➢ Microbiology – study of small living things; study of entities too small to be seen with the
unaided human eye
➢ Prokaryotic – cells without a true nucleus or organelles
➢ Eukaryotic – cells with a true nucleus and organelles
➢ Organelles – small membraned parts inside of the cell; ex. Mitochondria
➢ Viruses – non-cellular, parasitic protein-coated genetic elements that can infect all living things,
including other microorganisms (need the host)
➢ Bacteriology – study of prokaryotes
➢ Mycology – study of fungi
➢ Phycology – study of algae
➢ Protozoology – study of protozoa
➢ Virology – study of viruses
➢ Immunology – study of the immune system
➢ Biotechnology – when humans manipulate microorganisms to make products in an industrial
setting (2 main ways)
▪ Genetic Engineering – create new products and genetically modified organisms (GMOs)
▪ Recombinant DNA Technology – allows microbes to be engineered to synthesize desirable
proteins (i.e. drugs, hormones, and enzymes)
➢ Bioremediation – introducing microbes into the environment to restore stability or clean up toxic
pollutants (oil spills, chemical spills, water and sewage treatment)
➢ Microbial Nomenclature – naming microorganisms
➢ Taxonomy – classifying living things; the science of living things
➢ Identification – discovering and recording the traits of organisms so they can be named and
classified
➢ Evolution- accumulation of changes that occur in organisms as they adapt to their environments
❖ 5 major groups microbes
➢ Bacteria, viruses, fungi, algae
➢ Protozoa- unicellular eukaryotic organisms
➢ Helminths- worms
,❖ When bacteria, archaea, eukaryotes arise
➢ 2.9 billion years ago
❖ Important roles microbes play on earth for life to exist
➢ Shaped development of earth’s habitats & evolution of other life forms for billions of years
➢ Increase oxygen in atmosphere
➢ Play central roles essential to life- nutrient cycling, decomposition, maintain atmosphere,
regulate temperature, etc.
➢ Bacteria are ubiquitous
▪ Deep in the earth’s crust
▪ Polar ice caps
▪ Oceans
▪ Inside/outside plants and animals
➢ Microbes deeply involved in flow of energy and food through earth’s ecosystems
▪ Bacteria- anoxygenic photosynthesis evolved to oxygenic photosynthesis (more efficient)
▪ Photosynthetic microorganisms account for >70% photosynthesis
❖ How humans use microbes
➢ Yeast production of bread, wine, beer
➢ Fungi used for yogurt, cheese production
➢ Moldy bread used in Egypt to treat wounds
➢ Biotechnology: manipulation of microorganisms to make products in an industrial setting
➢ Genetic Engineering: manipulates the genetics of microbes, plants, and animals for the purpose
of creating new products and genetically modified organisms (GMOs)
➢ Copper mine
➢ Bioremediation
▪ Clean up toxic pollutants
▪ Use microbes to break down oil from tanker spill
, ➢ Craig Venter
▪ Synthetic bacteria
➢ Recombinant DNA technology:
▪ Transfer genetic material from one organism to another
▪ Synthesize drugs, hormones, enzymes
❖ Infectious disease death U.S.-
➢ Chronic lower respiratory = 141,000
➢ flu & pneumonia = 56,000
❖ Infec disease death worldwide-
➢ lower respiratory from flu & pneumonia = 3.5m
➢ diarrheal disease = 2.5m
➢ HIV/AIDS = 1.8
➢ TB =1.3
❖ What is pneumonia, what can cause it?
➢ (inflammation of alveoi, fluid)- can be caused by influenza, a different virus or bacteria
❖ Why is the flu more severe this season?
➢ Flu tends to be H3N2 which mutates faster and is more difficult to grow in eggs – also increases
chance of virus of further mutation of virus which can impair its effectiveness
❖ Most infectious microbe (non-human transmission)?
➢ malaria
❖ Most infectious microbe (human-to-human transmission)?
➢ Re-emerging- yellow fever, cholera, plague, dengue, whooping cough (pertussis), West Nile,
measles
❖ Examples of diseases considered noninfectious, now found to be caused by microbes
➢ Gastric ulcers caused by Helicobacter pylori
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