Bio microbiology vocab

Prokaryote

Unicellular organism lacking a nucleus

Peptidoglycan

Rigid envelope of sugars and amino acids in bacterial cells

Flagella

Hairlike structure for movement

Pili

Short hair-like structures aiding in movement and surface adhesion in prokaryotes

Binary Fission

Asexual reproduction method producing two identical daughter cells

Endospore

Thick internal wall enclosing DNA and cytoplasm in prokaryotes under unfavorable conditions

Conjugation

Genetic information exchange through a connecting tube between cells

Nitrogen Fixation

Process converting atmospheric nitrogen into usable compounds by prokaryotes

Pathogen

Disease-causing agent

Vaccine

Weakened pathogens used for immunity

Antibiotic

Drugs blocking bacterial growth and reproduction

Germ Theory

Theory linking diseases to microorganism invasion

Microbiome

Community of microorganisms in or on the body

Photoautotroph

Organisms using light to convert CO2 into carbon compounds

Obligate Anaerobe

Dies in the presence of oxygen, relying on fermentation

Obligate Aerobe

Requires oxygen for cellular respiration

Facultative Anaerobe

Adapts to use cellular respiration or fermentation as needed

Virus

Particle infecting living cells made of protein, nucleic acids, and sometimes lipids

Retrovirus

Virus containing RNA as genetic material

Prophage

Bacteriophage DNA embedded in bacterial host DNA

Bacteriophage

Virus infecting Bacteria

Capsid

Protein coat surrounding a virus

Lytic Infection

Virus enters cell, replicates, and causes cell burst

Lysogenic Infection

Virus DNA embeds in host DNA and replicates together