Microbiology and Pharmaceutical Quality Control Review

Vocabulary flashcards extracted from the microbiology and quality control review quiz questions and answers.

Chemoorganotrophs

Organisms that derive their energy needs from the breakdown of organic molecules by fermentation or respiration.

Selective Medium

Culture media that allows certain bacteria to grow while inhibiting others from growing.

Autoclave Sterilization Conditions

Standard operating parameters of $121\,^{\circ}\text{C}$, $15\,\text{psi}$, for $15\,\text{minutes}$.

IMViC Test

A group of biochemical tests valuable in testing water for sewage contamination.

Viruses

Noncellular entities which are sometimes regarded as straddling the border between life and nonlife.

Teichoic Acid

A polymer present in gram-positive cell walls that is absent in gram-negative cell walls.

SOD (Superoxide Dismutase) Deficiency

A metabolic characteristic of strict anaerobes, which cannot produce the enzyme SOD to neutralize reactive oxygen species.

Stationary Phase

The phase of microbial growth wherein the number of microbial deaths balances the number of new cells.

Oligodynamic Action

The antimicrobial activity of heavy metals at very low concentrations, with Silver demonstrating the strongest action.

Rhabdoviridae

A family of bullet-shaped viruses possessing a spiked envelope.

Isograft

A tissue graft transferred between genetically identical individuals, such as twin brother to sister.

ABO Blood Type Antigens

Carbohydrate molecules present on red blood cell membranes that determine a person's ABO blood type.

IgA

An antibody class predominantly present in mucous membranes and secretions such as mucus, saliva, tears, and breastmilk.

Endotoxins

Lipopolysaccharide components of gram-negative cell walls characterized as fever-producing, highly stable, and having low toxicity; they are not metabolic products of growing cells.

Period of Incubation

The time interval between the infection of a susceptible host and the first appearance of disease symptoms.

Bacillus stearothermophilus

An organism whose heat-resistant spores are used as a biological indicator to test autoclaving efficacy.

Decimal Reduction Time

The time required at a given temperature to destroy $90\%$ of a microbial population.

Hanging Drop Preparation

A microscopic technique ideal for observing live bacterial motility.

Metronidazole

An antimicrobial agent effective against anaerobic protozoans including Giardia lamblia, Entamoeba histolytica, and Trichomonas vaginalis.

Brucellosis

A primary zoonotic bacterial infection transmitted to humans via ingestion of unpasteurized or contaminated milk.

Bacterial Filtration Pore Size

An effective membrane filter pore size of approximately $0.20\,\mu\text{m}$ used to retain most rigid bacteria.

Bacillus thuringiensis

A bacterium widely applied as a biological insecticide for agricultural pest control.

Histoplasma capsulatum

A primary systemic fungal pathogen, distinguished from opportunistic fungi such as Candida albicans, Pneumocystis jiroveci, and Cryptococcus neoformans.

Borrelia burgdorferi

A spirochete bacterium that acts as the causative agent of Lyme disease.

Staphylococcus epidermidis

A skin commensal and opportunistic pathogen that frequently causes nosocomial infections by contaminating medical devices like catheters and prosthetic heart valves.

Reye's Syndrome

A severe encephalopathic complication in children recovering from viral infections such as chickenpox or influenza, associated with aspirin administration.

Doxycycline

A long-acting tetracycline class antibiotic.

Septicemia

A systemic infection caused by the active proliferation of pathogenic microorganisms in the blood.

Yersinia pestis

A gram-negative coccobacillus that serves as the causative agent of the plague (Black Death).

Food Fortification

The practice of deliberately adding essential nutrients to commonly consumed food vehicles to public health benefit.

Prevalence

The proportion of a population found to have a specific medical condition at a defined point in time.

Acid Insoluble Ash

The residue remaining after incinerating plant material and dissolving soluble ash in $3\,\text{N}\text{ HCl}$.

Colorimetry

A branch of spectroscopy involving the measurement of light absorption in the visible spectrum.

Fluorometry

An analytical method measuring the intensity of fluorescence light emitted by a substance upon UV excitation.

Repeatability

Intra-assay precision measured by repeating the analytical procedure under identical execution conditions over a short time interval.

Saponification Value

Also called Koettsdorfer number; defined as the milligrams of potassium hydroxide needed to neutralize free acids and saponify esters in $1\,\text{g}$ of fat or oil.

Linseed Oil

A lipid categorized as a drying oil due to its high unsaturated fatty acid content and ability to harden on air exposure.

Proximate Alkaloidal Assay

An assay technique designed to estimate total alkaloid concentration rather than specific individual alkaloid compounds.

Paracetamol Tablet Disintegration Average Time

The mean disintegration time calculated from the sample tablet dataset, equal to $7\,\text{mins}\,52\,\text{secs}$.