bacteria and virus vocabulary Flashcards
Prokaryote
An organism that consists of a single cell that does not have a nucleus.
Bacilli
a disease-causing bacterium.
Cocci
any spherical or roughly spherical bacterium.
Spirilla
Is a long and spiral shaped. They use flagella at both ends to move like a corkscrew.
Binary Fission
is a kind of asexual reproduction. It is the most common form of reproduction in prokaryotes such as bacteria. It occurs in some single-celled Eukaryotes like the Amoeba and the Paramoecium. In binary fission DNA replication and segregation occur simultaneously.
Endospore
a resistant asexual spore that develops inside some bacteria cells.
Nitrogen fixation
the chemical processes by which atmospheric nitrogen is assimilated into organic compounds, especially by certain microorganisms as part of the nitrogen cycle.
Bioremediation
the use of either naturally occurring or deliberately introduced microorganisms or other forms of life to consume and break down environmental pollutants, in order to clean up a polluted site.
Antibiotic
a medicine (such as penicillin or its derivatives) that inhibits the growth of or destroys microorganisms.
Pathogenic bacteria
Pathogenic bacteria are bacteria that can cause disease. This article deals with human pathogenic bacteria. Although most bacteria are harmless or often beneficial, some are pathogenic, with the number of species estimated as fewer than a hundred that are seen to cause infectious diseases in humans.
Virus
A virus is a small infectious agent that replicates only inside the living cells of other organisms. Viruses can infect all types of life forms, from animals and plants to microorganisms, including bacteria and archaea.
Host
an animal or plant on or in which a parasite or commensal organism lives.
