1.01 - Microbiology Overview

Question 1

Parasites: Eukaryotic or Prokaryotic?

Answer 1

Eukaryotic.

Well defined nucleus, mitochondria, golgi bodies and endoplasmic reticulum

Question 2

Types of Parasites

Answer 2

Protozoa (single celled)
Metazoa (complex multicellular). Includes Arthopods and Helminths.
Extracellular infections

Question 3

Are Fungi Eukaryotic or Prokaryotic

Answer 3

Eukaryotic

Rigid cell wall with chitin and glucan

Question 4

Types of Fungi

Answer 4

Yeasts
Moulds
Dimorphic (may exist in both the yeast and mould form)

Question 5

Types of Fungal infections

Answer 5

Superficial (skin)
Cutaneous (nails, deeper layers of skin & soft tissue)
Systemic (blood or internal organs

Question 6

Are bacteria prokaryotic or eukaryotic?

Answer 6

Prokaryotic

Simple unicellular organisms with no nuclear membrane, mitochondria, golgi bodies or ER

Question 7

Three types of bacterial cell wall classifications?

Answer 7

Gram positive (thick peptidoglycan)
Gram negative (thin peptidoglycan)
No cell wall

Question 8

Describe Viruses

Answer 8

Smallest infectious particles
Contain either DNA or RNA (not both)
Enclosed in a protein coat (capsid)
Some also have out outer lipid coat (envelope)
Require host cells for replication

Question 9

Descrive Prions

Answer 9

Proteinaceous infections particles (mutant of conformationally distinct protein)
No virion structure or genome
No immune response
Highly resistant to sterilisation

Question 10

Normal Flora

Answer 10

Population of microorganisms routinely found growing on the body of a healthy individual

Question 11

Two types of Natural Flora

Answer 11

Resident (inhabit for extended periods of time)

Transient (inhabit for shorter periods of time)

Question 12

Commensal relationship

Answer 12

A type of symbiosis where one individual gains form the association while the other is neither harmed nor benefited

Question 13

Pathogenic

Answer 13

Capable of causing disease

Question 14

Pathogenicity

Answer 14

Ability of a microorganisms to cause disease

Question 15

Virulence

Answer 15

Degree of pathogenicity

Question 16

Virulence/Pathogenicity factors

Answer 16

Components of a pathogen that, when deleted, specifically impairs virulence but not viability.
Not all pathogens have all types of virulence factors

Question 17

Adhesin

Answer 17

Enables binding of the organism to a host tissue

Question 18

Invasin

Answer 18

Enables the organism to invade a host cell (characteristic of intracellular pathogens)

Question 19

Aggressin

Answer 19

Causes damage to the host

Question 20

Modulin

Answer 20

Induces damage to the host indirectly

Question 21

Where do common pathogens normally live?

Answer 21

Endogenous (part of the normal flora)

Exogenous (strictly pathogenic)

Question 22

How do common pathogens replicate?

Answer 22

Intracellular (within host cell) (Viruses, some protozoa, several bacteria)
Extracellular (does not invade host cell, in extracellular spaces) (all helminths, some protozoa, several bacteria)