Microbiology Flashcards

Flashcards based on Microbiology lecture notes.

What is Microbiology?

The study of organisms too small to be seen with the unaided eye.

What are three reasons to study Microbiology?

Ubiquitous, beneficial effects, and harmful effects.

What does ubiquitous mean in the context of microorganisms?

They are everywhere.

What are the beneficial effects of microorganisms?

Maintain ecological balance, human digestion, and commercial applications.

How do microorganisms maintain ecological balance?

Basis of the food chain, photosynthesis-provide oxygen, and decomposers-recycle nutrients

Give examples of food and beverage commercial applications of microorganisms.

Pickles, sauerkraut, soy sauce, yogurt, bread, and alcohol.

Besides food, what are other commercial applications of microorganisms?

Antibiotics, vaccines, and genetic engineering.

What are the harmful effects of microorganisms?

Pathogenic effects, food spoilage, and breakdown/damage of useful material.

What does pathogenic mean?

Disease causing.

What is nomenclature?

Naming organisms.

Who established nomenclature?

Carolus Linnaeus in 1735.

What are the two names in binomial nomenclature?

Genus and scientific epithet (species).

How is the genus name written?

Capitalized, underlined or italics.

How is the scientific epithet (species) name written?

Lower cased, underlined or italics.

What are the three types of microorganisms?

Prokaryotes, eukaryotes, and acellular forms.

What are the two types of prokaryotes?

Bacteria and archaea.

What are the four types of eukaryotes listed?

Fungi, algae, protozoa, and helminths.

What are the three types of acellular forms?

Viruses, viroids, and prions.

What is the structure of bacteria?

Unicellular.

What does it mean for bacteria to be prokaryotes?

Lack of true nucleus or membrane bound organelles.

What are the three shapes of bacteria?

Cocci (spherical), bacillus (rod), and spiral (corkscrew).

What is the cell wall of bacteria made of?

Peptidoglycan= part protein part sugar

What structure do some bacteria use for motility?

Flagella.(motility)

How do bacteria reproduce?

Binary fission.

What is binary fission?

Dividing into 2 equal cells.

What are the three types of nutrition for bacteria?

Heterotrophic, saprophytic, or autotrophic.

What does it mean for bacteria to be heterotrophic?

Requires organic carbon source (most).

What does it mean for bacteria to be saprophytic?

Uses dead organic matter for nutrients.

What does it mean for bacteria to be autotrophic?

Uses carbon dioxide as main carbon source (some).

What is the size of bacteria?

Micrometers.

Give examples of bacteria.

MRSA, Helicobacter pylori, Bacillus anthracis, Clostridium botulinum.

What is the structure of archaea?

Unicellular, prokaryote, cell wall which lacks peptidoglycan

What is the cell wall of archaea made of?

Lacks peptidoglycan.

What are the three main groups of archaea?

Methanogens, extreme halophiles, and extreme thermophiles.

What do methanogens produce?

Methane as waste product of respiration.

Where do extreme halophiles live?

Live in extreme salty environments.

Where do extreme thermophiles live?

Live in hot environments.

How do archaea reproduce?

Binary fission.

What type of nutrition do archaea use?

Heterotrophic or autotrophic.

What is the size of archaea?

Micrometers.

Give an example of archaea.

Halobacterium salinarum.

What is the structure of fungi?

Unicellular (yeasts) or multicellular (molds).

What does it mean for fungi to be eukaryotes?

Contains true nucleus and membrane bound organelles.

What is the cell wall of fungi made of?

Chitin.

What are the shapes of yeast and mold?

Yeast: ovoid and mold: filamentous hyphae.

How do fungi reproduce?

Asexually or sexually.

What type of nutrition do fungi have?

Heterotrophic.

What is the size of fungi?

Micrometers to millimeters.

Give examples of fungi.

Candida albicans, Cryptococcus neoformans.

What is the structure of algae?

Unicellular or multicellular. and eukaryote

What is the cell wall of algae made of?

Cellulose.

What additional structures do algae have?

Chloroplasts (photosynthesis).

How do algae reproduce?

Asexually or sexually.

What type of nutrition do algae have?

Autotrophic.

What does it mean for algae to be autotrophic?

uses co2 as carbon source and makes its own sugar

What is the size of algae?

Micrometers to millimeters.

Give an example of algae.

Volvox aureus.

What is the structure of protozoa?

Unicellular, eukaryote and has no cell wall

What is the cell wall of protozoa made of?

None.

What additional structures do protozoa have?

Pseudopods, flagella, or cilia (motility).

How do protozoa reproduce?

Asexually or sexually.

What type of nutrition do protozoa have?

Heterotrophic.

What is the size of protozoa?

Micrometers.

Give examples of protozoa.

Giardia lamblia, Plasmodium falciparum.

What is the structure of helminths?

Multicellular (round and flat worms) and eukaryote

What is the cell wall of helminths made of?

None.

How do helminths reproduce?

Asexual or sexual (dioecious or hermaphroditic).

What type of nutrition do helminths have?

Heterotrophic.

What is the size of helminths?

Macroscopic, microscopic at certain stages of life cycle.

Give examples of helminths.

Taenia solium, Enterobius vermicularis.

What are the three types of acellular forms?

Viruses, viroids, and prions.

What is the structure of viruses?

Nucleic acid core (DNA or RNA), capsid (protein coat), and envelope (outer membrane - some). and acellular

How do viruses reproduce?

Obligate intracellular parasites.

What is the size of viruses?

Nanometers.

Give examples of viruses.

HIV, Herpes Simplex Virus (HSV), Influenza B.

What is the structure of viroids?

Linear or circular RNA, no capsid. and acellular

What is the size of viroids?

10x smaller than the smallest virus.

Give an example of a viroid.

Potato Spindle Tuber Viroid (PSTVd).

What is the structure of prions?

Self-replicating infectious protein and acellular

What is the size of prions?

100x smaller than the smallest virus.

Give examples of diseases caused by prions.

Creutzfeldt Jakobs Disease (CJD), Mad cow disease.

What is taxonomy?

System for naming, organizing, and classifying living things.

What are the steps of taxonomy?

Identify, classify, and name organism.

What is used to classify an organism?

Type of cell structure, type of nutrition, and similarity in nucleic acids.

What are the three domains in the Three Domain System of Classification?

Domain Bacteria, Domain Archaea, and Domain Eukarya.

What are organisms in the Domain Bacteria?

Prokaryotes with cell walls containing peptidoglycan.

What are organisms in the Domain Archaea?

Prokaryotes with cell walls lacking peptidoglycan.

What are the four kingdoms included in the Domain Eukarya?

Protists-slime molds, protozoa and algaee, fungi,-yeasts, mo;lds and mushrooms. plants-mosses, and animals-sponges worms insects .

Who invented the compound microscope in 1590?

Zaccharias Janssen.

Who popularized the compound microscope and improved it by adding a focusing device?

Galileo Galilei.

Who improved resolution and illumination and observed "cells" in cork sample?

Robert Hooke.

What is the cell theory?

All living things are composed of cells and cells come from preexisting cells.

Who observed live microorganisms (bacteria, protozoa) and reported findings to Royal Society of London?

Anton van Leeuwenhoek.

What is spontaneous generation?

Life could arise spontaneously from nonliving matter.

What is biogenesis?

Living cells can only arise from preexisting living cells.

Who demonstrated that maggots do not arise spontaneously from meat?

Francisco Redi.

Who provided evidence for spontaneous generation by boiling chicken and corn broth?

John Needham.

Who suggested that microbes enter Needham’s broth after boiling?

Lazzaro Spallanzani.

Who demonstrated that microorganisms are present in air and disproved spontaneous generation?

Louis Pasteur.

When was the Golden Age of Microbiology?

1857-1914.