Microbiology MCB2010 Study Guide #1 Practice Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards covering key topics, scientists, taxonomy, cell biology, and metabolism from Chapters 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 of Dr. Larson's MCB2010 course.

Bacteriology

The scientific study of bacteria and their roles in disease, ecology, and biotechnology.

Virology

The scientific study of viruses and virus-like agents.

Mycology

The scientific study of fungi, including yeasts and molds.

Parasitology

The study of parasites, their hosts, and the relationship between them.

Protozoology

The branch of microbiology concerned with the study of protozoa.

Phycology

The scientific study of algae.

Pathogen

A disease-causing microorganism or biological agent.

Antoni van Leeuwenhoek

The Dutch microscopist who first observed live microorganisms using simple handcrafted microscopes.

Spontaneous Generation

The historical hypothesis stating that living organisms can arise spontaneously from non-living matter.

Biogenesis

The biological concept that living cells arise only from pre-existing living cells.

Francesco Redi

The Italian physician who challenged spontaneous generation using decaying meat in covered and uncovered jars.

John Needham

The English scientist who claimed spontaneous generation occurred in heated broth experiments.

Lazarro Spallanzani

The Italian scientist who refuted Needham's findings by proving sealed boiled broth remained free of microbial growth.

Louis Pasteur

The French scientist who disproved spontaneous generation using swan-necked flasks and invented pasteurization.

Eduard Buchner

The German chemist who demonstrated acellular fermentation driven by yeast enzymes.

Robert Koch

The German physician who developed Koch's postulates to link specific microorganisms with specific infectious diseases.

Ignaz Semmwlweiss

The Hungarian physician who demonstrated that handwashing significantly reduced puerperal fever.

Joseph Lister

The British surgeon who introduced antiseptic principles and phenol disinfectant into surgery.

Florence Nightingale

The founder of modern nursing who implemented hygiene standards and statistical analysis in hospital care.

Edward Jenner

The English physician who developed the world's first vaccine using cowpox virus to immunize against smallpox.

Paul Erlich

The scientist who conceptualized the 'Magic Bullet' selective antimicrobial treatment.

Alexander Fleming

The Scottish scientist who discovered Penicillin from Penicillium mold.

Carolus Linnaeus

The Swedish botanist who created the modern system of taxonomy and Binomial Nomenclature.

Binomial Nomenclature

The two-part scientific naming system consisting of Genus and Species.

Taxonomy

The science of defining, naming, and classifying groups of biological organisms.

Three Domains

The primary biological classification scheme dividing cellular life into Eukarya, Bacteria, and Archea.

LUCA Common Ancestor

The Last Universal Common Ancestor from which all extant living organisms on Earth descend.

Dichotomous Key

An identification tool consisting of a series of paired statements based on physical or biochemical traits.

Peptidoglycan

A polymer consisting of repeating disaccharides (NAG and NAM) linked by amino acids that forms bacterial cell walls.

Mycolic acid

A thick waxy lipid found in the cell walls of Mycobacterium species detected using Acid Fast staining.

Monotrichous

Describing a bacterial cell that possesses a single flagellum located at one pole.

Peritrichous

Describing a bacterial cell with flagella distributed across its entire outer surface.

Axial filament

An endoflagellum wrapped around spirochetes that produces cellular motility through rotation.

Endospores

Highly resistant, dormant bacterial structures formed during sporulation to withstand harsh environments.

Sporulation

The process by which a vegetative bacterial cell forms a protective endospore.

Endosymbiotic Theory

The theory that eukaryotic organelles like the Mitochondion and Chloroplast evolved from symbiotic prokaryotes.

Mitochondion

The organelle in eukaryotic cells responsible for cellular respiration and ATP generation.

Anabolism

The set of metabolic pathways that build complex molecules from simpler units, consuming energy.

Catabolism

The set of metabolic pathways that break down complex molecules into simpler ones, releasing energy.

Apoenzyme

The inactive protein portion of an enzyme that requires a cofactor or coenzyme to become active.

Holoenzyme

The active enzyme-cofactor complex capable of catalyzing a biochemical reaction.

Coenzyme

A non-protein organic cofactor required for proper enzyme function.

Allosteric Site

A specific binding site on an enzyme distinct from the active site that alters enzyme activity when bound.

Feedback Inhibition

A metabolic control mechanism in which the end product of a reaction sequence inhibits an early enzyme in the pathway.

Glycolosis

The enzymatic metabolic pathway that oxidizes glucose into pyruvate, yielding ATP and NADH.

Chemiosmosis

The process in which a proton gradient drives ATP generation through ATP Synthase across a membrane.

Amphibolic Pathways

Metabolic pathways that function in both catabolic and anabolic cellular processes.