Introduction to Microbiology
Dr. Sudheer Kher
Prof & HOD, Dept of
Microbiology
Objectives
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Identify the contributions to microbiology
made by Koch, Pasteur, van
Leeuwenhoek, Lister, Ehrlich, Fleming,
and Jenner
Describe the system of scientific
nomenclature used to name
microorganisms
List major groups of microorganisms and
their habitats
Introduction to
Microbiology
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Dept of Microbiology
Microbiology
– Clinical Microbiology
– Medical Microbilogy
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Scope & Branches of
Microbiology
Theory, Practicals,
Exams
Basic functioning of
Micro Lab
Universal Safety
Precautions
Historical
YEAR
NAME
ACHIEVEMENT
1st century BC
Varo
Concept of “Animalia
minuta”
1546
Fracostorius
Contagion- Cause of
syphilis
1590
Jensen
Hand lens
1683
Antony van
Leeuwenhoek
First Microscope
“Animalcules”
1678
Robert Hook
Compound microscope
1745
Needham (Priest)
Abiogenesis
1836
Schulze & Schwan
Air contains microbes
1840
Oliver Homes, Poet
physician
Contageousness &
Puerperal fever
1846
Ignaz Semmelweis
Cause, concept &
prophylaxis of child-bed
fever
1853
Augustino Bassi
Silk worm disease due to
a fungus
Louis Pasteur 1822-95
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French chemist
Wine industry problem
Father/Founder of
Modern Microbiology
Fermentation – a
microbiological
process
Beer/Wine not
produced without
microbes
Louis Pasteur 1822-95
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Methods & Techniques of
cultivation
His discovery that most
infectious diseases are caused
by germs, known as the "germ
theory of disease," is one of the
most important in medical
history.
Introduced sterilization
Tyndalization (Tyndal-1877)
Studied Silkworm disease,
anthrax, chicken cholera,
hydrophobia.
Louis Pasteur 1822-95
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Introduced
live vaccines
– Jenner
(Cow-pox
vaccine)
Antirabic
vaccine
Pasteur
Institutes
Joseph Lister 1867
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Prof of Surgery,
Glasgow Royal
Infirmatory
Introduced
Antiseptic Surgery
Called Father of
Antiseptic Surgery
Robert Koch 1843-1910
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German general
practitioner
Perfected
bacteriological
techniques
Isolated pure cultures
of bacteria for the first
time
Discovered Anthrax
bacilli, Cholera vibrio,
M. tuberculosis
Father of Medical
Microbiology
Hypersensitivity
Koch’s postulates
The organism must be present in every case of the
infectious disease.
It should be possible to isolate the organism in
pure culture from the lesion.
Inoculation of the pure culture into suitable lab
animal should produce a similar disease.
It should be possible to re-isolate the organism in
pure form from the lesions produced in the
experimental animal.
Specific antibodies to the organism should be
demonstrable in patients suffering from the
disease.
Historical
YEAR
NAME
ACHIEVEMENT
1902
Walter Reed
Yellow fever in Cuba –
viral nature
1909
Landsteiner
Polio transmission
1929
Alexander Fleming
First antibiotic Penicillin
1930
1934
Good pasture
Ruska
Virus cultivation
1941
Flury
Use of Penicillin
therapeutically
Highlights in the History of
Microbiology
1677
 Observed "little animals"
(Antony Leeuwenhoek)
1796
 First scientific Small pox
vaccination (Edward
Jenner)
1850
 Advocated washing
hands to stop the spread
of disease (Ignaz
Semmelweis)
1861
 Disproved
spontaneous
generation (Louis
Pasteur)
1862
 Supported Germ
Theory of Disease
(Louis Pasteur)
1867
 Practiced antiseptic
surgery (Joseph Lister)
Highlights in the History of
Microbiology
1876
1882
 First proof of Germ
 Developed acid-fast Stain
Theory of Disease with
B. anthracis discovery
(Paul Ehrlich)
(Robert Koch)
1884
1881
 Developed Gram Stain
 Growth of Bacteria on
(Christian Gram)
solid media (Robert
1885
Koch)
 First Rabies vaccination
1882
(Louis Pasteur)
 Outlined Kochs
postulates (Robert Koch)
Highlights in the History of
Microbiology
1887
1900
 Invented Petri Dish
 Proved mosquitoes
(R.J. Petri)
carried the yellow fever
1892
agent (Walter Reed)
 Discovered viruses
1910
(Dmitri Iosifovich
Ivanovski)
 Discovered cure for
1899
syphilis (Paul Ehrlich)
 Recognized viral
1928
dependence on cells  Discovered Penicillin
for reproduction
(Martinus Beijerinck) (Alexander Fleming)
Highlights in the History of
Microbiology
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1977
Developed a method to
sequence DNA (W.
Gilbert & F. Sanger)
1983
Polymerase Chain
Reaction invented (Kary
Mullis)
1995
First microbial genomic
sequence published (H.
influenzae) (TIGR)
Nomenclature
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Scientific name (Systematic Name)
Binomial System of Nomenclature
– Genus name + species name
 Italicized
or underlined
 Genus name is capitalized and may be
abbreviated
 Species name is never abbreviated
 A genus name may be used alone to indicate a
genus group; a species name is never used
alone
 eg: Bacillus subtilis
B. subtilis
Nomenclature
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Common or descriptive names
(trivial names)
– Names for organisms that may be in
common usage, but are not taxonomic
names
 eg:
tubercle bacillus
(Mycobacterium tuberculosis)
 meningococcus
(Neiserria meningitidis)
 Group A streptococcus
(Streptococcus pyogenes)
Nomenclature
For viruses - common names are used
e. g. Polio virus, HIV, Influenza virus
 For parasites – Either binomial or
common names are used e.g.
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– Round worm, Ascaris lumbricoides, A.
lumbricoides
– Dog tape worm, Echinococcus
granulosus, E. granulosus