Microbiology

Author: Chief Editor: Tang Shanyi et al
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2003-06-01
Features: Synopsis This textbook is compiled in accordance with the spirit of the "Eighth Five-Year Plan" teaching materials program of the State Education Commission and is designed for full-time pharmacy students as a specialized microbiology textbook. The book is divided into four parts, totaling sixteen chapters. Part I Microbial Introduction, introducing the biological characteristics of various microorganisms and their relationship with humans and pharmacy. Part II Fundamentals of Immunology, elaborating on the basic principles and applications of immunology, with a focus on drug hypersensitivity reactions and immunological preparations. Part III Common Pathogenic Bacteria and Viruses, briefly explaining the main characteristics and pathogenic mechanisms of pathogenic microorganisms. Part IV Applications of Microorganisms in Pharmacy, introducing the relationship between microorganisms and drug spoilage, drug formulations related to microorganisms, antimicrobial tests of drugs, and microbiological testing of drug formulations. This book closely connects with the characteristics of pharmacy, highlights key points, and is highly practical. It can also serve as a textbook for adult education (such as part-time universities, evening schools, and correspondence courses) in medical colleges or reference materials for other medical personnel. Excerpt: Genus: A group of species with similar biological characteristics and close relationships. For example, Salmonella typhi, Salmonella enterica, and Salmonella paratyphi form the genus Salmonella. Species: A microbial population with basic morphological and physiological similarities. Species is the basic unit of bacterial classification. Within the same species, there may be some variations, which can be further grouped. More significant differences are referred to as subspecies (subspecies) or variety (variety, var.). Type: Microorganisms within the same species with minor differences can be classified into types. For example, they can be divided into multiple serotypes (serotype) based on antigenic structure, or multiple phage types (phagetype) or bacteriocin types (bacteriocintype) based on sensitivity to phages or bacteriocins, etc. Strain or Culture: Refers to different strains of the same species from various sources. A strain with typical characteristics is called a standard strain (standardstrain). Strains are often represented by numbers, geographical names, or symbols, such as H37Rv, which is a highly virulent standard strain of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. 2. Naming of Bacteria The naming of bacteria follows the internationally accepted Latin binomial system. Each bacterial species name consists of two Latin words: the first is the genus name, written as a noun with the first letter capitalized; the second is the species name, written as an adjective in lowercase. In printing, the names are italicized. The Chinese name places the species name first, followed by the genus name. For example, the scientific name of Staphylococcus aureus is Staphylococcus aureus. To avoid confusion, the surname of the namer is sometimes added after the species name, such as Staphylococcus aureus Rosenbach, referring to the Staphylococcus named by Rosenbach. If there are varieties within the species, the variety name is added after the species name, and "var." is added before the variety name, such as Bacillus subtilis var. niger (black of Bacillus subtilis). In addition to scientific names, some common bacteria can also be referred to by popular names, such as Mycobacterium tuberculosis, which is the common name of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Three. The Role of Microorganisms Although individual microorganisms are tiny, they can rapidly grow, reproduce, and produce corresponding metabolites in suitable environments by utilizing various organic and inorganic substances. The vast majority of microorganisms are beneficial to humans and plants and animals, and some are even essential. For example, microorganisms in the soil can convert the proteins of animals and plants into inorganic nitrogen compounds; nitrogen-fixing bacteria can fix atmospheric nitrogen for plant growth, while plants are the main nutritional sources for humans and animals. Therefore, microorganisms play a vital role in the material cycle of nature. In industry, microorganisms are applied in food, brewing, chemical industry, leather processing, petroleum, and industrial waste treatment, creating substantial material wealth for people. In agriculture, the use of microorganisms to produce bacterial fertilizers, plant growth hormones, and insecticides has opened new avenues for artificial fertilizer production, promoting plant growth, and controlling pests and diseases in agriculture. In the pharmaceutical industry, almost all antibiotics are metabolites of microorganisms. Additionally, microorganisms can be used to produce certain vitamins, coenzymes, ATP, nucleotides, organic acids, alkaloids, and enzymes. In recent years, with the development of molecular genetics and genetic recombination technology, many drugs and fine biological products have been produced through genetic engineering using recombinant strains (engineered strains). Insulin, interferon, growth hormone, and lymphokines (such as interleukin, tumor necrosis factor, etc.) can be efficiently expressed in Escherichia coli and have been applied in clinical treatment. However, some microorganisms can cause diseases in humans, animals, or plants, and these pathogenic microorganisms are referred to as pathogenic microbes (pathogenicmicrobes). For example, many human infectious diseases (such as typhoid fever, dysentery, tuberculosis, poliomyelitis, viral hepatitis, etc.) are caused by pathogenic microorganisms. Some microorganisms that are not pathogenic under normal conditions can also cause diseases under specific conditions and are referred to as conditional pathogenic microorganisms or opportunistic pathogens. Additionally, microorganisms can cause the spoilage and decay of industrial products, agricultural and sideline products, and medicinal materials (drugs), resulting in significant economic losses and health hazards. Four. Microbiology (I) Definition of Microbiology Microbiology (microbiology) is the science that studies the biological characteristics (morphology, structure, metabolism, growth, reproduction, heredity, and variation) of microorganisms and their relationships with humans, animals, and plants. (II) Branches of Microbiology With the continuous advancement and development of microbiological research, it has been divided into various applied fields, such as general microbiology, agricultural microbiology, industrial microbiology, medical microbiology, veterinary microbiology, and pharmaceutical microbiology. According to specific microbial groups as the research subjects, it can also be divided into bacteriology, virology, and mycology. These branches, through their in-depth research, have created favorable conditions for the comprehensive and profound development of microbiology. (III) Relationship Between Microbiology and Pharmacy The scope of pharmaceutical microbiology, in addition to the basic theories of medical microbiology, also includes theories and basic techniques for ensuring drug quality, researching and producing microbial drug formulations, and developing new drugs. This not only lays a necessary foundation for utilizing microorganisms and their metabolites to manufacture drugs but also provides relevant knowledge and techniques for other disciplines in pharmaceutical studies, such as biochemistry, pharmacology, pharmaceutical chemistry, and pharmaceutical technology. In recent years, the theory and technology of immunology have developed rapidly, and its connection with pharmacy has become increasingly close. For example, various cytokines produced during immune responses have been used as a new type of drug in clinical practice, and immunological methods can also be used to detect drugs. Therefore, microbiology and immunology have very important theoretical significance and practical value in drug research and production.