TopicOne:FoundationsofMicrobiology

Beabletoexplainhowmicrobiologyintegratesintoyourcourseofstudy

Understandingmicrobiologyisessentialinpathology.Manydiseasesandillnessesarecausedmymicrobesincludingsepsis,basicinfections,coldsandflusetc.Antibioticsareusedtotreatmanyillnesses.Wealsoneedtounderstandmicrobiologyforeffectiveinfectioncontrolascommonharmlessmicrobescanposeathreattothesickandinjured.

Listseveralwaysinwhichmicrobesaffectourlives

1. Responsibleforproducing50%oftheworld’soxygenviaphotosynthesis.2. Somedecomposewaste/recycling.3. Somemakeindustrialchemicalssuchasethanolandacetone4. Someproducefermentedfoodssuchascheese,bread,beerandwine.5. Somemakevaccinesandpharmaceuticals.6. Somecontributetomineralformation.7. Wewoulddiewithoutthem!Theydigestourfoodandthemicrobeson

ourbodysurfaceskeepbadbacteriaout.8. Biotechnologyproducts.EgHumaninsulin.

NB.Only2000speciesofbacteriaarediseasecausing.

Knowthecorrecttaxonomichierarchy(i.e.KnowthatDumbKidsPlayingChickenOnFreewaysGetSquashed!)andusethecorrecttaxonomicnomenclaturetoclassifyandnamemicroorganismslikeEscherichiacoli

Domain–Kingdom–Phylum–Class–Order–Family–Genus–Species

NomenclaturedevisedbyCarolusLinnaeusin1735.

Scientificnameisbinomial(hastwoparts).Firstpartisthegenusnameandthesecondpartisthespecificepithet.

Eg.Escherichiacoli(Notethatthegenusnameiscapitalizedandthespecificepithetisnot.Alsobothnamesmustbeeitherunderlinedoritalicized).

Oncethenamehasbeenmentionedonceitcanthenbeabbreviated.EgE.coli

Namethemajorgroupsandcharacteristicsofeachgroupofmicroorganisms

NB.Prokaryote=beforenucleus.Eukaryote=truenucleus

1. Bacteria

-prokaryotes–simpleandsinglecelled.

-peptidoglycan(sugar)wall

-divideintotwotoreproduce(binaryfission)

-theycanuseeitherorganicorinorganicchemicals,orphotosynthesisfortheirenergysource.

2. Archaea

-prokaryotes

-NOsugarwall(peptidoglycan)

-liveinextremeenvironments

egMethanogens(producemethaneaswaste),Halophiles(saltloving),andthermophiles(heatloving).

3. Fungi

-mushroomsetc.

-Eukaryotes

-havechitincellwalls

-useorganicchemicalsforenergy(CANNOTphotosynthesise).EgMushroomsgrowinthedark.Mouldgrowsonfoodinadarkfridge.

-mouldsandmushroomsaremulticellular.Theyaremassesofmyceliacomposedoffilamentscalledhyphae.Yeastsareunicellular.

4. Protozoa

-unicellulareukaryotes

-absorboringestorganicchemicals

-canbemotileviaflagella,ciliaorpseudopods.

5. Algae

-eukaryotes

-cellulosewalls

-usephotosynthesisforenergy

-produceoxygenandorganiccompounds

6. Multicellularanimalparasites

-eukaryotes

-egareparasiticflatwormsandroundwormscalledhelminths

-microscopicstagesareinthelifecycle.

7. Viruses

-acellular(notacell)

-consistofaDNAorRNAcoresurroundedbyaproteincoat

-coatmaybeenclosedinalipidenvelope

-replicateonlywheninalivinghostcell.Theyarenotcellsthemselves,rathertheyhijackcells.

Listthethreedomainsoflife

1. Bacteria2. Archaea3. Eukarya

a. Protistsb. Fungic. Plantsd. Animals