Lab Vocab Flashcards

bacillus

rod-shaped bacteria

Coccus

spherical bacteria

bacteria

prokaryotic organisms that are often pathogens; singular, bacterium

pathogens

a microbe that causes disease or illness in a host.

flagella

long thin appendages that extend beyond the cell wall and propel the cell along; singular, flagellum

Spirilla

rigid, spiral-shaped bacteria that move with flagella and can be found in various environments such as fresh water and marine habitats.

spirochete

flexible, spiral-shaped bacteria that can move in a corkscrew motion and are known for causing diseases such as syphilis and Lyme disease.

stereomicroscope

a type of microscope with a large working distance; also called a dissecting microscope

compound light microscope

a type of microscope that uses two sets of lenses (compound lens system) to obtain higher magnification than a stereomicroscope

working distance

the space between the lens and the specimen

slide

a small, rectangular piece of glass

coverslip

a thin, protective piece of glass

eyepiece

the part of a microscope through which the user views a specimen or slide; it contains an ocular lens located at the top of the microscope.

monocular

describes a microscope with one eyepiece

binocular

describes a microscope with two eyepieces

body tube

the long cylinder extending from the eyepiece

objectives

a magnifying lens found at the opposite end of the body tube

high power objectives

the high power lens, usually either 40x or 100x; also called the high-dry objective

low power objectives

the lens between the scanning and high power objectives, most commonly a magnification of 10

nosepiece

hols the objective lenses

parfocal

the ability of a microscope to remain in focus when there is a change to the objective with minimal fin-tuning if the image is already in focus

(iris) diaphragm

regulates amount of light directed onto the slide

fungus

a heterotrophic eukaryotic organism that typically absorbs nutrients from the environment, secreting digestive enzymes to break down materials before they are absorbed; plural = fungi

chitin

a polysaccharide found in the cell walls of fungi and the shells of arthropods

mycellium

the vegetative part of a fungus, consisting of a network of fine white filaments (hyphae); plural, mycelia

hyphae

long, branching, filamentous structures of a fungus, oomycete, or actinobacterium; singular = hypha

septa

an internal cross-wall that divides the hyphae but still alows material to flow from one compartment to another

bud scar

a crater-like ring of chitinous scar tissue located on the surface of the mother cell

Ascomycota

the largest phylum of Kingdom Fungi; its members produce ascospores and are also known as sac fungi (sac fungi)

Basidiomycota

a phylum of Kingdom Fungi whose members produce basidiospores; members include many edible and poisonous mushrooms, shelf fungi, rusts, and smuts (club fungi)

Chytridiomycota

A phylum of Kingdom Fungi whose members typically live in aquatic or moist habitats, have motile flagellated spores, and are either parasitic or saprophytic; members are informally known as chytrids (chytrids)

Zygomycota

a former phylum of Kingdom Fungi whose members are now classified under four recognized subphyla; its members are mostly terrestrial and commonly known as bread molds.

Microsporidia

a phylum of Kingdom Fungi that includes obligate intracellular parasites that are spore forming, unicellular, and lack mitochondria

saprophytic

Describes an organism that obtains nutrients by digesting decayed matter external to the body and absorbing the released nutrients

Blastocladiomycota

Contains fungi that make large networks of mycelia, have flagellated as spores and gametes

Neocallimastigomycota

a phylum of anaerobic fungi found in the rumens of ungulate animals like cattle

hydrogenosome

a membrane-enclosed organelle found in some anaerobic ciliates, flagellates, and fungi

Glomeromycota

A phylum of Kingdom Fungi whose members are soil fungi that reproduce asexually

mycorrhizae

beneficial associations of fungi and plant roots

Dikarya

a sub-kingdom of fungi, containing two phyla: Basidomycota and Ascomycota, have hyphae with well-developes septae, “higher fungi”

ascospores

a sexual spore found in an ascus (sac) in certain fungus species

ascus

a reproductive structure that resembles a sac

human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)

a retrovirus that attacks immune cells in humans and can cause AIDS

acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS)

A syndrome caused by the destruction of T-cells and other immune cells by HIV, which makes patient vulnerable to infections

retrovirus

a virus that stores its genetic information as RNA and uses reverse transcriptase to transcribe its RNA to DNA after infecting a celland integrates it into the host genome.

capsid

a protein coat surrounding the genetic material of a virus; not plasmid

envelope

a lipoprotein membrane that surrounds some types of viruses and which contains receptors that allow the virus to attach to the membrane of cells

CD4+ T cells

an adaptive immune cell made in the thymus that identifies infections and activates other immune cells to respond

helper T cells

CD4+ cells

virions

a complete infectious particle of a virus

CD4 receptors

a specific protein receptor on helper T-cells that allows them to recognize other molecules

reverse transcriptase

an enzyme that transcribes RNA into DNA

integrase

An enzyme produced by HIV viruses that allows them to splice sections of HIV DNA into a cell’s DNA strandand facilitate the integration of viral genetic material.

bystander CD4 T cells

a type of T cell that is not directly infected by HIV

pyroptosis

a form of programmed cell death where a cell bursts open releasing cytotoxic chemicals and signals nearby immune cells to undergo the same process This type of cell death is typically associated with infections and inflammation, playing a role in the immune response.

cytotoxic

able to kill a cell

antibody

a highly specific protein generated by the immune system that recognizes only one particular antigen

B lymphocytes

(aka B cells) a type of leukocyte (white blood cell) that makes antibodies; it is one of two types of leukocytes that are pre-programmed to bind to specific antigens via receptors embedded in their cell membranes

latent infection

a period of time when a patient has been infected by a virus like HIV but it is not actively producing antibodies against it

pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP)

a preventive treatment for individuals at high risk of contracting HIV, involving daily antiretroviral medication to reduce the likelihood of infection.

medications that prevent HIV infection by inhibiting its ability to bind to CD4 receptors on T-cells; also called pre-exposure phophylaxis

antiretrovirals

a type of medication that inhibits the ability of retroviruses to perform reverse transcription, limiting the number of viruses within a patients body.

Western blot immunoassay

A type of immunoassay that involves separating proteins by size via gel electrophoresis, eletrophoretically transferring the proteins to blotting paper, and detecting them via antibodies

contaminated

inhabited by unwanted microbes

aseptic

contamination-free

media

substances used to support microbial growth; singular = medium

sterile

completely free of living microbes

disinfected

cleaned with a chemical such that the number of microbes is reduced

pure culture

a sample of genetically-identical microbes that is free of other species or strains

subculturing

taking a small amount of microbes from an original pure culture and inoculating it in fresh sterile media

inoculated

introduced with microbes (referring to a culture medium)

inoculum

the microbes used to inoculate a medium

turbidity

cloudiness in a solution that is result of small particles in suspension

subculturing

taking a small amount of microbes from an original pure culture and inoculating it in fresh sterile media

selective media

media used to isolate microbes based on occurrence of growth

selective inhibition

the selection strategy of selective media containing a substance to inhibit the growth of certain groups of microorganisms

differential media

media that differentiates between microbes based on their biochemical properties, usually using dyes

mannitol salt agar (MSA)

the selective medium that contains mannitol, 7.5% sodium chloride (NaCl), and phenol red pH indicator; used to isolate staphylococci and differentiate S. aureus from other species; uses salt to differentiate

enriched media

media that is able to support the growth of many different organisms, including fastidious organisms

MacConkey Agar (MAC)

the selective and differential medium that contains crystal violet, bile salts, lactose, and neutral pH indicator; used to isolate and differentiate Gram-negative bacteria based on lactose fermentation.

Eosin Methylene Blue agar (EMB)

the selective and differential medium that contains eosin, methylene blue, and lactose; also called Levine EMB; used to isolate and differentiate Gram-negative bacteria, particularly fecal coliforms and E. coli based on lactose fermentation.

blood agar

non-selective, differential medium that contains blood

exotoxins

a secreted toxin

hemolysis

the bursting, or lysis, or red blood cells and the subsequent release of their contents

chocolate agar

non-selective, differential enriched medium that contains erythrocytes that have been lysed and heated to release hemoglobin and other nutrients required by certain fastidious organisms.

antibiotic

a molecule that inhibits growth of or kills bacteria

antimicrobial

a molecule that inhibits the growth of or kills microbes; describes antibiotics

narrow-spectrum

describes an antimicrobial agent that only affects on or a few microbial types

broad-spectrum

describes an antimicrobial agent that affects a wide variety of microbes

microbiostatic

describes antimicrobials that limit growth and reproduction in microbes

microbicidal

describes antimicrobials that destroy microbes; These agents lead to the death of microorganisms, as opposed to merely inhibiting their growth.

Kirby-Bauer mthod

is a standardized method used to test the susceptibility of bacteria to antibiotics by measuring the diameter of inhibition zones.

zones of inhibition

the area of clearing around antimicrobial disks that indicates prevented growth of the bacteria

biochemical pathway

a series of enzyme-mediated reactions where the product of one reaction is the substrate for the subsequent reaction, and so on; also called a metabolic pathway

catalase

an enzyme that breaks down hydrogen peroxide into water and oxygen gas

aerobic respiration

a type of cellular respiration in which oxygen is the final electron acceptor in the electron transport chain

oxidase

an enzyme that catalyzes oxidation-reduction reactions; also called cytochrome c oxidase

fermentation

a metabolic process that produces chemical changes in organic substrates through the action of enzymes in the absence of oxygen; it does not involve the citric acid cycle or electron transport chain

Triple Sugar Iron (TSI) medium

a bacterial growth medium that contains a small amount of glucose, a high amount of sucrose, proteins to provide carbon and nitrogen, as well as low concentrations of ferrous sulfate, sodium thiosulfate, and a pH indicator (phenol red)

precipitate

a substance separated from a solution or suspension due to a chemical or physical change as an insoluble solid

anaerobic respiration

a type of cellular respiration in which organic or inorganic molecules are used as final electron acceptors in the electron transport chain; this process involves the citric acid cycle and electron transport chain