Microbial Form - Eukaryotic and Prokaryotic Lab Review

A set of vocabulary flashcards reviewing microbial forms, including eukaryotic organelles, parasitic insects, flatworms, roundworms, various fungi, algae, protozoa, and pathogenic bacteria.

Lysosome

An organelle within eukaryotic cells often involved in digestion and waste removal.

Chromatin

A complex of DNA and protein found within the nucleus of eukaryotic cells.

Pediculus humanus

A parasitic insect from Kingdom Animalia commonly known as the louse, whose eggs fluoresce under UV irradiation.

Epidemic typhus

A disease characterized by high fever, rash, internal bleeding, and high mortality if untreated, for which Pediculus humanus is a vector.

Taenia pisiformis

A parasitic flatworm (tapeworm) in Kingdom Animalia acquired by ingesting eggs or encysted larvae.

Scolex

The head region of a tapeworm which contains hooks and suckers for attachment to the intestinal tract.

Proglottids

The body segments of a tapeworm that are hermaphroditic.

Trichinella spiralis

A roundworm from Kingdom Animalia acquired by eating undercooked meat; it encysts in skeletal muscle tissue.

Ovoid encasement

The shape of the cyst that surrounds the Trichinella spiralis roundworm in muscle tissue.

Sporangium

A case-like structure in Rhizopus where asexual spores are borne.

Hyphae

Threadlike extensions of cells common in most fungi.

Zygosporangium

A structure that forms after fertilization between $+$ and $-$ strains of Rhizopus.

Zygospores

Dormant spores produced by Rhizopus for survival during unfavorable conditions.

Mitosporic fungus

A classification for fungi like Penicillium and Aspergillus that produce asexual spores through mitosis.

Conidia

Asexual spores borne in chains or clusters, found in Penicillium and Aspergillus.

Penicillium

A fungus with a fruiting body resembling an artist paintbrush; some species produce the antibiotic penicillin.

Aspergillus

A genus of fungi with conidia arranged around a swollen hyphal tip called a vesicle; known for producing aflatoxins.

Aflatoxins

Potent carcinogens produced by some species of Aspergillus.

Budding

A form of asexual reproduction (unequal cytokinesis) used by yeast species such as Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Commonly known as baker’s yeast, this unicellular fungus ferments sugars to produce ethanol and $CO_2$ under anaerobic conditions.

Candida albicans

A yeast from Kingdom Fungi that exists in elliptical cell forms or long threadlike hyphal forms; causes infections of the skin, vagina, and mouth.

Amoeba proteus

A member of Kingdom Protista that moves and feeds using cytoplasmic extensions called pseudopods.

Euglena

A photosynthetic protozoan that contains chlorophylls $A$ and $B$, a red eyespot for light-sensing, and exhibits phototaxis.

Trypanosoma gambiense

A flagellated protozoan parasite that causes African sleeping sickness and is transmitted by tsetse flies.

Volvox

A globe-shaped colonial green alga that contains smaller spheres within larger ones; each cell is flagellated.

Spirogyra

A filamentous green alga characterized by spiral chloroplasts and the formation of conjugation tubes during sexual reproduction.

Diatoms

Unicellular algae with silica coverings that produce approximately $20\%$ of the oxygen in the atmosphere.

Diatomaceous earth

Fossilized layers of diatoms used for filtration and as a toothpaste abrasive.

Paramecium

A ciliate protozoan with a macronucleus for metabolism, a micronucleus for sexual reproduction, and a star-shaped contractile vacuole.

Balantidium coli

The only ciliate protozoan known to cause human disease; contact with pigs is a major risk factor.

Plasmodium

An apicomplexan protozoan transmitted by mosquitoes that causes malaria by attacking the liver and red blood cells.

Bacillus anthracis

A Gram-positive, rod-shaped bacterium that forms chains (streptobacilli) and produces endospores; the causative agent of anthrax.

Staphylococcus aureus

A Gram-positive bacterium that grows in clusters (resembling berries) and is a common agent in nosocomial infections like MRSA.

Escherichia coli

A small, Gram-negative rod-shaped bacterium common in the intestinal tract; some strains cause HUS (Hemolytic uremic syndrome).

Clostridium tetani

An anaerobic, Gram-positive rod with terminal endospores that produces a neurotoxin causing tetanus.

Proteus vulgaris

A Gram-negative rod-shaped bacterium with flagella for motility; a frequent cause of urinary tract infections.

Klebsiella pneumoniae

A Gram-negative rod-shaped bacterium characterized by a capsule that protects it from desiccation and helps it evade phagocytes.