Microbiology

What is microbiology? Explores microscopic organisms Examples: viruses, bacteria, protozoa, parasites and some fungi. All of these organisms are unicellular (one cell) and come in a variety of shapes and forms.

Viruses Non-living made of DNA, RNA and a protein coat. Need a host cell to reproduce. Invade healthy cells and use it to make more viruses and usually kills the healthy cells in the process. Among the most widespread illnesses in humans. Range from mild fevers to some forms of cancer. Transmission varies. Human contact, water or insect bites. Vaccines and anti-viral drugs are used to control and prevent the spread of viral diseases.

Virus Examples Hepatitus Herpes Influenza (flu) Mumps Rabies Chicken Pox Norovirus (stomach) Rhinovirus (cold) Measles HIV

Virus Shapes Spacecraft Sphere Cylinder Crystal

Bacteria

What are they? Bacteria are prokaryotic single-celled organisms. Prokaryotic means that the organelles inside do not have their own membranes covering them. The opposite would be eukaryotic cells. These have membranes covering the organelles. Think of them this way: eukaryotic cells are like a house made of many separate rooms. Prokaryotic cells are like a big studio apartment.

Where do they live? Bacteria can live in a variety of places. With oxygen Without oxygen Extreme heat Extreme cold

Bacterial Reproduction Bacteria reproduce through binary fission. Binary fission is a type of asexual reproduction. Bacteria can grow and divide extremely rapidly and the population can double very quickly.

A biologist notices that a certain bacterium splits into 2 separate bacteria once every 15 minutes. If there was one bacterium on the slide 3 hours ago, how many are there on the slide now? At 4 hours? At 5 hours? At 6 hours? At 7 hours? Time (min) # of bacteria

Reproduction Rate Bacteria can reproduce very quickly. They can reproduce every minutes. 1 bacteria can produce over 250 million cells in 7 hours.

Treatment of Bacterial Infections Antibiotics Make sure to take them as directed. Too many antibiotics can cause bacteria to mutate and then the antibiotics are ineffective.

Virus vs Bacteria

Epidemic vs. Pandemic Epidemic – a fast spreading of a disease through a population. Pandemic – a fast spreading of a disease through a population that reaches into multiple countries and possibly worldwide.