Introduction to Microbiology and Epidemiology

Vocabulary flashcards covering key concepts and terminology related to microbiology and epidemiology.

Louis Pasteur

A scientist known for discovering yeast and spoilage bacteria in beer and proposing the Germ Theory of Disease.

Koch's Postulates

A set of four criteria that must be met to establish a causative relationship between a microorganism and a disease.

Epidemiology

The study of the patterns, causes, and effects of health and disease conditions in defined populations.

Morbidity

The state of being diseased or having a specific disease.

Typhoid Mary

Mary Mallon, an asymptomatic carrier of Salmonella typhi who was linked to a typhoid fever outbreak.

Biogenesis

The hypothesis that living organisms arise from preexisting life.

Spontaneous generation

The hypothesis that living organisms arise from nonliving matter.

Golden Age of Microbiology

Period from 1857 to 1914 marked by significant discoveries of microorganisms and their roles in disease.

Infectious disease

Diseases caused by pathogenic microorganisms, such as bacteria, viruses, parasites, or fungi.

Epidemic

A large number of cases of a disease that occurs in a short period within a geographic region.

Pandemic

An epidemic that occurs on a worldwide scale.