Unit 1 Section 1 Pt.2 Hard

Subfields of Microbiology

• Bacteriology: Study of bacteria.
• Mycology: Study of fungi.
• Protozoology: Study of protozoa.
• Parasitology: Study of helminths and other parasites.
• Virology: Study of viruses.
• Immunology: Study of the immune system.

Abiogenesis and Experiments

• Abiogenesis: Theory that life can spontaneously arise from non-living matter.
• Francisco Redi's Experiment: Showed that decaying meat did not produce maggots, indicating that flies (not spontaneous generation) were the source of the larvae.
• Louis Pasteur's Experiment: Demonstrated that sterile broth remains free of microorganisms unless exposed to air, disproving abiogenesis.

Cell Theory

• Cell Theory: States that all cells arise from pre-existing cells.

Robert Hooke's Discovery

• Hooke's Observation: Identified and named "cells" when observing cork through a microscope.

Germ Theory

• Germ Theory: Proposes that diseases may be caused by microbial infections.

Ignaz Semmelweis

• Semmelweis's Key Finding: Advocated for handwashing with lime solutions to significantly lower mortality rates during childbirth.

John Snow's Cholera Investigation

• Cholera Outbreak Investigation: Mapped cholera cases to identify a contaminated water pump as the source of the outbreak in 1848.

Joseph Lister's Surgical Advancements

• Lister's Solution: Introduced carbolic acid for sanitizing surgical wounds to prevent postoperative infections.

Florence Nightingale's Contributions

• Nightingale's Epidemiological Work: Used statistical analysis to highlight preventable causes of death related to infections, sanitation, and hygiene.

Koch's Postulates

• Koch’s First Postulate: The microbe must be found in all diseased individuals.
• Koch’s Second Postulate: The microbe must be cultured outside the host.
• Koch’s Third Postulate: The cultured microbe must cause disease when introduced to a healthy host.
• Koch’s Fourth Postulate: The microbe must be re-isolated from the diseased host.

Exceptions to Koch's Postulates

• Isolation Challenges: Some microbes cannot be cultured outside their natural host.
• Multiple Disease Causes: Some pathogens are capable of causing multiple diseases.
• Host Specificity: Some pathogens may only cause disease in specific hosts.

Modern Focus of Germ Theory

• Antibody Resistance: Researching how pathogens resist immune responses.
• Emerging Diseases: Investigating new diseases and those caused by multiple organisms.
• Mechanisms of Pathogenesis: Understanding the mechanisms by which microbial agents cause disease.