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Antonie Van Leeuwenhoek Oct 2017Since the late nineteenth century, pure cultures have been regarded as the cornerstone of bacteriology. However, not all bacteria will multiply sufficiently to produce... (Review)
Review
Since the late nineteenth century, pure cultures have been regarded as the cornerstone of bacteriology. However, not all bacteria will multiply sufficiently to produce visible colonies on solid media; some cells will produce micro-colonies that are invisible to the naked eye. Moreover, the proportion of culturable cells that produce visible growth will vary according to the species and the state of the cells-are they actively growing or comparatively inactive? The latter have a poorer rate of recovery in terms of cultivability. It is unclear whether or not an individual colony is always derived from a single cell; it is possible that organisms in close proximity to each other may multiply and come together to produce single colonies. Then, the resultant growth will most certainly be derived from more than one initial cell. Although it is generally assumed that streaking and re-streaking on fresh media will purify any culture, there is evidence for microbial consortia interacting to form what appear to be single pure cultures. As so-called pure cultures underpin traditional microbiology, it is relevant to understand that the culture does not necessarily contain clones of identical bacteria, but that there may be variation in the genetic potential of the component cells, i.e. the cells are not homogeneous. Certainly, many bacteria change rapidly upon culturing, with some becoming bigger and less active. It is difficult to be sure if these changes reflect a loss or change of DNA or whether standard culturing methods select faster growing cells that are effectively not representative of the environment from which they were derived. These concepts are reviewed with an emphasis on bacterial fish pathogens.
Topics: Bacteria; Bacterial Infections; Bacterial Physiological Phenomena; Bacteriological Techniques; Colony Count, Microbial; Culture Media; Microbial Viability; Microbiology
PubMed: 28168566
DOI: 10.1007/s10482-017-0840-8 -
Clinical Microbiology Reviews Jan 2015A pure bacterial culture remains essential for the study of its virulence, its antibiotic susceptibility, and its genome sequence in order to facilitate the... (Review)
Review
A pure bacterial culture remains essential for the study of its virulence, its antibiotic susceptibility, and its genome sequence in order to facilitate the understanding and treatment of caused diseases. The first culture conditions empirically varied incubation time, nutrients, atmosphere, and temperature; culture was then gradually abandoned in favor of molecular methods. The rebirth of culture in clinical microbiology was prompted by microbiologists specializing in intracellular bacteria. The shell vial procedure allowed the culture of new species of Rickettsia. The design of axenic media for growing fastidious bacteria such as Tropheryma whipplei and Coxiella burnetii and the ability of amoebal coculture to discover new bacteria constituted major advances. Strong efforts associating optimized culture media, detection methods, and a microaerophilic atmosphere allowed a dramatic decrease of the time of Mycobacterium tuberculosis culture. The use of a new versatile medium allowed an extension of the repertoire of archaea. Finally, to optimize the culture of anaerobes in routine bacteriology laboratories, the addition of antioxidants in culture media under an aerobic atmosphere allowed the growth of strictly anaerobic species. Nevertheless, among usual bacterial pathogens, the development of axenic media for the culture of Treponema pallidum or Mycobacterium leprae remains an important challenge that the patience and innovations of cultivators will enable them to overcome.
Topics: Bacteria; Bacterial Infections; Bacteriological Techniques; Culture Media; History, 20th Century; History, 21st Century; Microbiology
PubMed: 25567228
DOI: 10.1128/CMR.00110-14 -
FEMS Microbiology Letters Aug 2019In this work, the position of contemporary microbiology is considered from the perspective of scientific success, and a list of historical points and lessons learned... (Review)
Review
In this work, the position of contemporary microbiology is considered from the perspective of scientific success, and a list of historical points and lessons learned from the fields of medical microbiology, microbial ecology and systems biology is presented. In addition, patterns in the development of top-down research topics that emerged over time as well as overlapping ideas and personnel, which are the first signs of trans-domain research activities in the fields of metagenomics, metaproteomics, metatranscriptomics and metabolomics, are explored through analysis of the publication networks of 28 654 papers using the computer programme Pajek. The current state of affairs is defined, and the need for meta-analyses to leverage publication biases in the field of microbiology is put forward as a very important emerging field of microbiology, especially since microbiology is progressively dealing with multi-scale systems. Consequently, the need for cross-fertilisation with other fields/disciplines instead of 'more microbiology' is needed to advance the field of microbiology as such. The reader is directed to consider how novel technologies, the introduction of big data approaches and artificial intelligence have transformed microbiology into a multi-scale field and initiated a shift away from its history of mostly manual work and towards a largely technology-, data- and statistics-driven discipline that is often coupled with automation and modelling.
Topics: Artificial Intelligence; Meta-Analysis as Topic; Microbiology; Publications; Software; Systems Biology
PubMed: 31314103
DOI: 10.1093/femsle/fnz159 -
FEMS Microbiology Letters Sep 2016There are not only many links between microbiological and philosophical topics, but good educational reasons for microbiologists to explore the philosophical issues in... (Review)
Review
There are not only many links between microbiological and philosophical topics, but good educational reasons for microbiologists to explore the philosophical issues in their fields. I examine three broad issues of classification, causality and model systems, showing how these philosophical dimensions have practical implications. I conclude with a discussion of the educational benefits for recognising the philosophy in microbiology.
Topics: Microbiology; Models, Theoretical; Philosophy
PubMed: 27465488
DOI: 10.1093/femsle/fnw182 -
Microbiology (Reading, England) Jul 2022
Topics: Microbiology; Soil Microbiology
PubMed: 35904846
DOI: 10.1099/mic.0.001234 -
Journal of Basic Microbiology Dec 2010
Topics: Communicable Diseases; Microbiology
PubMed: 21113897
DOI: 10.1002/jobm.201090014 -
Environmental Microbiology Jan 2023
Topics: Environmental Microbiology; Microbiology
PubMed: 36043245
DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.16163 -
Journal of Bacteriology Jun 2022
Topics: Bacteriology; Microbiology
PubMed: 35583338
DOI: 10.1128/jb.00153-22 -
Clinics in Laboratory Medicine Dec 2020Formal medical and public health microbiology (MPHM) fellowship programs play a key role in preparing future clinical microbiology laboratory directors for their... (Review)
Review
Formal medical and public health microbiology (MPHM) fellowship programs play a key role in preparing future clinical microbiology laboratory directors for their leadership and management responsibilities. Given the continually evolving MPHM field, fellowships must remain adaptable to changes in the field, providing trainees with the opportunity to engage with newly emerging diagnostic modalities, while continuing to emphasize the "bread and butter" techniques of clinical microbiology. This article discusses the key components of a fellowship program and provides recommendations for incorporating educational best practices.
Topics: Fellowships and Scholarships; Humans; Laboratories; Medical Laboratory Science; Microbiology
PubMed: 33121620
DOI: 10.1016/j.cll.2020.08.009 -
Cellular Microbiology Jul 1999
Review
Topics: Animals; Cells; Humans; Microbiology
PubMed: 11207536
DOI: 10.1046/j.1462-5822.1999.00005.x