BIOL 333

Introduction to Medical Microbiology

Instructor: Anthony Siame
Office:
NEU 105
Lectures:
MTWR (8:30-11;30 am) NWB 114
Labs:
MTWR (12:30 & 3:15 pm), NEU 114
Office Hrs: MW (11:30 am - 12:30 pm)
Email:
Anthony.siame@twu.ca
Activate your .@twu.ca email address

Course Syllabus

Syllabus/Notes posted on MyCourses

PowerPoints slides & PDF notes

Go to MyBiol333
Follow the links
Required Books
Text: Microbiology: An Introduction, 12th Ed. 2015.
Tortora, G. J., Funke, B. R., and Chase, C. R. PEARSON EDUCATION, INC.

Study Guide: Microbiology: An Introduction, 11 th Ed.

2013. Funke, B. R. THE BENJAMIN/CUMMINS
PUBLISHING COMPANY. (Study Guide optional but highly recommended)
Manual: Introduction to Laboratory Microbiology:

Theory, Techniques, & Experiments. 2014. TRINITY

WESTERN UNIVERSITY

COMPONENTS OF FINAL GRADE

Laboratory attendance*,
punctuality*, & lab quizzes and
assignments* (Fail course if you miss 2 labs)
Final laboratory examination
(May 14th)
(Need to pass the lab)
In-class assignments
Mid-term examination (May 6th)
(Note the Change)

Final examination (May 15th)

Total

15%
25%
10%
20%
30%
100%

Grading
A+

90 -100%

B+

77 - 79%

C+

67 - 69%

D+

57 - 59%

85 - 89%

73 - 76%

63 - 66%

53 - 56%

A-

80 - 84%

B-

70 - 72%

C-

60 - 62%

D-

50 - 52%

Below 50%

Housekeeping Items and Expectation

You will get your lab manual during the first lab
(on Monday)
A student needs 50% in the lab component in
order to pass the course
In accordance with FNAS lab policy, a student who
misses one lab period, without an acceptable
reason, loses credit for that lab
A student who misses two lab periods without
acceptable reasons fails the lab component and
the course

Proper Biology Department Lab Attire

Lab coats are required to be worn at all times in the lab
(not in the hall, outside, or under a jacket), since you are
working on BSL1 organisms in the lab. There may be some
lab coats in NEU114 (first come-first serve basis), but it
would be best for you to have your own lab coat.
Legs should be completely covered with pants or a long
skirt (no skin should be showing below your lab coat).
Appropriate footwear would involve the entire foot being
covered by your shoes (flip flops, crocs and ballet flats
are not acceptable). Failure to wear proper attire will
result in you not being allowed to enter the lab until the
issue is corrected to the satisfaction of your instructor

Introduction to Medical
Microbiology
Chapter 1

Objectives
Describe examples of infectious
diseases
Understand that infectious diseases are
caused by distinct groups of microbes
History of Microbiology
Describe the major subject areas of
this course

Infection
Results from invasion of part of the body
by a microorganism
Microbes that cause infections and are
described as:
infectious (infections)
infectious agents
pathogens
pathogenic microorganisms

Types of Microorganism

Types of Infectious Agents

Several types:
prions (proteins that cause infections, e.g. mad cows)
Viruses (influenza, HIV/AIDS, H1N1)
Bacteria (strep throat, travellers diahherea)
Fungi (yeast infection, ringworms)
Algae (toxins/paralyzing shellfish poisoning)
protozoa (malaria, African sleeping sickness)
helminths (worms) (tapeworms, roundworms)
arthropods (ticks, fleas, insects) (vectors-transmit
some of these m/os, lyme disease, plague, scabies)

Medical Microbiology
Primarily a study of :
viruses, bacteria, fungi, & protozoa
But includes helminths (worms) and
arthropods (ticks, mites, insects)
Not microbes but important as
vectors and can transmit pathogens

Subdivisions in Medical Microbiology

Division depending on microorganism:
Bacteriology (study of bacteria)
Virology (study of viruses)
Mycology (study of fungi)
Parasitology (study of parasites:
protozoans, worms, insects)

Brief History
Note the contributions of the following:

Observing Microorganisms
In 1665, Robert Hooke observed the boxlike opening in
slices of plants (cells)
Cell theory all living things are composed of cells
In 1674, Anton van Leeuwenhoek observed m/os (bacteria
and protozoa) with magnifying lenses

Hookes drawing and microscope

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rober
t_Hooke

The Debate Over Spontaneous Generation

Pasteurs Experiment Disproving the Theory of
Spontaneous Generation

(1) Pasteur first poured beef broth into a flask. (2) Next he heated the neck of the
flask and bent it. (3) M/os did not appear in the cooled solution even after long periods.
What are aseptic techniques, and how did Pasteur contribute to their development?
Methods to block the access of airborne microorganisms to nutrient environments.
Pasteur demonstrated that heat can destroy microbial life.

Golden Age of Microbiology

Fermentation and pasteurization Pasteur showed
that yeasts were responsible for fermentation in
making wine or beer
Spoilage could occurred when m/os convert alcohol to
acetic acid (vinegar). One way to prevent spoilage is
to heat the wine or beer just enough to kill certain
m/os (pasteurization)
The germ theory of disease m/os can cause
diseases
Vaccination Edward Jenner showed that mild
disease cowpox gave immunity to smallpox in 1798

Modern
Developments in
Microbiology
(2013 -)

Modern Chemotherapy
Dreams of a Magic Bullet
The treatment of disease by chemical substances
Two types: synthetic drugs & antibiotics
Paul Ehrlich introduced an arsenic-containing
chemicals called salvarsan to treat syphilis
Discovery of antibiotic by Alexander Fleming in 1940

Around the fungus, there was no bacteria

Major Subject Areas to be Considered

Clinical microbiology: Biology of medically important
microorganisms
Chemotherapy and Microbial Physiology: Control of
microorganisms
Microbial Pathogenesis & Host defense: Virulence factors &
host-pathogen interaction
Microbial Ecology: Microbiota & biofilm
Biotechnology: Practical applications of microbiology
(biotechnology)
Immunity, Immunology & Vaccinology: Host Immunization,
allergies, immunodeficiencies, and autoimmune diseases
Epidemiology & public health microbiology: Movement of
diseases in populations, emerging infectious diseases, Case
studies of common infectious diseases

Three Approaches to the Study of

Infectious Diseases
1. Organismal approach: Focus on
type of organism
Bacterial diseases
Viral diseases
Mycoses
Parasites- diseases caused by
protozoa and helminths

Approaches

2. Body systems approach: Focus on body

parts infected
Skin infections
Cardiovascular system infections
Respiratory tract infections (pneumonia)
Digestive system infections (cholera, diarhhea)
Urinary and reproductive tract
infections (urithritis, urititis)

Approaches
3. Ecological approach: Focus on how

persons become infected or route of

infection
Foodborne and waterborne diseases
poisoning, hamburger disease?)

Skin and wound infections

Sexually-transmitted diseases
Ghonnorea, syphillis, warts,)

(food

(HIV/Aids,

Nosocomial infections (acquire from hospitalization)

Arthropod-borne diseases

Clinical or Diagnostic Microbiology

Clinical (associating signs/symptoms with pathogen/disease)
Association between pathogen and
disease
Diagnostic (BIOL333 lab focus)
Identification of medically important
microorganisms in the laboratory
Culturing, biochemical tests, microscopy,
staining, etc.

True or False?
Most of the microbes have been identified F
Most microbes are potentially harmful to humans
or animals F
When we are healthy, our bodies do not contain
any microbes F
Viruses are living microbes T/F
If all microbes were eliminated, humans could not
survive on earth T

How Bacteria Cause Diseases in Animals & Humans

The Trick of an
Enteric bacteria,
Edwardsiella tarda

Q&A
Advertisements tell
you that bacteria
and viruses are all
over your home and
that you need to buy
antibacterial
cleaning products.
Should you?
Explain.