Lab 8 - Determining Concentration of Microbes & the Human Microbiota

These flashcards cover key vocabulary and concepts from Lab 8 on determining the concentration of microbes and understanding the human microbiota.

Serial Dilution

A step-wise series of dilutions of a substance in solution, either by using a constant or variable dilution factor.

Colony Forming Units (CFUs)

A measure used to estimate the number of viable bacteria in a sample, determined by counting the colonies that grow on a plate.

Turbidity

The cloudiness of a sample; higher turbidity indicates higher bacterial growth.

Spectrophotometer

An instrument used to measure the amount of light absorbed or transmitted by a sample.

Microbial Antagonism

The ability of normal flora to prevent pathogenic microbes from colonizing the body.

Viable Plate Count

An indirect method of bacterial enumeration where the number of viable cells is determined through colony counting.

Petroff-Hausser Chamber

A manual direct method used for enumerating bacteria under a microscope.

Dilution Factor

The ratio that indicates how much a solution has been diluted from its original concentration.

Microbiota

The community of microorganisms that inhabit a particular environment, especially the human body.

Gram Stain

A differential staining technique used to classify bacteria into gram-positive and gram-negative categories.

Flow Cytometer

An automated method that can determine number, size, and physical and chemical characteristics of cells.

Bacterial Growth Dynamics

The study of the growth rates and patterns of bacterial populations over time.