Biol& 260 Microbiology
E. Stavney Summer 2010
M-Th 8:30-10:40 am
Room AS1622
North Seattle Community College
Tentative Lecture/Lab Schedule
Date
Mon 6/28
Tue 6/29
Wed 6/30
Thu 6/31
Lecture or Lab Topic
Textbook Reading
Registration; Lab Safety; Lab 4: Wet Mounts; Lab 1: Ubiquity of Microorgs
Introduction, Expectations, History of Microbiology; Extra lab time?
Chp 1
Lab 5: Simple Stains; Lab 2: Pure Culture & Aseptic Technique; Interp.Lab1
Biochemistry Review
Chp 2
Cellular Structure: Prokaryotes & Eukaryotes
Chp 3
Mon 7/5
Tues 7/6
Wed 7/7
Thu 7/8
NO CLASS - Independence Day Holiday
Cellular Structure cont.; Microbial Metabolism I: Enzymes, Cell Respiration
Quiz 1; Lab 6: Gram Stains; Lab 7: Defined, Complex Media; Interp. Lab 2
Microbial Growth
Mon 7/12
Tue 7/13
Lab 8: Quant. of Micorgs; Lab 9: Aerobic & Anaer. Growth; Interp. Lab 7
Lecture Exam I (Intro-Metabolism and Respiration); Microbial Control
Wed 7/14
Thu 7/15
Lab 12: Control of Microbial Growth Using UV Light; Interpret Labs 8 & 9, Gram
Staining and Microscope Test (students with last names A-L)
Microbial Control
Chp 5
Mon 7/19
Tues 7/20
Quiz 2; Lab 22: Skin Biota;Lab 14: Antiseptics and Disinfectants;Interp. 12
Gene Expression: Transcription, Translation, Mutation
Chp 7
Wed 7/21
Lab 16: Transformation; Interp. 14; Lab 22 Part 2; Gram Staining and
Microscope Test (students with last names L-Z)
Gene Transfer & Biotechnology
Chp 8, 9
Taxonomy and Bacterial Diversity I
Chp 10,(11)
Thur 7/22
Chp 3, 6
Chp 4
Chp 5
Mon 7/26
Tue 7/27
Wed 7/28
Thu 7/29
Lab 24: Ident.Gram Negative Rods; Lab 16 Part 2; Lab 22 Part 3
Taxonomy and Bacterial Diversity II; Euk. Pathogens: Protozoans
Quiz 3; Lab 32: Bact. Exam. Water; Interp. Labs 16, 22, 24
Lecture Exam II (Microbial Control-Biotechnology)
Euk Pathogens: Fungal Diseases, Helminthic, & Arthropod Diseases
Mon 8/2
Lab 23: Resp. Microorgs.; Lab 25: Unknown Ident (finished dichotomous Key due
today); Lab 32 Part2
Viruses of Bacteria; Eukaryotic Viruses and Diseases
Chp 13, 14
Interp. 23; Lab 25 Unknown Ident Part 2; Lab 32 Part 3
Eukaryotic Viruses and Diseases; Epidemiology & Pathogenicity I
Chp 14, 20
Tue 8/3
Wed 8/4
Thu 8/5
Mon 8/9
Tue 8/10
Wed 8/11
Thu 8/12
Quiz 4; Lab 25 Part 3; Interp. 32; Epidemiology Lab
Lecture Exam III (Bacterial Diversity-Euk Viruses);
Epidemiology & Pathogenicity II
Interp. 25, Epidemiology expts
Innate Immune System: Non-specific Defense
Acquired Immune System: Humoral Response
Chp 10, 12
Chp 12
Chp 17
Chp 15
Chp 16
Date
Lecture or Lab Topic
Textbook Reading
Mon 8/16
Tue 8/17
Lab Practical Exam
Acq. Immune System: Cell Med. Response, Imm. Disorders
Antimicrobial Drugs and Chemotherapy
Wed 8/18
Thur 8/19
Antimicrobial Drugs; Catch up with lecture material
Final Exam (Comprehensive, 50% on Epidemiology to Antimicrobials)
Chp 16,(18,19)
Chp 21
Chp 21
Please note that this schedule as well as the course information that follows is subject to change and
modification by the instructor. Changes will be announced in class, usually at the beginning of class.
Assignments and exams may be added, dropped, or changed in point value. You are responsible for changes
made in the class even if you are not present to hear a particular announcement.
Course Description
History and methods of microbiology: microbial classification, metabolism, culture
requirements, molecular genetics, viruses, antimicrobial methods and drugs, immunology,
epidemiology and pathogenesis. Lab included. Prereq: Two college-level biology or chemistry lab
courses, or permission.
Intended Learning Outcomes
After completing this course, students should be able to:
1. Describe the main themes of microbiology today.
2. Identify the scientists relevant to microbiology and describe the contributions they made to the
discipline.
3. Describe the major parts of the immune system and the nature of host defenses to foreign
invasion.
4. Demonstrate knowledge of viral and bacterial structure, metabolism, and reproduction.
5. List the elements of microbial nutrition, ecology, and growth.
6. List and describe major physical and chemical controls of microbial growth.
7. Identify the major types of chemotherapy used to help a human host to maintain a balance
between health and disease.
8. Analyze advances in microbial genetics and genetic engineering as they relate to biotechnology
today.
9. Demonstrate knowledge of the medical importance of the major bacterial divisions and viral
families associated with human health and disease.
10. Use general laboratory techniques of an introductory microbiology lab (e.g., staining, growth
on culture media, the use of the appropriate media and biochemical tests to grow
microorganisms).
11. Develop the general conceptual skills (e.g., observation, problem solving hypothesis
generation, and testing) that are used in the life sciences.
12. Work safely in the laboratory and use basic laboratory equipment.
Texts and Supplies for BIOL 260
Required texts

Microbiology: A Human Perspective, Sixth Ed., Nester, Anderson, and Roberts. McGraw-Hill,
2009.

Microbiology Experiments: A Health Science Perspective, Sixth Ed., Kleyn and Bicknell,
McGraw-Hill, 2009. [This book is nearly all in black and white, and color pictures are very
useful]. Note: It is the policy of the NSCC Biology Department that all students purchase a
new lab book. Xeroxed copies of lab worksheets won't be accepted.

Closed-toed shoes, long pants and a way to tie back long hair during lab sessions.
Required Supplies
• Eight Scantron forms (Type 882) for exams, available in the bookstore
• Several #2 or mechanical pencils and erasers for taking Scantron exams
Optional Texts and Supplies

Photographic Atlas for the Microbiology Lab, Third Ed., LeBoeffe and Pierce, Morton
Publishing, 1999. [This atlas provides useful color information for key metabolic reactions as
well as good photomicrographs of bacterial shapes]

A set of colored pencils or pens for creating color notes

The Microbiology Coloring Book, Third Ed., Alcamo and Lawrence M. Elson, Benjamin
Cummings, 1977.
Supplemental Resources
You are strongly encouraged to use the textbook offers a Student Website at:
http://mhhe.com/nester6 that accompanies the textbook for reviewing and testing yourself on the
parts and functioning of the human body. When you first access this site, you will be asked to register
with a name and password. If possible, use the following browser versions: Firefox 3.x, Safari 3.x,
Internet Explorer 6.x, and Internet Explorer 7.x,8.x. This site has excellent quizzes, crossword
puzzles, and other review materials. This site should be accessible regardless of whether you bought a
used or new textbook.
You also are directed to look for course materials on the website for this specific course. Here
you can find review sheets, practice tests, and other helpful materials. The Bio 260 website is on the
North Seattle faculty website at http://facweb.northseattle. edu/estavney/bio260.
How to do well in Microbiology
While this course is challenging and rigorous, I want you to succeed. I want microbiology to be a
compelling, fascinating, and captivating science for you. To this end, be sure to read the reading
assignment before coming to class. Catch-up immediately on notes and reading if you fall behind. In
the laboratory, pre-reading and making notes about an upcoming experiment is critical to your
success and understanding of what you are doing.
Use our website at facweb.northseattle.edu/bio260! Follow the instructions once you get there on
how to log in. Select the link to our Microbiology class. Study aids, practice tests, and handouts will
be made available on this website. Check this frequently.
Use the CD in your book and the textbook website at www.microbiologyplace.com. There are
some excellent tutorials, review questions, and engaging interactive animations on the CD and the
website. Use the Access Code in the front of your textbook to get signed onto the website.
Review your notes at least twice a week, make flashcards, study with friends, visit our excellent
tutors (free!) in the tutoring center, follow-up your curiosity and questions in the library. Your
responsibility in this class is to keep up with the material and to ask questions and seek help when you
need it; I can’t help you personally unless you inform me of your need. There is no such thing as a
stupid question about something you don't understand. Bring in questions and newspaper articles
that intrigue you, and we'll talk about them.
To be successful in this class, you should spend 2 hours studying outside class for every hour
spent in class. Have you budgeted time to meet this requirement?
Instructor Information
Mr. Eric Stavney
Office: IB 2324C Phone: (206) 527-3755
Email: estavney@sccd.ctc.edu
Office Hours for Summer 2010 will be by appointment, generally right after class M-Th
You may leave messages for me at email address above.
Attendance and Policies
Students should attend every class session. It is the student's responsibility to obtain lecture
notes, handouts, or other materials in case of an absence. Please see my policy in the Grades section
about missing exams. In general, I will do all I can to help students who must miss class due to illness
or other emergencies, but I must know as soon as possible. A student who stops attending class
without an official withdrawal will be assigned a grade based on the work completed up to that point.
This is a course that will require a great deal of individual effort by each student. I have given you
a detailed schedule of the quarter for a reason. With this schedule, you will be able to stay on top of
the material, and should not be pressed for time. Attendance, attentiveness, and effort are essential
for success in the class. I also highly recommend that you find some fellow students to study with!
You have the option of withdrawing from this course as late as Friday, the 11th week of the
term. Withdrawing or dropping is the responsibility of the student, not the instructor.
Please note that no food or drink is allowed in the classrooms, except in sealed containers
inside of a bag or backpack. We ask that you leave coffee, water bottles, or any other "exposed
comestible" outside of the classroom. No food or drink is allowed in the laboratory room in any form,
for additional reasons of lab safety. This rule will be rigorously enforced.
Please turn off your cell phones and all other audible devices out of courtesy to your
classmates and the instructor. I will ask you to leave class if the device goes off twice in the same class
session.
Many people suffer from allergies and/or chemical sensitivities. As NSCC is officially a
“fragrance-free” campus, please minimize your use of perfumes, colognes, and other heavily
scented products.
Grading
Your final grade in this course will be based on the total amount of points that you earn on
quizzes, lectures exams, lab exams, and homework assignments as follows:
3
1
4
1
1
1
1
Lecture Exams @ 100 pts each
Final Exam at 200 pts
Lab Quizzes at 20 pts. each
Final Lab Practical Exam @ 80 pts
Lab Book Grade (for all but Ex 25)
Gram Stain and Microscope Test
Double Unknown ID Report (Ex 25 in lab book)
300
200
80
80
100
50
50
860 total possible
You are also expected to complete the Review Sheets accompanying each lab but these will not be
graded until the very end of the course, when you submit our lab book. Lab quiz and lab exam
questions will come directly from the labs and the review sheets, however.
Grades will be assigned as follows:
Perc.
>95%
94%
93%
92%
91%
90%
89%
88%
87%
86%
85%
84%
Grade
4.0
3.9
3.8
3.7
3.6
3.5
3.4
3.3
3.2
3.1
3.0
2.9
Perc. Grade
83% 2.8
82% 2.7
81% 2.6
80% 2.5
79% 2.4
78% 2.3
77% 2.2
76% 2.1
75% 2.0
74% 1.9
73% 1.8
72% 1.7
Perc. Grad
71% 1.6
70% 1.5
69% 1.4
68% 1.3
67% 1.2
66% 1.1
65% 1.0
64% 0.9
63% 0.8
62% 0.7
<62% 0.0
You cannot miss the final exam or more than 2 laboratories. If you have
unavoidable and compelling circumstances that prevent you from taking any exam or quiz,
be sure to contact me by email or phone immediately at your earliest opportunity and be
prepared to show documentation demonstrating why you missed the exam. Only under
very compelling circumstances (as defined by me) will a makeup be possible, and that
makeup exam may be in an oral, rather than a written, format. If you don't inform me
promptly that you needed to miss class, this will give you a zero on that test. You may then
not be able to earn a passing grade with a zero on a quiz or exam.
Extra credit questions may be offered on any of the exams to help you increase your
point total. Several off-campus extra credit opportunities will also be available to you this
semester (see our course website at facweb.north.edu).
Exams and Quizzes
Exams will be approximately 75% multiple choice, true/false, or matching questions and
25% essay questions. You must use the Scantron 882-E for all exams in this course.
Because of the nature of computerized answer forms, you will be responsible for grading
errors due to incomplete erasures. You are encouraged to bring good erasers or "Liquid
Paper" to any exam.
Exams may require you to write one or more essays to show your mastery of the
material. You are encouraged to review the basics of essay writing: a topic sentence or
paragraph, supporting paragraphs for each sub-item, and a summary sentence or
paragraph.
Quizzes in this course will be held during laboratory days at the start of the period. If you
arrive late, you lose time to complete your quiz since the papers are collected at the same
time from everybody (about 20 minutes after the start of the period). Quizzes will largely
cover laboratory topics and questions that are part of the worksheets and experiments in
your laboratory manual.
Regrades
You have the option of submitting a request for me to re-evaluate specific questions
or grade calcuations on assignments or tests. To be considered, you must include a full 8 ½
x 11" cover sheet (on the front) stapled to all parts of the test or assignment. This cover
sheet must describe in specific detail which question or questions that need to be looked at,
and what issue you have with how they were graded. Simply writing "See #3" is insufficient,
as is "Grade is wrong, please fix". For a question where you wish to argue the fairness of
the grade, you must include a quote, including the page number from your textbook or lab
book (internet or web printouts are not accepted, no matter how authoritative the source)
AND you must demonstrate persuasively in writing that your answer is right based on the
book citation. I may or may not grant you the points your seek.
Note: You must submit a separate, stapled packet with an independent cover sheet
for each assignment or test that you wish to get a regrade. A packet that includes more than
one assignment will be returned.
All regrades, including grade calculation errors you find on an an
assignment, MUST be submitted within one week after the handback of that
assignment. In no case will a regrade be considered if you turn it in after the one week
deadline, even if you were absent when the assignment was returned. If you fail to notice
a grade problem before the one week deadline is up, you will have to live with that grade.
Keep in mind that I carefully grade assignments before handing them back and that
though your argumentation for points may be persuasive, I may still stand by how the
assignment was graded. I do this sometimes so that all students are graded evenly and that
whole class adjustments in the final grade (upwards, of course) are possible.
Biology 260 Microbiology
E. Stavney pg 6
Academic Honesty
Academic dishonesty will not be tolerated, and will result in a ZERO for the affected
exam, quiz, or assignment. A second offense will result in a failing grade and you will be
barred from the class for the remainder of the quarter. Additionally, I will notify the Vice
President of Students of your academic dishonesty. Plagiarism is a form of academic
dishonesty where you present ideas, diagrams, or other information without crediting your
source; you present the ideas or writings as if they were your own. Even if you do credit
your source, you will not receive a good grade if your writing consists of direct quotations. If
you’re not familiar with plagiarism, or have any concerns about what constitutes
plagiarism, please talk with your instructor!
Disability Accommodation
NSCC supports students with special needs. Students with disabilities must contact
Student Services to arrange any special accommodations.
Expectations of a Successful Microbiology Student
1. You come to class on time and are rarely or never absent.
2. You read the textbook chapter before each lecture and each lab manual exercises
before every lab.
3. You take responsibility for reviewing or learning the basic chemistry and cell biology
that are pre-requisites for this course.
4. You take complete and thorough notes of what we discuss in class and lab.
5. You take full responsibility for your learning, reviewing your notes, and pursuing
answers to your questions from your instructor or your classmates.
6. You take responsibility for monitoring your grade , carefully reviewing graded
assignments, and pursuing any grade changes within a week after the assignment is
handed back.
7. You take responsibility for submitting regrades exactly as described in the syllabus
in order to receive consideration.
8. You treat your instructor and your fellow classmates with respect and good
manners.
9. You act professionally and safely in all lab activities, always wearing your lab coat.
Extra Credit
Extra credit questions may be offered on any of the exams to help you increase your
point total. You may also earn extra credit for making a concept map of any lecture, aside
from the first lecture. Concept maps are worth 5 points each. The criteria for concept
maps are given in the following paragraphs. Note that late extra credit submissions will
not be considered. The maximum amount of extra credit you can earn in this
class is 25 points.
One of the most helpful ways to remember lots of facts and names is to weave these
items together by association, such as in a concept map. Concept mapping is the drawing of
an elaborate diagram showing the topics, subtopics, and sub-sub topics of a particular
subject. The goal of a concept map is to get you to associate ideas and organize lecture
material. It requires you to be fairly familiar with how the subjects of a lecture are linked
together. It is a great way to review your notes and study.
Biology 260 Microbiology
E. Stavney pg 7
Instructions for setting up a concept map (as an example assignment) can be found
at http://biology.arizona.edu/sciconn/lessons2/renfro/concept_map_assess.htm.
Examples of concept maps can be found at http://www.fed.cuhk.edu.hk/~johnson/
misconceptions/ concept_map/concept_maps.html .
Concept maps should be done on an 8 ½ x 11” piece of paper, but you can use both
sides. Each map must cover an entire lecture on a topic. Typing up concepts maps
using text boxes in Word works well, but you can also draw them neatly by hand. Legibility
and neatness are part of your concept map grade. To get full credit for a map, you must not
only show how ideas and terms are connected, but you also must use linking phrases
between every box or concept. Example linking phrases can be found below. We may draw
some maps together in groups during lecture time; these maps will be considered a regular
activity and not eligible for extra credit.
You will have 1 week to complete a concept map for any particular
lecture and to turn it in. That is, a lecture given on a Monday can be mapped for extra
credit and submitted the following Monday in lecture.. Note: don’t copy or print out
someone else’s map as your own! Copied concept maps will not earn any credit and will be
considered an act of academic dishonest (for which there are severe penalties). Concept
maps turned in after the one-week deadline will not be accepted.
A paritally complete concept map about membrane function. This is too simple for our
purposes since it only covers a small topic, but it does illustrate the diagramming process.
Note how the concept map above shows ideas organized into hierarchies of association.
Also, "linking phrases" are used between boxes to show how the subtopics fit in with the
larger topic.
Good linking
phrases are:



















Biology 260 Microbiology

Include
Which Includes
Such As Which Are
Involved In
Are Divided Into
Which
Communicates
Is Controlled By
Which
Secrete/Secretes
Which Relates
(To)
Which Is Divided
Into
Which Contains Which Consists Of
Made Of Into The
Categories of
Which Is Made Of
Results In Occurs In
Causes the
Production of
Which Drains,
Services, or Leads
to
To/Across
E. Stavney pg 8
A Concept Map about concept maps. Note how "Concept Maps" is the central concept and all else flows from this. In place of
"Concept Maps", you would write the lecture topic you are diagramming. Note especially the linking phrases between
concepts.
Biology 260 Microbiology
E. Stavney pg 9
Biology 260 Microbiology
E. Stavney pg 10
Study Tip: How to Preread a Textbook Chapter
1. Read the chapter title. The title provides the overall topic of the chapter.
2. Read the introduction or first paragraph. The introduction or fist paragraph if there is not
introduction, serves as a lead-in to the chapter. It gives you an idea of where the material is
starting and where it is leading.
3. Read each major heading. The boldface heading will give you an idea of what is contained in
the following chapter section.
4. Read the first (topic) sentence of each paragraph. The first sentence often tells you what the
paragraph is about or states the central thought. However, be aware that in some material the first
sentence may instead function as a transition or lead-in statement. In this case, go on to the second
sentence to try to determine the central thought.
5. Look over any typographical aids. Notice words in slanted italic type or in dark boldface type;
usually a definition of an important term follows.
6. Look over any visual aids carefully. Notice any material that is numbered 1, 2, 3, lettered a, b, c,
or presented in list form. Graphs, charts, pictures, diagrams, and maps are very important means of
conveying information in science. Read the captions that go with these graphic aids. Visual aids
are included to point out what is important in the chapter.
7. Read the last paragraph or summary. The last paragraph or summary give a condensed view of
the chapter and helps you identify important ideas. Often the summary outlines the main points of
the chapter.
8. Read quickly any end-of-chapter material. If there are study questions, read through them
quickly since they will indicate what is important in the chapter. If a vocabulary item is included,
skim through the list rapidly to identify terms you will need to learn as you read.
Adapted from Kate Kinsella, San Francisco State University, 1994
How To Take Great Lecture Notes
BEFORE THE LECTURE
1. Read the required assignments in your textbook.
2. Review any notes you took in the previous class session.
3. Write down any questions about the homework reading or assignments that you want to ask your teacher
during the next day's lecture and discussion.
4. Come to class ready to take notes. Bring a binder with enough paper and a pen.
5. Sit near the front of the class to better see the chalkboard and hear your teacher.
6. Keep a separate section in your binder for each class.
7. Get your paper ready to take notes. Draw a 2" margin on the left side of the page.
8. Write the date and the name of the class at the top of the page.
DURING THE LECTURE
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
Use a blue or black ink pen.
Use standard 81/2" x 11" paper
Write the topic of the lecture at the top of the page.
Write down the main ideas of the lecture on the right side of the page. Save the 2" column on the left to
write down your recall clues after the lecture.
Only write key words and phrases; don't try to copy your teacher's exact sentences
Write down any examples your teacher or classmates use
Write down any new terms your teacher defines.
Use abbreviations whenever possible.
Write as neatly as possible.
Leave plenty of blank space between ideas so you can add missing information after asking the teacher a
questions or asking a classmate for help.
Ask questions during the lecture if you don't understand something. You can also write a question mark
next to any ideas that are unclear. Later you can ask your teacher or a classmate to explain this idea.
AFTER THE LECTURE
1. Edit your notes immediately after the lecture to remember more facts and examples.
2. Underline important new words and important ideas in your notes.
3. Fill in the left margin with words and phrases that briefly summarize your notes. These recall clues should
be words that will help you remember the complete information in your notes. You can also write questions
in the left margin.
4. To study for a test, cover your notes with a piece of paper, showing only the recall clues in the left margin.
Read the first recall clue and try to remember the information in the notes beside it. Then slide the paper
down and check that portion to see if you remembered all the important facts. If you remembered only part
of the information, cover up your notes again and try to remember.
5. Make a chart or diagram that links together concepts or ideas from your notes. Try to show how details are
linked together the greater subject or concept.
6. Study the details of a complex subject together with other related details. Make connections.
7. Look for the big picture that holds the details together.
Adapted from Kate Kinsella, San Francisco State, 1994
Biology 160 General Biology E. Stavney pg 12
SAMPLE LECTURE NOTES
DATE 0/00/00
Page 1 of 2
The History of Microbiology
Introduction
How microbes affect humans
Microbiology studied since invention of the microscope
Microbes involve in many things: bread, yogurt, infectious
Disease, food processing, genetic engineering, sanitation
Definition of Microbiology
Study of organisms smaller than the naked eye—
Includes bacteria, fungi, protozoans, algae, viruses
This class focuses on human and animal pathogens
Pathogenic
Capable of causing disease. Most bacteria actually are not pathogenic
History of Microbiology
Discovery of the Microscope
Robert Hooke (1665)
Anton van Leeuwenhoek
Two early microscopists:
Named cork tree boxes “cells” using a primitive microscope
Saw “animalcules’ in rainwater with lens in a metal plate
Cell Theory (early version)
developed by Schleiden and Schwann and Virchow
First statement: “All living things are made of cells”
Spontaneous Generation
Idea that organisms appeared magically or spontaneously, sometimes
from “vapors”
Francesco Redi (1668)
Showed by expt. That rotten meat “produced” maggots overnight, but
not with cheesecloth over jar (no adult flies to lay eggs)
Lazzaro Spallanzani (1765)
Showed by expt. That nutrient media (chicken broth) produced no
microbes if sealed and heated
Louis Pasteur (1861)
Showed with thin and long swan -necked flasks which admitted air that
no microbes grew
John Tyndall (1820-1893)
Showed that air without dust grew no microbes. More significantly showed
that different "infusions" required different boiling times; some had
heat-resistant endospores.
Cell Theory (later version, as
modified by Pasteur)
All living things are made of cells, AND All existing cells come from
pre-existing cells
Golden Age of Microbiology
1857-1914 (rapid advances in the field of micro)
Fermentation
Pasteur: sugaralcohol and CO2 in bread, wine, beer
Pasteurization
Pasteur: Mildly heating but not boiling milk, beer prevented spoiling
Biology 160 General Biology E. Stavney pg 13
History of Micro, continued
DATE 0/00/00
Page 2 of 2
Germ Theory of Disease
Josef Lister (1860) and others: diseases caused by microbes; chemicals
can be used to reduce disease (antiseptics)
Koch’s Postulates
Robert Koch (1876) showed that Bacillus anthracis caused anthrax
disease in cattle. He extracted blood, reinfected a host, & reisolated
the bacteria in dead cattle (proved origin of disease)
Vaccination
Edward Jenner discovered less virulent disease of cowpox prevented
smallpox; invented inoculation/ vaccination of disabled microbes to
prevent disease
Antimicrobial agents
salvarsan
arsenic derived discovered by Paul Ehrlich to treat
syphilis (bacterial disease) circa 1910
sulfa drugs
impt. (wonder drugs” which killed bacteria inside humans
synthetic (human-made) chemical; in 1930s
antibiotics
naturally occurring antibacterial drugs
Alex Fleming
Discovered Penicillium mold made substance that killed bacteria;
called it penicillin. Many derivatives of penicillin made today,
also other antibiotics
Science of Virology
Viruses are non-living but pathogenic; smaller even than
bacteria. Now of huge concern since antibiotics
can’t kill
Electron microscopy
Invented after WWII which allowed very small organisms
(e.g. viruses) to be seen for first time; cell structure
Molecular biology
Study of how genes make molecules called proteins in cells;1960s
onward
James Watson and
Francis Crick (1960s)
Discoverers of DNA structure
Molecular genetics
Study of genes and how they are inherited and changed in cells
Recombinant DNA Technology
Splicing and moving of genes between organisms to create
cells with new abilities; 1970s onward
Human Genome Project
Identification of genetic code in one person’s cellular DNA
Late 1980s to 2000s
Cloning and the growing of
new organs
Possible replacement of diseased or non-functional organs
Engineering of bacteria to clean up environment 1990s onward
Biology 160 General Biology E. Stavney pg 14
History of Micro, continued
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Microbial Ecology
How microbes grow in nature; important in understanding microbial
requirements in order to foster or control growth (such as on medical
implants)
Bioremediation
Using microbes to clean up environmental problems such as oil spills
under consideration for the 2010 Gulf Oil Spill
Other Specialties in Microbiology
Bacteriology
Study of bacteria or prokaryotes; their structure and how they live.
Virology
Study of (non-living) viruses; their structure and how they cause infection.
Immunology
Study of the human immune response; includes working with vaccines,
antibody chemotherapy drugs, tests to measure chemicals (assays)
Epidemiology
Study of disease transmission and how to prevent infection spread.
Parasitology
Study of microcopic parasites like protozoans, fungi, helminths (worms) that
cause infection
Mycology
Study of Kingdom Fungi; structure and how they live
Biology 160 General Biology E. Stavney pg 15
How to Write a Good Exam Essay: An Example
Question: Name three ways that DNA differs from RNA.
Topic sentence and
introductory
paragraph lay out the
points that will be
covered.
Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) differs from ribonucleic acid (RNA) in three structural respects.
DNA is double-stranded, it uses a different sugar, and it uses the nitrogenous base T instead of U.
DNA is composed of two antiparallel strands of deoxyribonucleotides. The two strands are held
together by hydrogen bonds between the nitrogenous bases of each strand. Unlike DNA, RNA is
composed of only a single strand. It sometimes folds upon itself (as in transfer RNA) and forms
hydrogen bonds between bases in the same strand.
DNA has the sugar deoxyribose, which has only a hydrogen atom attached to the 2’ carbon.
RNA, on the other hand, has the sugar ribose, which has a hydroxyl group (OH) attached to the 2’
carbon.
Finally, DNA utilizes four nitrogenous bases: Adenine, Guanine, Cytosine, and Thymine. RNA
utilizes three of these four bases, with the exception of Thymine. RNA has the base Uracil instead of
Thymine.
In summary, DNA and RNA differ in three important ways, all related to their structure. These
nucleic acids also differ with respect to their function within cells.
Supporting paragraphs take up each
point separately, providing detail.
Each point mentioned in the
introductory paragraph has its own
paragraph.
The summary paragraph recaps
the nature of the question and
how it was answered. It need
not be lengthy, and can often be
a single sentence.
Biology 160 General Biology E. Stavney pg 16