Ch.1 Interacative glossary Flashcards
A common name for a microorganism that causes disease.
Germ
A complex community of microbes that being attached to a surface act differently than as individuals.
Biofilm
A controlled heating process that destroys pathogens in a fluid such as milk.
Pasteurization
A disease-causing infectious agent.
Pathogen
A immunological defensive process in which bacteria or viruses can be taken into white blood cells.
Phagocytosis
A liquid nutrient solution for growing microbes.
Broth
A microscopic form of life including bacteria, fungi, algae, and protozoa.
Microorganism
A particle of nucleic acid (either DNA or RNA) surrounded by a protein coat; neither prokaryotic nor eukaryotic.
Virus
A prokaryotic domain.
Bacteria
A set of procedures by which a specific organism can be related to a specific disease.
Koch’s postulates
A type of fungus.
Mold
A visible mass of bacterial cells growing on a culture plate.
Colony
An accumulation or colony of microorganisms of one type.
Pure culture
An antibody preparation produced in an immunized animal.
Antitoxin
An antimicrobial substance produced by some fungal and bacterial species that inhibits other microorganisms.
Antibiotic
An ill-defined entity generally referring to an altered chemical quality of the atmosphere that was incorrectly thought to cause disease.
Miasma
An organism in the protista group that carries out photosynthesis.
Alga
Bacterial or fungal species that recycle materials from dead organisms.
Decomposers
Established evidence for his germ theory of disease.
Pasteur
He showed that maggots do not arise through spontaneous generation.
Redi
He was able to correlate hand washing with the prevention of disease spread.
Semmelweis
He was able to show that a specific microbe could cause a specific disease.
Koch
He was the first to introduce the therapeutic value of vaccination.
Jenner
In science inquiry, the comparative condition in an experiment.
Control
One of the domains consisting of prokaryotic cells.
Archaea
Referring to a cell or organism containing a cell nucleus with chromosomes and a nuclear membrane envelope.
Eukaryotic
Referring to a microorganism composed of single cells having a single chromosome but no cell nucleus or nuclear membrane envelope.
Prokaryotic
Refers to diseases that existed in the past and that are now showing resurgence in incidence.
Reemerging
Rod-shaped bacterial cells.
Bacilli
The common term for microorganisms.
Microbes
The complete set of genes in a virus or organism.
Genome
The concept stating that some microorganisms are responsible for infectious diseases.
Germ theory
The doctrine that organisms could arise from nonliving matter, such as through putrefaction and decay.
Spontaneous generation
The domain of life containing eukaryotic organisms.
Eukarya
The group of microorganisms composed of the protozoa and algae.
Protista
The group of microorganisms that includes the molds and yeasts.
Fungi
The process by which some bacterial species convert nitrogen gas into ammonia.
Nitrogen fixation
The scientific study of bacterial organisms.
Bacteriology
The scientific study of the fungi.
Mycology
The solidifying agent first used by Koch.
Agar
The study of viruses.
Virology
The tiny, living “animals” seen by Leeuwenhoek.
Animalcules
The use of antimicrobial chemicals to kill microorganisms.
Chemotherapy
The use of chemicals as disinfection agents on the skin surface.
Antisepsis
The use of microorganisms to help remove or decontaminate toxic wastes and other products in the environment.
Bioremediation
Unicellular eukaryotes that absorb nutrients from their surroundings
Protozoa
