MCB 3020 Chapter Notes - Chapter 1.3/1.4: Sulfate-Reducing Microorganisms, Gram Staining, Medical Microbiology
20 Feb 2017
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Document Summary
Microbiologist usually takes microbes from natural habitat and culture them isolated from other microbes- pure or axenic culture. Spontaneous generation- living organisms can develop from nonliving matter. Pasteur disproves spontaneous generation w/flask experiment- flask with curved end was not exposed to microbes in the air after heating. Germ theory of disease started to be adopted in the early 19th century. Fermentations due to activities of specific yeasts and bacteria- eg production of ethanol vs acid by. Later heated wine to kill microbes that altered taste. Lister developed system of heating instruments to sterilize and spraying phenol on surgical dressings and surgical area to reduce microbes. Strong indirect evidence for microorganisms in disease since phenol prevented wound infections. Causal relationship between microorganism and specific disease. Discovered that soil bacteria can oxidize iron, sulfur and ammonia to obtain energy and can incorporate co2 into organic matter like photosynthetic organisms. Beijernck isolated aerobic nitrogen fixing bacteria and sulfate reducing bacteria.
