Here are the answers to last week’s microbiology trivia game. Thanks to all who played. Your t-shirts are on the way. Have a great week!

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Enjoy this scientific spring scavenger hunt and find the answers to these 10 questions on the history of microbiology.  The birth of microbiology revolved around many key discoveries beginning around the mid to late 1600’s. These discoveries were at the cutting edge of science at the time and thanks to these dedicated people, the groundwork was laid for discoveries today.

I am sure all of the knowledgeable microbiologists reading this know who each of these scientists are. But, to find the answer to the questions posted is going to take a little effort. Your reward is a MO BIO T-shirt.  I will give a t-shirt to the first three people to get them all correct.

Don’t post your answers in the comments field, however, if you need a hint you can request one in the comments field and I will reply. Next week, all of the correct answers will be posted in this article.

Have fun and good luck on the hunt!

1. Antonie van Leeuwenhoek first observed bacteria in 1676 using a single-lens microscope of his own design. Microscopes of the day had a magnification of only 3x and were only powerful enough to see fruiting bodies of molds, first described by Robert Hooke in 1665. What was the magnification of the first microscopes built by Leeuwenhoek?

His first microscopes were 200x. Once he perfected the technique, he could get them to 500x.

2. Christian Gottfried Ehrenberg was the first person to use the name “bacterium” in 1838. His work encompassed 30 years of research studying soil, rocks, water, sediment and dust where he described thousands of new species in over 400 publications. Bacteria is derived from the greek word, βακτηριον, which means “small stick”. Before “bacteria” was a word, what were microorganisms called?

Animalcules

3. Louis Pasteur is famous for many contributions to microbiology, including disproving the theory of spontaneous generation, a theory that held for two millenia and was originally proposed by Arisotle, and for developing methods for sterilizing food (pasteurization) and vaccine development for anthrax, cholera, and rabies (1860’s).  Pasteurization was originally developed to help protect what important industry in France?

Beer and wine

4. Joseph Lister was the pioneer of aseptic surgery, demonstrating that simply wearing clean clothes reduced infections in hospital patients (Florence Nightingale already practiced this) and for discovering that the use of the antiseptic carbolic acid (phenol) for sterilization of instruments, surgical dressing, and gloved hands before use in surgery (1867) significantly reduced the mortality of patients from sepsis and gangrene (although the acid did burn the patient’s skin). However, Lister’s research was not well received in many hospitals, especially in Edinburgh. Why?

The doctors in Edinburgh considered it a status symbol to be covered in blood from previous operations.

5. Ferdinand Julius Cohn was the first to systematically classify bacteria into groups and described the first Bacillus spore in the 1870’s. What are the names of the four groups he designated for categorizing bacteria based on morphology  (not rods, sphericals and spirals, but the actual names)?

Sphaerobacteria, Microbacteria, Desmobacteria, Spirobacteria

6. Robert Koch gave us Koch’s postulates (1877), which is a series of criteria used to prove that a specific bacteria causes a specific disease, known as the germ theory of disease. Koch also was the first person to focus on pure cultures of bacteria. What was his original culture media (his “agar plates”) made of?

Potato and gelatin

7. Martinus Beijerinck is considered the founder of virology. He demonstrated that a life form smaller than bacteria could cause disease by using filtration to separate bacteria from plant sap and showing the resulting liquid was still infective (1898).  Why did he call the infectious agent “virus”?

It is Latin for “poison”. Alternative answer: contagium vivum fluidum.

8. Sergei Nikolaievich Winogradsky is the father of environmental microbiology. His work as an ecologist and  soil scientist contributed to many discoveries in the field including the discovery of nitrification. He is best known for his discovery of chemoautotrophy, also known as chemosynthesis, or the ability to derive energy from inorganic compounds and obtain carbon from carbon dioxide (1890’s). What classic microbiology technique did Winogradsky use to study the morphology and physiology of sulfur and iron bacteria?

Hanging drop

9. Sir Alexander Flemming discovered the antibiotic penicillin from Penicillium notatum in 1928. His search for anti-bacterial agents was fueled by the deaths of World War I soldiers using antiseptics which were making bacterial infections worse, sealing them inside of wounds. He attributes his discovery to his untidiness in the lab, which allowed for some of his Staph cultures to become infected with mold resulting in destruction of the Staphylococcus colonies close to the mold. It wasn’t until 1938 at Oxford University when Howard Florey and Ernest Chain would pick up where Flemming left off and figure out how to mass produce penicillin to treat soldiers in WWII. Where did Florey and Chain find the fast growing Penicillium mold they used for commercial manufacture?

From a moldy cantelope at the supermarket

10. Alice Catherine Evans made one of the most important medical discoveries of the 20th century while working for the U.S. Department of Agriculture Bureau of Animal Husbandry. She demonstrated that raw milk contained Bacillus abortus bacteria and caused the disease Brucellosis which led to fevers and death in 1918. She championed the pasteurization of milk to prevent disease. Her findings were not taken seriously because of her gender and because she did not have a Ph.D. By the 1920’s and 30’s, other scientists had confirmed her results and milk pasteurization became law. Today she is honored every year by the American Society of Microbiology with an award named after her. Why is there an Alice C. Evans award at ASM?

She was the first female president of ASM

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There you have it. Ten questions about the history of microbiology.  Email your answers to skennedy@mobio.com. I’ll let you know if you are a winner.

Have a wonderful week and whatever holiday you celebrate at this time of year, may it be filled with fun, happiness, family, and chocolate.

~  Suzanne