Exam 4 Practice Questions: Microbiology & Body Systems

Vocabulary practice cards covering skin, nervous, respiratory, and digestive system microbiology based on exam review questions.

Keratin

A protein with structural and protective roles that helps protect tissues from mechanical and chemical damage, aids in water regulation, and plays a role in tissue repair.

Dermis

The layer of skin below the epidermis containing blood vessels, nerves, hair follicles, and oil/sweat glands.

Hypodermis

The subcutaneous fat layer located below the dermis.

Desquamation

A physical barrier of the skin where dead skin cells on the surface are shed to remove microbial load.

Leukocidins

A virulence factor produced by some pathogens to kill white blood cells and evade the immune system, leading to the production of pus.

Pus

The accumulation of dead white blood cells resulting from the action of virulence factors like leukocidins.

Staphylococcus epidermidis

The most abundant microbe on the skin and a common opportunistic pathogen.

Propionibacterium

A genus of microbes that cause acne and thrive in oil-rich areas of the skin like the face and back.

Bacillus anthracis

A bacterium whose endospores cause cutaneous anthrax when they enter a cut or abrasion on the skin.

Papilloma

A wart, most often caused by a Papillomavirus (HPV).

Cutaneous Mycoses

The term for fungal infections of the skin.

Dermatophytes

Pathogenic fungi of the skin that often feed on keratin, such as those causing ringworm.

Meninges

Three layers of protective membranes (dura mater, arachnoid mater, and pia mater) located below the skull that protect the brain and spinal cord.

Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF)

A fluid essential for providing a cushion for the nervous system, delivering nutrients, and removing waste from neural tissue.

Blood-brain barrier

A protective barrier that prevents microbes from reaching the brain and contaminating the CSF, but also makes it difficult for drugs to reach their targets.

Soma

The cell body of a neuron that contains the nucleus.

Synapse

The junction between two neurons where neurotransmitters are released to transmit signals.

Naegleria fowleri

A single-cell amoeba (protozoan) that infects brain tissue by entering through the nose and traveling along the olfactory nerves.

Central Nervous System (CNS)

The subsystem of the nervous system consisting of the brain and spinal cord.

Peripheral Nervous System (PNS)

The subsystem of the nervous system consisting of nerves that connect the CNS to organs and muscles; it lacks the protection of meninges or a blood-brain barrier.

BoNT

The neurotoxin produced by Clostridium botulinum that causes botulism.

TeNT

The neurotoxin produced by Clostridium tetani that causes tetanus.

Microcephaly

A birth defect that can occur in the fetuses of pregnant women infected with the Zika virus.

Neuromycoses

The term for fungal infections of the nervous system.

Bacteremia

The presence of bacteria in the blood where the bacteria are not actively replicating.

Septicemia

The active replication of bacteria in the bloodstream, which can result in a large microbial load disseminated throughout the body.

Sepsis

A system-wide immune response to a pathogen or toxin in the bloodstream, also referred to as blood poisoning.

Septic shock

A condition during sepsis where blood vessels dilate, blood pressure drops, and oxygen delivery to organs is compromised, leading to organ failure.

TSST-1

Toxic Shock Syndrome Toxin 1, produced by Staphylococcus aureus, which causes toxic shock syndrome.

Bubonic Plague

The most common form of plague, caused by Yersinia pestis, characterized by enlarged, inflamed lymph nodes called bubos.

Alveolar macrophages

Immune cells in the lower respiratory tract that destroy pathogens to keep the area essentially sterile.

Pneumonia

Infection or inflammation of the alveoli that interferes with gas exchange, making it a life-threatening disease.

Antigenic drift

A small change in the surface antigens (hemagglutinin and neuraminidase) of the Influenza virus.

Antigenic shift

A large, major change in the surface antigens of the Influenza virus.

Epiglottis

The structure that divides the upper and lower respiratory systems and closes off the lower system during swallowing.

Dental caries

Cavities caused by acid production from the bacterial fermentation of sugary foods, most often involving Streptococcus mutans.

Intoxication

A gastrointestinal disease resulting from the ingestion of a preformed toxin produced by a microbe, rather than active replication of the microbe in the host.

Cholera toxin

A toxin released by Vibrio cholera that alters the electrochemical gradient of the intestine, leading to rapid dehydration and watery stool.

Dysbiosis

The disruption of the normal microbiota, such as in the gut following antibiotic use, which can lead to Clostridium difficile infections.