Microbiology Chapter 1: The Microbial World and You

Vocabulary practice flashcards covering basic microbiology definitions, taxonomic classifications, historical discoveries, domain structures, and practical applications from Chapter 1.

Microbes (Microorganisms)

Minute living things that individually are too small to be seen with the unaided eye, including bacteria, fungi, protozoa, microscopic algae, and viruses.

Pathogenic

Disease-producing.

Microbiome (Microbiota)

A group of microbes that live stably on or in the human body, helping to maintain health and prevent growth of pathogenic microbes.

Normal Microbiota

The collection of acquired microorganisms living on or in a healthy human body, acquired starting as newborns, that may colonize the body indefinitely.

Transient Microbiota

Microorganisms that colonize the human body fleetingly rather than permanently.

Human Microbiome Project

A research project started in 2007 with the primary goal of determining the typical microbiota of various body regions and analyzing its relationship to human disease.

National Microbiome Initiative (NMI)

An initiative launched in 2016 to explore the roles that microbes play in different ecosystems.

Scientific Nomenclature

The naming system established by Carolus Linnaeus in 1735 giving each organism two Latinized names: a capitalized genus and a lowercase specific epithet.

Three Domains System

The biological classification scheme developed by Carl Woese in 1978 categorizing organisms based on cellular organization into Bacteria, Archaea, and Eukarya.

Bacteria

Single-celled prokaryotic organisms that possess peptidoglycan cell walls, divide via binary fission, and may swim using flagella.

Bacterial Shapes and Arrangements

Morphological forms of bacteria, including spherical (cocci), rod-like (bacilli), and spiral forms, arranged singly, in pairs, chains, or clusters.

Archaea

Prokaryotic cells that lack peptidoglycan in their cell walls (or lack cell walls entirely) and often inhabit extreme environments, such as methanogens, extreme halophiles, and extreme thermophiles.

Fungi

Eukaryotic organisms containing a distinct nucleus surrounding genetic material and possessing chitin cell walls, including unicellular yeasts and multicellular molds or mushrooms.

Protozoa

Unicellular eukaryotic organisms that absorb or ingest organic chemicals and move using pseudopods, cilia, or flagella.

Algae

Photosynthetic eukaryotes with cellulose cell walls found in aquatic and soil environments that generate oxygen and carbohydrates.

Viruses

Acellular infectious agents containing a DNA or RNA core surrounded by a protein coat (and sometimes a lipid envelope) that replicate only within living host cells.

Helminths

Parasitic flatworms and roundworms belonging to multicellular animal parasites, which have microscopic stages in their life cycles.

Cell Theory

The scientific principle reported by Robert Hooke in 1665 stating that all living things are composed of cells.

Anton van Leeuwenhoek's Microscope

A simple magnifying lens device used between 1623 and 1673 to make the first observations of living microorganisms ('animalcules').

Spontaneous Generation

The historical hypothesis proposing that living organisms could arise spontaneously from nonliving matter.

Biogenesis

The biological concept proposed by Rudolf Virchow in 1858 stating that living cells can arise only from preexisting living cells.

Aseptic Technique

Standard procedures established based on Louis Pasteur's work designed to prevent contamination by unwanted microorganisms in laboratory and clinical settings.

Fermentation

The microbial conversion of sugar to alcohol in the absence of air.

Pasteurization

The process of applying high heat for a short duration to kill spoilage and disease-causing bacteria in liquids.

Germ Theory of Disease

The medical principle stating that microorganisms are responsible for causing specific diseases.

Koch's Postulates

A sequence of experimental steps established by Robert Koch in 1876 to directly link a specific pathogen to a specific disease.

Vaccination

The process of administering a substance to confer immunity against a disease, named after vacca, the Latin word for cow.

Immunity

The protection or resistance acquired against specific diseases or pathogens.

Chemotherapy

The treatment of disease through the administration of chemical substances, such as synthetic drugs or antibiotics.

Antibiotics

Chemical substances naturally produced by bacteria and fungi that inhibit or destroy other microorganisms.

Salvarsan

A synthetic arsenic derivative developed by Paul Ehrlich in 1910 to treat syphilis.

Penicillin

The first antibiotic discovered by Alexander Fleming in 1928, produced by Penicillium mold to kill Staphylococcus aureus.

Bacteriology

The scientific study of bacteria.

Mycology

The scientific study of fungi.

Parasitology

The scientific study of protozoa and parasitic worms.

Immunology

The scientific study of immunity and the immune system.

Virology

The scientific study of viruses.

Microbial Genetics

The study of the mechanisms by which microorganisms inherit genetic traits.

Molecular Biology

The study of how genetic information in DNA governs protein synthesis.

Genomics

The study of an organism's complete set of genes, utilized for classification and identification of microbes.

Recombinant DNA

DNA molecules engineered by combining genetic material from two different biological sources.

Microbial Ecology

The study of the relationships between microorganisms and their surrounding environments.

Bioremediation

The use of microbes to degrade organic matter in sewage and break down or detoxify pollutants like oil and mercury.

Biotechnology

The commercial and practical application of microbes to manufacture products such as foods, chemicals, and therapeutic agents.

Emerging Infectious Diseases (EIDs)

New or expanding diseases that show an increasing trend in incidence or geographic range.

Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)

A bacterial strain that developed resistance to penicillin in the 1950s, methicillin in the 1980s, and vancomycin in the 1990s.