History of Microbiology

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History of Microbiology
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History of microbiology
Microbes reside in an invisible world. Despite
their importance, the existence of microbes was
unknown through most of human history. This
changed with the invention of the microscope.
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History of microbiology The microscope

• First microscopes invented by eyeglass makers in
  the early 1600s in the Netherlands.

• Robert Hooke.
• First to observe cells through a microscope.

• Anton van Leeuwenhoek
• Improved microscope
• First to observe microorganisms through a
  microscope.
• He was not believed initially.

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• Where, when and by whom were the first
  microscopes developed?
• Briefly describe the contribution of each of the
  following
• Robert Hooke.
• Anton van Leeuwenhoek.

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The advance of microscope technology
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History of microbiology Louis Pasteur
(1822-1895)

• French. Established germ theory of disease.
• Showed that microbes are responsible for
  fermentation (conversion of sugar to alcohol) in
  the making of wine.
• Also showed that microbes can spoil wine (by
  producing acids).
• Pasteur solved spoilage problem by heating enough
  to kill microbes but not enough to harm the
  beverage. This process is called Pasteurization.
• Pasteur showed involvement of protozoan (a
  microbe) in silkworm disease that was threatening
  French silk industry.
• Reasoned that if microbes could cause disease in
  silk worms, they could cause disease in humans.
• Worked on infectious disease including
  development of rabies vaccine.

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• Pasteur
• Briefly describe what Pasteur discovered about
  the role on microbes in the making of wine.
• Briefly discuss how Pasteur solved the wine
  spoilage problem.
• What led Pasteur to believe that microbes cause
  disease in humans?

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History of microbiology Joseph Lister
(1827-1912)

• English. Founder of antiseptic medicine.
• Influenced by Pasteurs work.
• Treated instruments and surgical incisions with
  phenol to kill bacteria.
• Led to large decrease in surgical infections and
  deaths.

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• Discuss the contribution of Lister.

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History of microbiology Robert Koch (1843-1910)

• German. Worked on connection between between
  microbes and disease. Established basic
  microbiological techniques
• Developed methods for obtaining pure isolates of
  bacteria.
• Used in his method for establishing that a
  microbe is the cause of a disease (known as
  Kochs Postulates).
• Kochs Postulates
• Microbe is found in all cases of the disease.
• Microbe can be grown as a pure culture.
• Microbe produces original disease when inoculated
  (injected) even after several generations in
  culture.
• Must obtain microbe again from inoculated animal
  and culture again.

• Discovered bacterium (Mycobacterium Tuberculosis)
  responsible for TB (Tuberculosis).
• Caused 1 in 7 deaths at the time
• Koch unable to cure.

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• Koch
• What method did Koch develop that he used to help
  establish the connection between microbes and
  disease?
• Summarize the process described in Kochs
  Postulates.

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Kochs method for linking microbe to disease
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Kochs method for linking microbe to disease
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Drugs

• Aim Find substances toxic to pathogens but not
  to people.
• Paul Ehrlich. German (1854-1915)
• Pioneer of drug development for infection
  disease.
• Found chemical compound effective against
  syphilis. First modern drug against infectious
  disease. 1910.
• Penicillin
• First antibiotic Natural product from microbes,
  used against microbes.
• Enter general use 1944.
• Penicillin and other antibiotics that came after
  it have saved many lives.

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What is an antibiotic?
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Up to the present

• Major advances in recent times. Continuing at
  accelerating pace.
• Extensive identification of microbial species.
• Understanding of roles in disease, health,
  ecosystem
• Many unknown, cant culture.
• Growing, detailed knowledge of life processes in
  cells.
• Producing growing understanding of roles in
  disease, health, ecosystem
• DNA technology
• Full genetic code of many species has been read.
• Opens door to new wave of major advances.
• Substantial progress in understanding of the
  immune system.