Microbiology Fundamentals Chapter 2: Tools of the Laboratory

Flashcards covering key vocabulary and concepts from Microbiology Fundamentals Chapter 2: Tools of the Laboratory, focusing on the Five I's, media types, staining techniques, and microscopy.

Culture

To grow microorganisms.

Medium (plural, media)

Nutrients for the growth of microbes.

Inoculum

A small sample of microbes.

Inoculation

The introduction of an inoculum into media to culture microbes.

Incubator

A temperature-controlled chamber to encourage the multiplication of microbes.

Colony

A macroscopic cluster of cells appearing on a solid medium arising from the multiplication of a single cell.

Defined or synthetic media

Composition is precisely chemically defined; contain pure organic and inorganic compounds that vary little from one source to another.

Complex media

One or more components is not chemically defined; contains extracts of animals, plants, or yeasts.

General-purpose media

Grow as broad a spectrum of microbes as possible; generally complex.

Enriched media

Contains complex organic substances such as blood, serum, hemoglobin, or special growth factors for the growth of fastidious microbes.

Selective media

Contains one or more agents that inhibit the growth of a certain microbe or microbes.

Differential media

Allow multiple types of organisms to grow but display visible differences in how they grow.

Reducing medium

Contains a substance that absorbs oxygen or slows the penetration of oxygen; important for growing anaerobic bacteria.

Transport media

Used to maintain and preserve specimens that have to be held for a period of time before clinical analysis.

Carbohydrate fermentation media

Contains sugars that can be fermented with a pH indicator to show this reaction.

Bright-Field Microscopy

The most widely used type of light microscope; forms its image when light is transmitted through the specimen.

Dark-Field Microscopy

A bright-field microscope adapted by adding a stop to the condenser, resulting in brightly illuminated specimens surrounded by a dark field.

Phase-Contrast Microscopy

Microscope that transforms subtle changes in light waves passing through the specimen into differences in light intensity, useful for observing intracellular structures.

Fluorescence Microscopy

Microscope using ultraviolet (UV) radiation and fluorescent dyes to visualize specimens, emitting visible light.

Confocal Microscopy

Microscope using a laser beam to scan various depths in the specimen, delivering a sharp image focusing on a single plane.

Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM)

Microscope that transmits electrons through a sectioned specimen, revealing detailed internal structure.

Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM)

Microscope that scans the surface of a metal-coated specimen with electrons, creating a detailed three-dimensional view.

Positive Stain

Dye sticks to the specimen and gives it color.

Negative Stain

Dye does not stick to the specimen but settles some distance from its outer boundary, forming a silhouette.

Simple Stain

Requires only a single dye and an uncomplicated procedure, causing all cells in the smear to appear more or less the same color.

Differential Stain

Uses two differently colored dyes (primary dye and counterstain) to distinguish cell types or parts.