MBI Exam 2 Study Guide

Describe the important differences between prokaryotes and eukaryotes, and summarize which microorganisms are prokaryotes and which are eukaryotes.

Prokaryotes have no membrane to contain DNA or compartmentalize function. Eukaryotes have membrane bound compartments, where cellular function occurs.

prokaryotic = bacteria, archea eukaryotic = fungi, algae, protozoa

Explain the advantages of the spore, capsule, cell wall, flagella and pili in the life of a bacterium. Explain the differences between gram+ and gram- cell walls.

Spores help aid in protecting the bacterium from harsh conditions, allowing it to remain dormant until favorable conditions return.

Capsule protect the bacteria from their environment and host the immune system.

Cell Wall provides structural support to maintain the cell shape, protecting from cell damage.

Flagella allow them to move towards nutrients and away from toxins, and to colonize new environments.

Gram-positive bacteria have a single thick layer of peptidoglycan.

Gram-negative bacteria have a thin layer of peptidoglycan sandwiched between an inner and outer membrane.

Summarize the process of bacterial reproduction and describe the dynamics of a bacterial growth curve.

Primarily occurs through binary fission, a form of asexual reproduction where a single bacterium divides into two genetically identical daughter cells.

Indicate how bacteria are divided into groups according to their temperature and oxygen requirements.

Psychrophiles (cold) 

Mesophiles ( moderate)

Termophiles (heat) 

Hyperthermophiles (extreme heat) 

Describe various types of bacterial growth media, including enriched, selective, differential media. For what organisms do we use tissue culture as a medium.

Name and describe the three basic shapes in which bacteria appear and variations of these shapes.

Discuss the process of animal virus replication in the host cell with emphasis on the attachment, penetration, uncoating, synthesis, and release phases of the cycle.

Name the structural components of a viral particle and explain the important functions of each.

Outline several physical and chemical barriers to infection and indicate how each provides nonspecific resistance.

State the four signs of inflammation, describe how inflammation develops on the skin, and name the general causes of inflammation.

Discuss the process of phagocytosis with a description of phagocytes, the various phases of the process, and the role played by antibodies in the process.

Define antigens, state their chemical composition, and describe their size.

Summarize the process of humoral immunity from the point at which B cells are stimulated to the time that antibodies are produced.

List the 5 classes of antibodies and state the function and location/site of action of each.

List and describe four different types of Ag-Ab reactions and show how each contributes to specific defense in the body.

Describe the process of cell-mediated immunity. Include in your discussion the importance of Ag processing, the various types of regulator and effector T cells and their role in cellular immunity, and the importance of cytokines in cell-mediated responses.

Compare four types of acquired immunity with respect to the nature of the immunizing agent, relative time until immunity appears and its duration, the source of the antibodies, the function of the immunity, and the effectiveness of the immunity in the newborn and the adult.

Compare first-, second-, and third generation vaccines with respect to preparation, components, and advantages of each.

Explain how one would distinguish specific immunity from non-specific resistance. For each of the mechanisms that are used to avoid, resist, or eliminate infection, determine whether it is specific or non-specific.

Explain how one would distinguish between humoral and cellular (cell-mediated) immunity. Which mechanisms are used with each to eliminate infections?