines of animals
such as cows, pigs, etc.. They feed on the host’s partly digested food, depriving
it of the nutrients.
 Microscope

• An instrument used to enlarge objects and images.

Microscope was invented 16th century.
• Contribution of Robert Hooke, the first to observe
invisible microbial world.
 Antonie Van Leeuwenhoek
• Made the first recorded observation of bacteria.
• He thought the bacteria he observed were little animals
because they moved therefore he called them
“animalcules”.
• These set the stage for the development of the field of
microbiology.
Antonie Van Leeuwenhoek
• Health care workers keep individual with diseases
caused by microorganisms and try to prevent the spread
of infections diseases.

Vaccinations
• Is used to prevent many deadly diseases.
 Antiseptics
• Are used to prelude microorganisms to cure patients of
infecting microorganisms

Food Industries
• Mainly strict quality control to preserve foods and
protect against the food borne spread of disease.
 1. Uses of Microorganisms
A. Bread- yeast are used for leavening to cause the
dough to rise.
B. Cheese- bacteria are used to convert milk into various
cheese.
C. Wine- yeasts are used to convert grapes into this
alcoholic beverage.
D. Beer- yeasts are used to convert grains into this
alcoholic beverage.
2.Also used as biological control agents to replace
chemical particles

Example: Fungicides are often used to prevent fungal

diseases that destroy crops.
3. Used to degrade wastes and pollutants
Example: Septic tanks, sewage treatment plants, compost
pits.
Use microorganisms to decompose waste into
products that can be accommodated by the environment.

4. Used to bio remediate polluted sites such as

shorelines contaminated by oil spills.
 Methods of studying Microorganisms

• All Fields of sciences, including microbiology rely on

the scientific method in which a scientist asked a
question, proposes experiments to test the validity of
that hypothesis.
 Methods of studying Microorganisms

• Scientist used deductive reasoning- (if-then) thinking

and test their predictions by conducting experiments.

• Controlled experiment serves as reference, designed to

yield unambiguous answers regarding whether a
hypothesis is correct or incorrect.
 Methods of studying Microorganisms
• The result of experiments must be repeatable, and
interpretations of experimental results become accepted
only after they have been critically evaluated.

• The struggle to disapprove the theory of spontaneous

generation represents a good example of the scientific
method of work.
 Methods of studying Microorganisms
• Louis Pasture’s experiments with swan-neck flasks
provided he final reputation of the theory of
spontaneous generation.
 Life with Microorganisms
• J.A. Reyniers (1928) – built the first isolator, a germ-
free apparatus in which microorganisms can be hold
and raised.

• UNIVERSAL OF NOTRE DAME(1939)- first

symposium on microsurgery and germ-free method was
held.
1.2. Chemistry for
Microbiology
 Organization of matter
• Elements, Structure of atom, molecules, chemical
bonds and chemical reaction.

• Four molecules of life (Nucleic acid, Carbohydrates,

Proteins, Lipids acid )
 Observation of living organisms
• this calls for what they look like, where they live and
what they eat. Early biologist continued for the
research on this tradition, looking for microorganisms
and describing their morphologies (deals with the form
and structures of organisms) and movements.
 Antonie Van Leeuwenhock
• Chemist develop a fundamental understanding of
matter, concluded that all matter in the universe has
certain unifying chemical and physical properties and
that living organisms are manifestations of their
underlying chemical reaction that the field of chemistry,
physics and biology soon recognized that the understand
living organisms they had to navigate the chemistry of
live. Microbiologist incorporated chemistry as an
integral part of the field of microbiology
 Elements
• Compose of only 1 atom
• Fundamental unit of chemical, can’t be broken down
further without destroying.

Atom
• Smallest unit of element “atomos” can’t be cut.
• Is organized with p and n in central region called
nucleus.
 Ion
• of an atom, gained and
loss one or more electron
Cation
• (+) charge, atoms that
lose electron.
Anion
• (-) charge, atoms that
gain electron.