Ch 1 Flashcards
antibiotic definition
a molecule that can kill or inhibit the growth of selected microorganisms
antiseptic definition
describing a chemical that kills microbes
aseptic definition
free of microbes
chain of infection definition
the serial passage of a pathogenic organism from an infected individual to an uninfected individual, thus transmitting disease
chemiosmostic definition
a theory stating that the products of oxidative metabolism store their energy in an electrochemical gradient that can drive cellular processes such as ATP synthesis
colony definition
a visible cluster of microbes of a plate, all derived from a single founding microbe, usually consists of a clone
electron microscope definition
a microscope that obtains high resolution and magnification by using magnetic lenses to focus electron beams on samples
endosymbiont definition
an organism that lives as a symbiont inside another organism
endosymbiosis definition
an intimate association between different species in which one partner population grows within the body of another organism
eukaryote definition
an organism whose cells contain a nucleus, members of domain Eukarya
extremophile definition
an organism that grows only in an extreme environment; that is, and environment including one or more condition that are “Extreme” relative to the conditions for human life
fermentation definition
the production of ATP via substrate-level phosphorylation, using organic compounds as both electron donors and electron acceptors
germ theory of disease definition
the theory that many diseases are caused by microbes
immune system definition
an organisms cellular defense system against pathogens
Koch’s postulates definition
four criteria, developed by robert koch, that should be met for a microbe to be designated the causative agent of an infectious disease
