Applied Microbiology Lecture Notes

These flashcards cover the key concepts of applied microbiology, including the characteristics and significance of microbes, methods of microbial control, and applications in pharmaceutical microbiology.

Microbes

Organisms that can be single celled, multicellular, or complex structures living in microbial communities.

Pharmaceutical Microbiology

Field focused on understanding sterilization, aseptic manufacturing, and microbial growth control in the production of pharmaceutical products.

Aims of pharmaceutical microbiology

Reduce contamination, use in microbes biotechnology- operation of clean rooms

Microbiology applications

Drug production, vaccine production. Recombined proteins, industrial fermentation

Sterilization

Process that kills transmissible agents to ensure that products are devoid of microorganisms.

Aseptic Technique

A procedure aimed at excluding harmful organisms and reducing microbial contamination during pharmaceutical operations.

Autoclave

A device used for sterilizing by the use of moist heat in the form of saturated steam under pressure.

Prions

Infectious agents composed of misfolded proteins, considered non-living and can cause fatal brain damage.

D-value

The time required to reduce the microbial population by 90% under specific conditions.

Thermal Death Time (TDT)

The time required to kill all cells in a culture at a specific temperature.

Z-value

The temperature increase needed to reduce the D-value by 90%.

Dry Heat Sterilization

A method of sterilization that uses high temperatures and is less effective than moist heat processes.

Microbial Growth Control

The management of microbial growth to prevent spoilage, contamination, and infections.

S/V Ratio

Surface to volume ratio; higher ratios in smaller cells allow for faster nutrient exchange and growth.

Viroids

Infectious agents composed solely of a short strand of RNA, causing certain plant diseases.

Bacterial Cell Wall

Protective structure against osmotic pressure, allowing the bacteria to survive in various environments.

Endotoxin

A toxic component of the cell wall of Gram-negative bacteria, often responsible for inflammatory responses.

Simple Microscopes

Devices built to magnify images (up to 300x) used historically to observe microorganisms.

Cocci

Spherical-shaped bacteria that can exist as single cells (coccus) or in arrangements like pairs (diplococci) or chains (streptococci).

Pasteurization

A process that reduces the number of viable pathogens in food products without sterilization.