Chapter #1

Discovery of Microorganisms
Year

Scientist name

Around 1658

Athanasius Kircher

1664

Robert Hooke

1676-1683

Leeuwenhoek

1838

Ehrenberg

1875

Ferdinand Cohn

1940
Where are they from?

Leeuwenhoek

1665

Redi

1749

Turbevill Needham

1765

Lazzaro Spallanzani

Antoine Laurent Lavoisier

1830

Schulze

1838

Theodore Schwann

1854

Schroeder

1895

Harry Russell
Food borne Diseases

1820

Justin Kerner

1849

John Snow

1854

Filoppo Facini

1856

William Budd

1800

G.de Morveau &

W.Cruikshank

1885

Theodor Escherich

1888

A.A. Gartner

1896

Marie von Ermengem

1894

J. Denys

1895

Marie von Ermengem

Microbiology Techniques

1876
1877

Heinrich Schroder &

theodore con dusch
Car Weigert
Fredinand Cohn

1878

Joseph Lister

1880

Robert Koch

1884

Hans Christian Gram

1854

Chapter #1
Discovery of Microorganisms
Working
He had seen minute living worms in putrid meat and milk by using the microscope.
Magnification power of this microscope was so low that he could not have seen bacteria.
Describe the Structer of molds.
However, probably the first person to see different types of microorganisms. Especially
bacteria, under a microscope that probably did not have a magnification power above 300x. He
observed bacteria in saliva, rainwater, vinegar, and other materials; sketched the three
morphological groups (spheroids or cocci, cylindrical rods or bacilli, and spiral or spirilla); and also
described some to be motile. He called them animalcules.
He reported his observations to the newly formed scientific organization, The Royal Society of
London, where his observations were read with fascination. As reasonably good microscopes were
not easily available at the time, other interested individuals and scientists during the next 100 year
only conformed his observations.
Introduced the term bacteria and had proposed at least 16 species in four genera.
He had developed the preliminary classification system of bacteria. Coln also was the first to
discover that some bacteria produced spores.
Although, like bacteria the existence of submicroscopic viruses was recognized in the mid 19th
century, they were observed only after the invention of the electron microscope.
Where are they from?

There were no bursts of activity, some scientific minds were curious to determine from where the
animalcules, observed to be present in many different objects, were emanating. Society had just
emerged from Renaissance period, and science, known as experimental philosophy, was in its infancy.
The theory of spontaneous generation, i.e., the generation of some from of life from nonliving objects,
had may powerful followers among the educated and elite classes. Since the time of the Greeks, the
emergence of maggots from dead bodies and spoiled flesh was thought to be due to spontaneous
generation.
He disproved that theory by showing that the maggots in spoiled meat and fish could only appear if
flies were allowed to contaminate them. The advocates of the spontaneous generation theory argued
that the animalcules could not regenerate by themselves (biogenesis), but they were present in
different things only through abiogenesis (Spontaneous generation).
He showed that boiled meat and meat broth, following storage in covered flasks, could have the
presence of these animalcules by spontaneous generation.
Showed that boiling the meat infusion in broth in a flask and sealing the flask immediately prevented
the appearance of these microscopic organisms, thereby disproving Needham's theory.
This was the first time when Antoine and his coworkers showed the need of oxygen for life. The
believers of abiogenesis rejected Spallanzani's observation, suggesting that was not enough vital
force (oxygen) present in the sealed flask for animalcules to appear through spontaneous generation

By passing air through acid, showed that bacteria failed to appear in boiled meat infusion even in the
presence of air.
By passing air through red hot tubes, showed that bacteria failed to appear in boiled meat infusion
even in the presence of air.
By passing air through cotton, showed that bacteria failed to appear in boiled meat infusion even in
the presence of air.

Showed that gaseous swelling with bad odors in canned peas was due to growth of heat resistant
bacteria (Spores)
Food borne Diseases
He described food poisoning from eating blood sausage (due to botulism). Fatal disease form eating
blood sausage was recognized as early as A.D 900.
He suggesed the spread of cholera through drining water contaminated with sewage.
He named the cholera bacilli as Vibrio cholera, which was isolated in pure from Robert Koch in
1884.

He suggested that water contamination with feces from infected person spread typhoid fever and
advocated the use of chlorine in water supply to overcome the problem.
They advocated the use of chlorine to sanitize potable water.
He isolated Baacterium coli (later named Escherichia Coli) from the feces and suggested that some
strains were associated with infant diarrhea.

He isolated Bacterium enteritidis (later Salmonella)from the organs of a diseased man as well as from
the meat the man ate.
He proved that Salmonella caused a fatal disease in humans who consumed contaminated sausage.
He associated pathogenic Staphylococcus with death of a person who ate meat prepared from a
diseased cow.
He isolated Bacillus botulinus (Clostridium botulinum) from contaminated meat and proved that it
caused botulism.
Microbiology Techniques
They used cotton to close tubes and flasks to prevent microbial contamination in heated culture
broths.
He used methylene blue (A synthetic dye) to stain bacteria in aqueous suspensions.
He showed heat resistance of bacillus subtilis endospores.
He Isolate Streptococcus lactis (Now Lactococcus) in pure culture by serial dilution from sour milk.

He & his associates introduced many important methods that are used in all branches of microbiology
such as solid media (First Gelatin then agar) to purify and enumerate bacteria, petri dish, flagellar
staining,steam sterilization of media above 100 and photography of cells and spores.
He developed gram staining of bacteria cells.

Louis Pasteur

Louis Pasteur
Louis Pasteur
Louis Pasteur
Louis Pasteur
Louis Pasteur

Finally, demonstrated that, in boiled infusion, bacteria could grow only if the infusions were contamina
in air. His careful and controlled studies proved that bacteria were able to reproduce (biogenesis) and
generation.

Showed that wine fermentation from grapes and souring of wine caused by microorganisms. He also p
associated with the growth of microorganisms . Later, he showed the association of microorganisms w
sheep, and he also developed vaccines against a few diseases and animal diseases caused by microo

The major developments of ideas on the possible roles of microorganisms in foods and their scientific
He proved that the organism which was present on surface of wine, during vinegar production that wa
acid and named it Mycoderma aceti.
He showed that fermentation of lactic acid and alochol from sugar was the result of growth of specific

He recommended heating of wine at 62.7 OC for 30 min to destroy souring bacteria. F.Soxhlet advance
contaminated bacteria. Later, this method was modified and named pasteuization and used to kill ma
spoilage bacteria.

Ehrenberg
Charles
C.J.
Emil Christian
Ferdinand Cohn
Filoppo Facini
Fredinand Cohn
G.de Morveau &
W.Cruikshank
Hans Christian Gram
Harry Russell
Heinrich Schroder &
theodore con dusch
Hermann Helmholtz
J. Denys
Joh Tyndall
John Snow
Joseph Lister
Lazzaro Spallanzani

Introduced the term bacteria and had proposed at least 16 species in four genera.
He suggested that growth of yeasts was associated with alcohol fermentation
Named the microscopic organisms found on the surface of wine during vinegar production as Mycode
mesentericum.
He used pure cultures of yeasts of ferment beer.
He had developed the preliminary classification system of bacteria. Coln also was the first to d
some bacteria produced spores.

He named the cholera bacilli as Vibrio cholera, which was isolated in pure from Robert Koch in 188
He showed heat resistance of bacillus subtilis endospores.
They advocated the use of chlorine to sanitize potable water.
He developed gram staining of bacteria cells.

Showed that gaseous swelling with bad odors in canned peas was due to growth of heat resistant bac
(Spores)
They used cotton to close tubes and flasks to prevent microbial contamination in heated culture broth
They proposed that putrefaction and fermentation were connected with the presence of the organisms
from air.

He associated pathogenic Staphylococcus with death of a person who ate meat prepared from a disea
Showed that boiled infusion could be stored in dust free air in a box without microbial growth.
He suggesed the spread of cholera through drining water contaminated with sewage.
He Isolate Streptococcus lactis (Now Lactococcus) in pure culture by serial dilution from sour milk.
Showed that boiling the meat infusion in broth in a flask and sealing the flask immediately prevented
appearance of these microscopic organisms, thereby disproving Needham's theory.