The Microbial World and YOU

Chapter 1

MICROORGANISMS• Tiny organisms usually too small to be

seen with the naked eye• Diseases and illnesses

– AIDS, infections, food poisoning

• Commercial applications– Vitamins, enzymes, alcohols, drugs

• Important to Ecosystem– Bottom of food chain, decomposers,

photosynthesizers

• Food Industry– Vinegar, pickles, cheese, yogurt and bread

MicrobesMicrobes

FUNGI

EukaryotesUnicellular or multiSexual or asexualDecomposersHyphae and

mycelia

BACTERIAProkaryotesUnicellularPeptidoglycan in cell wallsBinary fissionSeveral shapesFlagella

ARCHAEA

ProkaryoticCell walls lack peptidoglycanExtreme environments

E. coli 10000x magnification

Crenarchaeota, ammonia oxidizing

Entoloma hochstetteri New Zealand

ALGAE

Eukaryotes

Photosynthetic

Cell walls of cellulose

Uni or multicellular

PROTOZOA

Eukaryotes

Unicellular

Variety of shapes and sizes

Sexual or asexual

VIRUSES

Not alive

Nucleic acid and protein

Reproduce only with host machinery

Parasitic

HELMINTHS

Flat and round worms

Microscopic at some point of life cycle

HIV

Review of Nomenclature

• Carolus Linneus• Two name• Genus (capitalized) species (not

capitalized)– Examples: Homo sapiens, Bos taurus

• After mentioned, abbreviated with the initial of the genus and the full species name. – Examples: H. sapiens, B. taurus

• Except when it is as the beginning of the sentence

BRIEF HISTORY

HOOKE(1665): observed first cell

LEEUENTHOK(1676):

1st live microorganism

Hobbie collecting microscopes (400+)

MORE HISTORY

Spontaneous Generation Debate (1861)

REDI: maggots on meatNEEDHAM/SPALLANZANI:

boiled broth “vital force”PASTEUR: broth and bottles,

orgs are present in nonliving matter (on solids, liquids and in the air)

• Fermentation (conversion of sugar to alcohol)

• Pasteurization (high heat for short amount of time)

Pasteur’s S-shaped flask kept microbes out but let air in

HISTORY CONT….PASTEUR: Germ theory of disease:

microorganisms might cause disease– 1865: silkworm disease caused by

protozoanLISTER (1860s): applied germ theory to

medical procedures– Used disinfectants

KOCH (1876): discovered Bacillus anthracis– Koch’s postulates– Est. sequence for directily relating

microbe to diseaseJENNER(1796): smallpox vaccination

(vacca = cow)Koch

HISTORY CONT….

Ehrlich (1910):chemotherapy revolution– Found “magic bullet”,

salvarsan– Sulfonamides (sulfa

drugs)

Fleming (1928): 1st antibiotic

Penicillium notatum

HUMAN WELFAREHUMAN WELFARE

• Microbial Ecology– recycle elements of soil and atmosphere

• Sewage Treatment• Bioremediation

– Remove toxins from wells, chemical spills, toxic waste sites and oil spills

• Insect pest Control– Bacillus thuringiensis-alfalfa caterpillars,

bollworms, corn borers, etc.

• Biotechnology– Recombinant DNA– Gene therapy

• Microbial Ecology– recycle elements of soil and atmosphere

• Sewage Treatment• Bioremediation

– Remove toxins from wells, chemical spills, toxic waste sites and oil spills

• Insect pest Control– Bacillus thuringiensis-alfalfa caterpillars,

bollworms, corn borers, etc.

• Biotechnology– Recombinant DNA– Gene therapy

HUMAN DISEASE

• Normal microbiota (flora)– WHY?

• Biofilms: complex aggregation of microbes– Tongue (pictured below)

• Infectious diseases– What are some?

Question for you…..

• Advertisements tell you that bacteria and viruses are all over your home and that you need to buy antibacterial cleaning products. Should you?

Works Cited• http://news.softpedia.com/images/news2/Ammonia-Loving-Archaea-Win-Landslide-Majority-2.jpg]

• http://img2.scoop.co.nz/stories/images/0705/d40ac49a6df120748719.jpeg

• http://www.olympusmicro.com/primer/techniques/hoffmangallery/stentor.html

• http://cleantechnica.com/files/2008/07/106253991_ebf50013a0_m.jpg

• http://www.scumdoctor.com/images/Pictures-Of-Human-Worm-Parasites.jpg

• http://www.bgpa.wa.gov.au/c/bgpa/pub/stories/events/images/autumn_workshops/thumbnails/linneaus.jpg