![]() The nutritional needs of bacteria can be met through specialized microbiological media that typically contain extracts of proteins (as a source of carbon and nitrogen), inorganic salts such as potassium phosphate or sodium sulfate, and in some cases, carbohydrates such as glucose or lactose. An appropriate physical environment must be created, where important factors such as temperature, pH, and the concentration of atmospheric gases (particularly oxygen) are controlled and maintained. Some bacteria also require added nutritional components such as vitamins in their diet. Many bacteria, particularly those that cause diseases and those used in scientific studies, are heterotrophic, which means that they rely on organic compounds as food, to provide energy and carbon. Growing bacteria in pure culture is still one of the most widely used methods in microbiology. With the evolution of antibiotic-resistant strains and our increased knowledge of bacterial stealth attack strategies such as biofilms and intracellular growth, medical researchers have refocused their attention on disease-causing bacteria and are looking for new ways to defeat them. Most of these methods involved isolating single bacteria derived from a natural source (such as a diseased animal or human) and cultivating them in an artificial environment as a pure culture to facilitate additional studies.ĭuring the middle of the twentieth century, when we believed we had defeated them at their disease-causing game, bacteria became popular subjects of empirical study in fields such as genetics, genetic engineering, and biochemistry. The methods devised by Robert Koch, Louis Pasteur, and their associates during the “Golden Age” of microbiology, which spanned from the mid-1800s to early 1900s, are still widely used today. _īacteria were first observed by Anton von Leeuwenhoek in the late 17th century, but didn’t become the objects of serious scientific study until the 19th century, when it became apparent that some species caused human diseases.Below, list three positive things that bacteria do for you. ![]() ![]() While perhaps best known to us as a cause of human disease, bacteria really should be far more famous for their positive contributions than for their negative ones. ![]()
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