Microbiology 251 Ch 4 and 5 Bacteria Characteristics

A comprehensive set of vocabulary flashcards covering the characteristics of various bacteria, fungi, and protozoa from Microbiology 251 Chapters 4 and 5.

Rhizobium

Nitrogen-fixing bacteria that live in the roots of legume plants and produce ammonia for plant use.

Mycobacterium tuberculosis

Bacterium characterized by a waxy mycolic acid coat and slow growth; symptoms include fever, crackling in the lungs, and a cough producing sputum or blood clumps.

Mycobacterium leprae

The causative agent of leprosy (Hansen's disease), found in cooler peripheral body regions.

Corynebacterium

Gram-positive, facultative anaerobes that appear as v-shaped pairs of rods; found on skin and mucous membranes and are generally harmless unless toxin-producing.

Corynebacterium diphtheriae

A bacterium that causes respiratory tract diphtheria and produces a harmful toxin.

Clostridium

A genus of Gram-positive, obligate anaerobic rods that form endospores and produce toxins.

Clostridium botulinum

Bacterium that causes food poisoning by producing botulinum toxin; its endospores are found in soil and can potentially colonize the GI tract of infants who ingest honey.

Clostridium perfringens

An obligate anaerobe that causes food poisoning and myonecrosis (gas gangrene); wound infections can be treated using a hyperbaric chamber.

Clostridium tetani

The causative agent of tetanus, which produces the toxin tetanospasmin and is found in soil and deep wounds.

Clostridium difficile

Commonly known as "C-diff," this bacterium is a frequent hospital-acquired infection that causes severe colitis.

Streptococcus

Gram-positive, obligate fermenters that produce lactic acid, grow in chains or pairs, and may cause red blood cells to lyse.

Streptococcus pyogenes

Beta-hemolytic group A streptococci that are all pathogenic; causes strep throat (bacterial pharyngitis), impetigo, and rarely necrotizing fasciitis.

Streptococcus pneumoniae

Gram-positive cocci in pairs that cause bacterial pneumonia, meningitis, and endocarditis; virulent strains possess a capsule.

Lactobacillus

Gram-positive rods that are most often aerotolerant anaerobes (not killed by $O_2$); they produce lactic acid and help maintain the acidic environment of the vagina.

Bacillus

Gram-positive, endospore-forming rods found in soil that serve as a source of antibiotics; they act as opportunistic pathogens causing anthrax or food poisoning.

Bacillus cereus

A common soil bacterium found in milk that can cause food poisoning.

Bacillus anthracis

The bacterium that causes anthrax; in humans, it can lead to black ulcers, severe enterocolitis, and fatal brain damage from swelling.

Staphylococcus aureus

Cocci in clusters that cause skin infections (boils, carbuncles, cellulitis) and produce enterotoxins leading to toxic shock syndrome; includes resistant strains like MRSA and VRSA.

Staphylococcus epidermidis

A nonpathogenic inhabitant of human skin that is an important cause of infections associated with IV catheters in hospital settings.

Pseudomonas

Unique Gram-negative, aerobic bacteria that produce pigments and form biofilms; they are opportunistic pathogens that do not ferment and can grow almost anywhere in the body.

Vibrio

Gram-negative, curved (comma-shaped) rods found mostly in alkaline aquatic environments.

Vibrio cholerae

Strains $O1$ or $O139$ produce the toxin responsible for cholera epidemics; transmitted via contaminated water or seafood, it causes profuse watery diarrhea and dehydration.

Legionella pneumophila

An aquatic bacterium that resides in protozoa and causes respiratory disease; transmitted from the environment (e.g., air conditioning units) but not human-to-human.

Escherichia coli

Mostly mutualistic gut bacteria used as indicators of fecal contamination; strains like $O157$ and $H7$ produce Shiga toxin, causing hemorrhagic colitis and Hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS).

Salmonella

A genus consisting of many species identified using antisera; it is the causative agent of typhoid fever.

Aspergillus

A fungus that produces aflatoxins and is a common contaminant of nuts and grains.

Dermatophytes

Genera of fungi that cause infections such as athlete's foot, jock itch, and ringworm.

Histoplasma capsulatum

A respiratory pathogen that is associated with birds and bats.

Coccidioides immitis

The fungus responsible for causing Valley fever.

Candida albicans

A common cause of yeast infections in the vagina and other moist body sites.

Cryptococcus neoformans

A fungus that forms spores through budding in fruiting bodies (basidocarp) and causes serious lung infections.

Microsporidia

Unicellular, obligate intracellular fungal parasites that enter host cells through a polar tube.

Naegleria fowleri

An amoeba known as the "brain-eating" amoeba.

Acanthamoeba

The organism that causes amoebic keratitis, an infection of the eye.

Entamoeba histolytica

A parasitic amoeba that causes amebic dysentery.

Plasmodium

An Amoebazoa that causes Malaria and has a complex lifecycle involving mosquitoes.

Toxoplasma gondii

An Amoebazoa transmitted via cat feces or undercooked meat that causes toxoplasmosis.

Giardia

Parasitic protozoa that form a resting stage (cyst) and cause GI infections/diarrhea transmitted through feces or contaminated water.