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Microbiology > Ch 1: The Microbial World and You > Flashcards

Ch 1: The Microbial World and You Flashcards

1
Q

Approximately what percent of microbes are pathogenic?

A

<1%

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2
Q

Intestinal microbes ferment food you can’t digest and produce some of the _______?

A

B and K vitamins

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3
Q

What species of fungus is responsible for the fermentation of soy sauce?

A

Aspergillus

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4
Q

Do transient microbiota cause disease? Why or why not?

A

No.

  1. unable to compete with residents
  2. Eliminated by body’s immune system
  3. Physical or chemical properties that discourage their growth (ex: temp, pH, etc)
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5
Q

By what ratio do microbes outnumber human cells in the body?

A

10:1

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6
Q

Under what conditions can our normal microbiota cause disease? (3)

A
  1. When they escape their normal habitat
  2. Immunosuppression
  3. Overgrowth (due to antibiotics)
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7
Q

Who established the system of scientific nomenclature for organisms?

A

Carolus Linnaeus (Swedish botanist and zoologist)

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8
Q

Theodor Escherich discovered what bacterium? What is its normal habitat?

A

Escherichia coli
Colon

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9
Q

Break down the name “Staphylococcus aureus”

A

Staphylo = clustered

Coccus = spherical cells

Aureus = gold-colored colonies

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10
Q

What is the most common way for bacteria to reproduce?

A

Binary fission

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11
Q

What is the primary component of bacterial cell walls?

A

Peptidoglycan

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12
Q

True or false. Archaea gain energy from organic and inorganic chemicals as well as photosynthesis.

A

False. They cannot phosynthesize

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13
Q

What is a halophile?

A

A microorganism that thrives in high salt concentrations

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14
Q

What are methanogens?

A

Archaeans that convert hydrogen to methane

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15
Q

What is the primary component of fungi cell walls?

A

Chitin

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16
Q

Molds and mushrooms are _____ while yeasts are _____

A

Molds/mushrooms: multicellular

Yeasts: unicellular

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17
Q

Are most fungi molds or yeasts?

A

Molds

~1% are yeasts

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18
Q

Do protozoans reproduce sexually or asexually?

A

Either

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19
Q

Are protozoans prokaryotes or eukaryotes?

A

Eukaryotes

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20
Q

What is the primary component of cell walls in algae?

A

Cellulose

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21
Q

Who is credited with inventing the first compound microscope in 1595? What was its magnification?

A

Zacharias Jansen and Hans Lipperhey

3-9x magnification

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22
Q

Robert Hooke’s observation of cork under a primitive compound microscope led to the ________.

A

Cell theory

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23
Q

1673-1723: _____ was the first person to visualize live microorganisms. He is known as the “father of microbiology”

A

Anton van Leeuwenhoek

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24
Q

What was the magnification of Leeuwenhoek’s simple microscope?

A

x300

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25
Q

Describe the “spontaneous generation” theory

A

Prior to the 1850s, many scientists and philosophers hypothesized that some living organisms could arise from nonliving matter; a “vital force” forms life

(i.e. maggots from decaying corpses, flies from manure)

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26
Q

In 1668, ______ performed the decaying meat experiment to test the spontaneous generation of maggots?

A

Francesco Redi

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27
Q

In 1861, _____ finally disproved the spontaneous generation theory by designing a flask to let air in but keep microbes out

A

Louis Pasteur

28
Q

Describe Pasteurization

A

Application of heat for a short time to kill pathogens and reduce the number of spoilage bacteria.

29
Q

Describe the two primary methods of pasteurization

A

63 ºC for 30 minutes

72 ºC for 16 seconds

30
Q

Why not boil liquids rather than pasteurize them?

A

It would evaporate ethanol in alcohol

It would coagulate proteins

31
Q

In 1876, _____ proved that a bacterium causes anthrax. Proved that specific microbes cause specific diseases

A

Robert Koch

32
Q

In 1796, _____ inoculated a person with cowpox virus, who was then protected from smallpox.

A

Edward Jenner

33
Q

What is the strict definition of antibiotics? Example?

A

Agents produced naturally by bacteria and fungi that act against other bacteria

Ex: Penicillin

34
Q

What is the broad definition of antibiotics? Example?

A

Drugs used to treat microbial infections

Ex: silver

35
Q

____ occurs naturally in cinchona tree bark and was the first effective treatment for malaria.

36
Q

In 1910, ______ developed a synthetic arsenic drug, _____, to treat syphilis

A

Paul Ehrlich

Salvarsan (Ehrlich 606)

37
Q

In 1928, _____ accidentally discovered the first antibiotic _____.

A

Alexander Fleming

Penicillin

38
Q

Microorganisms are responsible for converting what elements into useful forms for plants and animals?

A

Carbon

Nitrogen

Oxygen

Sulfur

Phosphorus

39
Q

Bioremediation refers to _____.

A

Any process that uses organisms or their enzymes to clean up pollutants and toxic wastes

40
Q

____ produces a crystal protein during sporulation that is toxic to the digestive system of insects, but harmless to plants and animals

A

Bacillus thuringiensis

41
Q

What is a biofilm?

A

A complex aggregation of microorganisms growing on a solid surface

42
Q

What are some benefits of biofilms?

A
  1. Protect mucus membranes from harmful microbes
  2. Foot for aquatic animals in lakes
  3. Harnessed for constructive purposes
43
Q

What are some harmful effects of biofilms?

A
  1. Can clog water pipes
  2. Can colonize medical implants and cause infections
  3. Increased antibiotic resistance
  4. Dental plaques can lead to tooth decay
44
Q

What are some factors that can contribute to emerging infectious diseases (EIDs)?

A
  1. Evolutionary changes in existing organisms (increase pathogenicity)
  2. Changes in weather patterns
  3. Ecological disasters
  4. Inappropriate use of antibiotics
  5. Interactions with animals and livestock
  6. Urbanization
  7. War/poverty
  8. Animal habitat change
  9. Ineffective or mistaken public health measures
45
Q

What is H5N1?

A

Avian influenza A (bird flu)

46
Q

H5N1 primarily infects _____.

A

Waterfowl and poultry

Rare in humans (limited and sustained)

47
Q

What is H1N1?

48
Q

Influenza A viruses are divided into subtypes based on two surface proteins ______ and ______

A

Hemagglutinin (H)

Neuraminidase (N)

49
Q

What are the functions of hemagglutinin in Influenza A? (2)

A
  1. Enables the virus to bind cells of the upper respiratory tract containing sialic acid on their membranes
  2. Allow fusion of the viral envelope with the endosome membrane
50
Q

What are the functions of neuraminidase in Influenza A?

A
  1. Cleaves sialic acid side groups
  2. Essential for release of progeny virus particles from the surface of infected cells
51
Q

When a bacteria that is generally harmless finds a route for infection (cut, wound, etc) it is described as _____.

A

Opportunistic

52
Q

What is the difference between HA-MRSA and CA-MRSA

A

HA: healthcare-associated

CA: community-associated

53
Q

What bacterium causes Tuberculosis?

A

Mycobacterium tuberculosis

54
Q

How does the antibiotic isoniazid function?

A

Blocks peptidoglycan cell wall synthesis

55
Q

How does the antibiotic rifampin function?

A

Blocks bacterial DNA polymerase

56
Q

True or false. M. tuberculosis is susceptible to isoniazid and rifampin.

A

False. It is resistant to them

57
Q

What bacteria is the most common cause of hospital-acquired infections?

A

Clostridium difficile

58
Q

What are the symptoms of the Ebola virus?

A

Fever

Hemorrhaging

Blood clotting

59
Q

What is the death rate of Ebola?

60
Q

How is Ebola transmitted?

A

Blood and bodily fluids

61
Q

___ is currently the only FDA-approved vaccine to prevent Ebola Virus disease.

62
Q

What virus has a similar clinical presentation to Ebola?

A

Marburg Virus

63
Q

How is Marburg virus transmitted?

A

Bodily fluids

Handling ill or dead infected green monkeys and fruit bats

64
Q

What are the symptoms of Zika virus disease?

A

Mild

However, in pregnant women, it is linked to miscarriage, stillbirth, and birth defects

65
Q

How is the Zika virus spread?

A

Infected mosquitoes, specifically the Aedes species

66
Q

What is MERS?

A

Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (Camel flu)

67
Q

What virus is responsible for causing MERS?

A

MERS-coronavirus (MERS-CoV)

Microbiology (19 decks)

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