Microbiology Chp. 1

MS State - Spring 2026 - Dr. Brandy Roberts - Exam 1

Microbiology

Study of microscopic organisims. Affects anatomy and physiology, growth, genes, and taxonomy and evolution.

Microorganisms

Bacteria, archaea, fungi, protozoa, and helminths. Likely the first organisims that helped shape the earth (produced Oxygen with photosynthesis) and are ubiquitous

Acellular Microorganisims

Viruses and prions, things needing a host to function

Microbes

Pathogenic microorganisms. Require microscopes to see but can be cultured in a lab and yield large populations, making them both difficult and easy to observe

Decomposition

Break down of dead matter and waste, produces nutrients for microbes

Biotechnology/remedy

Using Microorganisms to produce goods and develop genetic modifications

Malaria

Infection transmitted by parasites and protazoa on mosquitos, kills 450K people a year.

Emerging

a new infection spreading, called remerging if the infection had already existed

Opportunistic microbes

always present microbes that become harmful in the face of a wound or weakned immune system.

Single celled microbes

Bacteria, Archaea, and some eukaryotes

Multicellular microbes

Helminths and other Eukaryotes

Bacteria

microscopic organisims that lack organells, are smaller than eukaryotes, and have genetic material stored in a cloud “nucleoid”

Eukaryotes

Largest microscopic organisms with unique nucleic acid patterns and organellesV

Virus

Acellular being, small amount of hereditary material in a protein shell that invades hosts to replicate

Prions

Misfolded proteins that behave like microorganisms, are transmissible

Retroviruses

Have a protein called reverse transcriptases, can make their mRNA into DNA

Historic disease transmission

The idea that disease came from inedible or spoiled food and bad air, and from “spontaneous creation,” was disproved by Louis Pasteur and Robert Cox.