Lecture 1 - Intro to Microbiology

Microbiology

the study of microbes- tiny living things

Pathogen

a microbe or microbial agent that can cause disease

Infectious Disease

disease caused by a microorganism

Emerging infectious disease

an infectious disease whose
prevalence increased in the last 20 years

Taxonomy

a system that divides
living things into ranks based on their
similarity to other members of the
group

Taxa

a group of a particular size that
have varying levels of similarities

Domain

the highest, most broad
rank of taxonomical classification

Prokaryote

an organism whose
cell(s) lack a nucleus
 Archaea and Bacteria

Eukaryote

an organism whose cell(s)
contains a nucleus
 Eukarya
 Contain many organelles

Archaea

Prokaryotic, but differ significantly
from bacteria in metabolic
pathways, molecular structure, and
genetics
 Widespread, and can live in extreme
environments
 Not pathogenic to humans

Protists

Diverse, genetically distant group
 Vary widely in size, appearance, and
habitat
 Includes algae and protozoa

Algae

mostly aquatic, photosynthetic
organisms that possess cellulose in cell
walls

Agar

derived from algae, used in
many microbio labs to culture microbes

Protozoa

diverse group that contains
individuals with a variety of
adaptations: flagella, photosynthesis,
free-living, parasitism, etc.

Fungi

Not photosynthetic, and cell walls
are made of chitin

Yeast

unicellular fungi that resemble
coccus bacteria

Mold

filamentous fungi that
decompose organic matter

Helminths (Parasitic Worms)

Although observable by eye as
adults, eggs and larvae are studied
in microbiology

Viruses

Not categorized as living to some
experts- fits in between living and
nonliving
 Genetic instructions (DNA or RNA) in
a protein coat
 Requires a cell to act as host for
reproduction
Coronavirus

Acellular

not made of cells