Microbiology Terminology and Bacterial Growth Flashcards

A comprehensive vocabulary set covering microbiology control suffixes, sterilization methods, bacterial growth phases, and hygiene terminology based on the lecture notes.

-cide

A suffix meaning to kill germs.

Bactericide

Something that kills bacteria.

Fungicide

Something that kills fungi, like mold or yeast.

Virucide

Something that kills or stops viruses.

Sporicide

Something that kills spores, which are very tough forms of bacteria.

Germicide

Something that kills germs.

-static

A suffix meaning to stop germs from growing, but not always kill them.

Bacteriostatic

Something that stops bacteria from growing.

Fungistatic

Something that stops fungi from growing.

Sterilization

Killing all germs, even the toughest ones.

Endospores

A strong protective shell that some bacteria make to survive; they are very hard to kill and act like super armor.

Autoclave

The "gold standard" for sterilization that uses very hot steam and pressure to kill germs.

Bacterial growth curve

A representation that shows how bacteria grow, multiply, slow down, and die.

Lag phase

The stage where bacteria are getting ready to grow.

Log phase

The stage where bacteria are growing and multiplying fast.

Stationary phase

The stage where bacteria stop growing fast because they are running out of food and space.

Death phase

The stage where bacteria start dying faster than they are growing.

Binary fission

The process where one bacterium splits into two bacteria.

Generation time

The time it takes for bacteria to double in number.

Disinfection

Killing many germs on surfaces or nonliving things (like tables and tools), but not always all germs.

Antiseptic

A germ-killer used on skin.

Sanitization

Lowering the number of germs to a safe level.

Decontamination

Making something safer by removing or killing germs.

Degerming

Removing germs from a small area, such as cleaning skin before a shot.

Asepsis

Keeping things as free from germs as possible.

Medical asepsis

Clean technique that helps reduce germs.

Surgical asepsis

Sterile technique that tries to keep all germs away.

Pasteurization

Heating liquids, like milk, to kill many harmful germs.