Microbiology Lecture: Endospores, Eukaryotes, and Parasitic Infections

Flashcards covering bacterial endospores, sterilization techniques, eukaryotic reproduction, genetic diversity, and various fungal, algal, protozoan, and helminthic infections.

Endospores

Hardy bacterial structures that can withstand high temperatures, acid, and pH changes, allowing certain bacteria like the Clostridium or Bacillus families to survive harsh living conditions.

Vegetative cell

A free-living, replicating bacterial cell that functions like a normal bacillus cell but can form an internal endospore under nutrient-depleted conditions.

Sporulation

The internal process a vegetative cell undergoes to create an endospore structure.

Germination

The process by which an endospore returns to a vegetative cell state once nutrients become available again.

Sterilization (Autoclave)

A gold standard method for getting rid of endospores using a pressurized environment with steam at $121^{\circ}\text{C}$, $15\,\text{psi}$ (pounds per square inch), for at least $15\,\text{minutes}$.

Binary fission

A simple process by which bacterial cells replicate by dividing in half to make a perfect copy, occurring approximately every $20\,\text{minutes}$.

Diploid

A cell containing a full set of chromosomes, which in humans totals $46$ chromosomes.

Haploid

A cell containing half of the full set of chromosomes, such as human sex cells.

Gametes

The specific term for sex cells, such as egg and sperm, that combine to form a zygote.

Zygote

The diploid structure formed by the union of two haploid gametes.

Homologous recombination

Also known as crossing over, this process involves the exchange of DNA between sister chromatids to increase genetic diversity.

Independent assortment

A process where sister chromatids are inherited randomly when they pull apart, contributing to genetic diversity.

Mycosis

A general term for any fungal infection.

Trypophyton metagrophites

The microbe responsible for causing athlete's foot and ringworm, characterized by a unique raised outer border.

Oral thrush

A yeast infection of the mouth often seen in babies or clinic patients taking a lot of antibiotics.

Aspergillus

A respiratory infection caused by the ingestion or inhalation of fungal spores.

Blastomycosis

A respiratory infection caused by yeast spores that is common in the Ohio area.

Valley fever

A condition caused by breathing in yeast spores, common in the Southwest US.

Histoplasmosis

An infection caused by breathing in spores found in bird or bat droppings, often associated with caves.

Dinoflagellates

A category of algae that can cause red tides and produce neurotoxins.

Saxitoxin

A neurotoxin produced by dinoflagellates that causes paralytic shellfish poisoning.

Brevatoxin

A neurotoxin common in the Gulf Panhandle area that causes respiratory distress.

Trophozoite

The free-living, feeding, and replicating stage of the protozoa life cycle.

Cyst

The stage of the protozoa life cycle where the microbe is embedded or insisted in tissue.

Malaria

A protozoan infection entered through a mosquito vector that impacts red blood cells, causing anemia, jaundice, or kidney failure.

Toxoplasma gondii

A protozoan whose common host is a cat; it can modify mouse behavior and cause miscarriages in pregnant humans.

Trematodes

Worms acquired through food, raw fish, or crustaceans that can damage the liver and lungs, causing a condition called trematodiasis.

Tapeworm

A parasitic flatworm acquired through contaminated food or water that consumes nutrients in the body, leading to weight loss.

Ascariasis

A parasitic roundworm infection that can lead to a complete intestinal blockage without prior outward symptoms.

Hookworm

A unique parasitic worm that can enter the body through the skin, such as when walking barefoot on a beach contaminated due to sanitation issues.