Introduction to Microbiology and Infectious Agents

Vocabulary flashcards covering introductory microbiology, major taxonomic and scientific specialties, non-living vs living organisms, and historical pioneers in microbiology based on Chapter 1-7 lecture notes.

Microscopic

Refers to organisms or objects that are too small to be seen with the naked eye and require a microscope to be visualized.

Macroscopic

Refers to organisms or objects that are large enough to be seen with the naked eye, such as fully grown parasitic tapeworms.

Virology

The branch of microbiology dedicated to the study of viruses.

Mycology

The study of fungi, a group of organisms that includes yeasts, molds, and mushrooms.

Parasitology

The study of parasites, defined as organisms that cannot survive on their own and require the machinery of another living creature to survive.

Mycobacteriology

The study of mycobacteria, a group of organisms with complex cell wall structures that do not take up normal bacterial stains and require an acid-fast stain.

Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB)

An acid-fast organism described as currently one of the most severe disease-causing mycobacteria.

Pathology

The study of the physical effects that an infection or disease has on the body, including structural damage and whether that damage is reversible or irreversible.

Immunology

The science studying how the body's immune system defends against and responds to exposure to microorganisms.

Epidemiology

The branch of science focused on investigating disease outbreaks, performing contact tracing, and identifying sources to contain and stop the spread of infection.

Viroids

Non-living infectious agents that cause diseases primarily in plants, such as lettuce.

Prions

Non-living infectious agents that alter normal proteins, causing fatal neurological or neuromuscular diseases such as Jakob Krutz's disease.

Prokaryotic Organisms

Unicellular (single-celled) organisms that include classic bacteria and archaea.

Eukarya

A domain of complex, mostly multicellular organisms (and some single-celled organisms) including algae, protozoa, fungi, and helminths.

Helminths

Complex macroscopic parasitic worms, such as tapeworms, roundworms, and heartworms.

Anton von Lewenhook

A glassmaker and self-made microbiologist who used lenses magnifying about $300\times$ to observe microbial life in saliva and pond water, proving microscopic life exists.

Animalcules

The term coined by Anton von Lewenhook to describe the microscopic living organisms he observed in oral cavity scrapings and pond water.

Robert Hook

A scientist who observed thin cross-sections of cork under magnification and coined the term cells to describe the box-like compartments.

Spontaneous Generation

The historical theory proposing that living organisms could spontaneously arise from non-living matter.

Francesco Reedy

A scientist who helped disprove spontaneous generation by using open, covered, and cheesecloth-covered jars of meat to demonstrate that maggots came from flies rather than appearing spontaneously.

Louis Pasteur

A scientist considered the father of modern microscopy who disproved spontaneous generation using swan-necked flasks, created vaccines for rabies and anthrax, developed pasteurization, and established the germ theory of disease.

Pasteurization

A heat treatment process at about $55\text{ degrees}$ designed to reduce microbial counts and eliminate disease-causing organisms in foods without rendering them completely sterile.

Germ Theory of Disease

The principle formulated by Louis Pasteur stating that infectious diseases are caused by specific microbes or infectious agents.