Microbiology Index Review

Flashcards covering terminology and concepts from microbiology lecture notes including microbes, cellular structures, fungal and protozoal classification, viruses, and infection transmission.

Microbes

A general category of microscopic organisms including bacteria, fungi, protozoa, and viruses.

Microbiome

A community of microorganisms that live together in a specific environment.

Pathogen

An organism or agent that causes disease.

Staphylococcus aureus

A specific bacterial species used as an example of microbial naming.

Plasmodium spp

A genus of protozoa known for causing Malaria.

Eukaryote

An organism consisting of cells in which the genetic material is DNA in the form of chromosomes contained within a distinct nucleus.

Prokaryote

A unicellular organism that lacks a membrane-bound nucleus or other membrane-bound organelles.

Bacteria

A large group of unicellular prokaryotic microorganisms.

Glycocalyx

A sticky or gelatinous substance, such as a capsule or slime layer, that surrounds a bacterial cell.

Capsule

A type of glycocalyx that is organized and firmly attached to the cell wall.

Slime Layer

A type of glycocalyx that is unorganized and loosely attached to the cell wall.

Nucleoid

An irregularly shaped region within a prokaryote that contains all or most of the genetic material.

Plasmids

Small, circular pieces of DNA that are separate from the chromosomal DNA in a bacterial cell.

Hypertonic cytoplasm

A state within the cell where the concentration of solutes is higher than in the surrounding environment.

Cell wall

A structural layer surrounding some types of cells, providing protection and rigidity.

Gram positive

A classification of bacteria based on cell wall composition that retains crystal violet stain.

Gram negative

A classification of bacteria with a cell wall structure that does not retain crystal violet stain, typically involving an outer membrane.

Pili

Hair-like appendages found on the surface of many bacteria used for DNA transfer.

Fimbriae

Short, numerous surface appendages used by bacteria to attach to surfaces.

Coccus / cocci

Spherical or round-shaped bacterial cells.

Bacillus / bacilli

Rod-shaped bacterial cells.

Binary fission

The simplified form of asexual reproduction used by prokaryotes to divide into two cells.

Generation Time

The time it takes for a population of bacteria to double in number.

Fungi

A group of eukaryotic organisms that includes yeasts and moulds.

Yeasts

Unicellular fungi that typically reproduce by budding.

Budding

A form of asexual reproduction in yeasts and some protozoa where a new organism grows from the parent cell.

Candida albicans

A specific species of yeast that causes infections such as thrush.

Moulds

Multicellular fungi characterized by a filamentous growth form.

Hyphae

The long, branching filamentous structures that make up the body of a mould.

Spores

Reproductive units produced by fungi for dispersal.

Mycoses

The term used to describe diseases caused by fungal infections.

Systemic Mycoses

Deep fungal infections that affect internal organs throughout the body.

Opportunistic Pathogens

Microbes that cause disease only when the host's immune system is compromised or normal flora is disrupted.

Protozoa

Unicellular eukaryotes that can reproduce either sexually or asexually.

Schizogony

A form of asexual reproduction involving multiple fission, common in some protozoa.

Viruses

Infectious agents consisting of nucleic acid (DNA or RNA) surrounded by a protein coat (capsid).

Envelope

A lipid bilayer that surrounds the capsid of some viruses.

Capsid

The protein shell that encloses the nucleic acid of a virus.

Glycoproteins

Spikes on the surface of a virus used for attachment to host cells.

Latent viral infection

An infection where the virus remains dormant within the host for an extended period.

Oncogenic viruses

Viruses that have the potential to cause cancer, such as HPV.

Prions

Infectious, misfolded proteins that cause neurodegenerative diseases like CJD.

Creutzfeldt-Jacob Disease (CJD)

A fatal brain disorder caused by infectious proteins known as prions.

Reservoir

The natural habitat or source where a pathogen normally lives and multiplies.

Fomite

An inanimate object that can carry and transmit infectious agents from one person to another.

Colonisation

The presence and growth of microorganisms at a body site without necessarily causing infection or symptoms.

Healthcare Associated Infection (HAI)

An infection that a patient acquires while receiving treatment in a healthcare facility.

Zoonosis

An infectious disease that is transmitted from animals to humans, such as Leptospirosis.

Resident flora

Microorganisms that are permanently established in or on the human body; also called normal flora or commensals.

Transient flora

Microorganisms that inhabit the body only temporarily and are not part of the permanent normal flora.