Microbiology Exam Notes

Candida albicans: Most frequently isolated yeast.
Pinworm: Common parasite in children worldwide.
Spirilla: Elongated, spiral-shaped, rigid bacterial cells.
Prokaryotes: Organisms defined as "before nucleus."
MRSA: Responsible for difficult-to-treat infections in humans.
Virus: Causes infections by entering and multiplying inside human host cells.
Nucleus: Contains a cell's hereditary information and controls its growth/reproduction.
Tetrad: Cells remaining in groups of four, dividing in two planes.
Obligate aerobes: Require O_2 to grow.

EMB (Eosin Methylene Blue agar): Contains dyes toxic to Gram-positive bacteria.
HEPA Filter: Used to filter air in biological safety cabinets.
Agar: Seaweed extract; liquid when heated, solid when cooled.
Thayer[-Martin]: Used to recover Neisseria gonorrhoeae.
SBA (Sheep Blood Agar): Most bacteria grow; provides a total colony count.
Charcoal/Charcoal resin: Neutralizes bacterial toxins/inhibitory substances and absorbs antibiotics.
Slant: Solid media culture in a tube for storage, transport, or biochemical testing.
Autoclave: Uses steam under pressure for sterilization.

Mycology: The study of fungi.
Nosocomial infection: Infection acquired during treatment in a health care facility.
Species Taxonomy: Provides a mechanism for identification and grouping of living things.
FIT (Fecal Immunochemical Test): An alternative test to FOBT.
Vector: Refers to infections caused by insects and animals.
Disinfection: Process using agents like bleach, phenol, alcohols, or aldehydes.
Radiation: A secondary method of disinfection.
Moist heat: Destroys organisms by denaturing proteins.
Sensitive: Describes an organism whose growth is inhibited by an antibiotic.
Biohazard: A biological agent or material potentially hazardous to life forms.
Uncontaminated: Refers to keeping a sample free from unwanted substances.

Sputum: Contains ciliated columnar epithelial cells; used as a sample, or alternatives are employed when a patient cannot produce a sample.
Aerosol: Liquid or particulate suspended in a gaseous medium.
Organism: Something that lives on or in a host organism.
Culture Monitoring: Most cultures are monitored for 5 days.