Chapter 1 Lecture Notes: The History and Scope of Microbiology
I. What is microbiology?
A. Microbiology is the study of organisms and agents that are generally too small to be
seen clearly by the unaided eye. These organisms include viruses, bacteria, algae, fungi,
and protozoa.
B. Microbiology can be applied or basic.
C. Microbiology is linked to many other scientific disciplines including biochemistry,
cell biology, evolution, ecology.
D. Subdisciplines (both applied and basic research)
1. General microbiology: broad range of microbiological questions
2. Medical microbiology: microbes that cause human disease
3. Public health and epidemiology: Studies and controls
transmission, frequency, and distribution of disease
4. Immunology: the immune system
5. Agricultural microbiology: impact of microbes on agriculture
6. Microbial ecology: relationships between microbes and their habitats
7. Food microbiology: Prevention of food borne disease; microbes that make
food and drink
8. Industrial microbiology: commercial use of microbes to produce products
9. Biotechnology: manipulation of organisms to form useful products
II. What are microbes?
Microorganisms
Archea Eubacteria Eukarya
Prokaryotes that are
True bacteria;
very different from true
prokaryotic
bacteria in terms of cell Protista Fungi
wall, membranes, RNA
and protein synthesis;
considered to be very old
evolutionarily Unicellular; Uni and multicellular;
many nutrition types; absorptive nutrition;
includes protozoa, includes yeast,
some algae, simple multicellular molds;
fungi mushrooms
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I. What is microbiology?
A. Microbiology is the study of organisms and agents that are generally too small to be
seen clearly by the unaided eye. These organisms include viruses, bacteria, algae, fungi,
and protozoa.
B. Microbiology can be applied or basic.
C. Microbiology is linked to many other scientific disciplines including biochemistry,
cell biology, evolution, ecology.
D. Subdisciplines (both applied and basic research)
1. General microbiology: broad range of microbiological questions
2. Medical microbiology: microbes that cause human disease
3. Public health and epidemiology: Studies and controls
transmission, frequency, and distribution of disease
4. Immunology: the immune system
5. Agricultural microbiology: impact of microbes on agriculture
6. Microbial ecology: relationships between microbes and their habitats
7. Food microbiology: Prevention of food borne disease; microbes that make
food and drink
8. Industrial microbiology: commercial use of microbes to produce products
9. Biotechnology: manipulation of organisms to form useful products
II. What are microbes?
Microorganisms
Archea Eubacteria Eukarya
Prokaryotes that are
True bacteria;
very different from true
prokaryotic
bacteria in terms of cell Protista Fungi
wall, membranes, RNA
and protein synthesis;
considered to be very old
evolutionarily Unicellular; Uni and multicellular;
many nutrition types; absorptive nutrition;
includes protozoa, includes yeast,
some algae, simple multicellular molds;
fungi mushrooms
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