Chapter 1 - The Microbial World and You

Question 1

microbes / microorganisms

Answer 1

minute living things that individually are usually too small to be seen with the unaided eye

Question 2

pathogenic

Answer 2

disease-producing

Question 3

genus (pl. genera)

Answer 3

the first name is is always capitalized

Question 4

specific epithet (species)

Answer 4

second name and is not capitalized

Question 5

bacterium (pl. bacteria)

Answer 5

relatively simple, single-celled (unicellular) organisms

Question 6

prokaryotes

Answer 6

prenucleus

includes bacteria and archaea

Question 7

archaea

Answer 7

prokaryotic cells lacking peptidoglycan

one of the three domains

Question 8

fungus (pl. fungi)

Answer 8

an organism that belongs to the Kingdom Fungi

eukaryotic absorptive chemoheterotroph

Question 9

eukaryotes

Answer 9

organisms whose cells have a distinct nucleus containing the cell’s genetic materials, surrounded by a special envelope call the nuclear membrane

Question 10

protozoan (pl. protozoa)

Answer 10

unicellular eukaryotic organisms

usually chemoheterotrophic

Question 11

alga (pl. algae)

Answer 11

photosynthetic eukaryote

may be unicellular, filamentous, or multicellular but lack the tissues found in plants

Question 12

viruses

Answer 12

submicroscopic, parasitic, filterable agent consisting of a nucleic acid surrounded by a protein coat

Question 13

helminths

Answer 13

parasitic roundworm or flatworm

Question 14

cell theory

Answer 14

all living organisms are composed of cells and arise from preexisting cells

Question 15

spontaneous generation

Answer 15

the idea that life could arise spontaneously from nonliving matter

Question 16

biogenesis

Answer 16

the theory that living cells arise only from preexisting cells

Question 17

aspetic techniques

Answer 17

laboratory techniques used to minimize contamination

Question 18

fermentation

Answer 18

enzymatic degradation of carbohydrates in which the final electron acceptor is an organic molecule, ATP is synthesized by substrate-level phosphorylation, and O2 is not required

Question 19

pasteurization

Answer 19

the process of mild heating to kill particular spoilage microorganisms or pathogens

Question 20

germ theory of disease

Answer 20

the principle that microorganisms cause disease

Question 21

Koch’s postulates

Answer 21

criteria used to determine the causative agent of infectious diseases

Question 22

chemotherapy

Answer 22

treatment of disease with chemical substances

Question 23

antibiotics

Answer 23

antimicrobial agent, usually produced naturally by a bacterium or fungus

Question 24

synthetic drugs

Answer 24

chemotherapeutic agent that is prepared from chemicals in a laboratory

Question 25

bacteriology

Answer 25

scientific study of prokaryotes, including bacteria and archaea

Question 26

mycology

Answer 26

scientific study of fungi

Question 27

parasitology

Answer 27

scientific study of parasitic protozoa and worms

Question 28

genomics

Answer 28

study of genes and their function

Question 29

immunology

Answer 29

study of a host’s defenses to a pathogen

Question 30

virology

Answer 30

scientific study of viruses

Question 31

recombinant DNA

Answer 31

A DNA molecule produced by combining DNA from two different sources

Question 32

recombinant DNA technology / genetic engineering

Answer 32

Manufacturing and manipulating genetic material in vitro

Question 33

microbial genetics

Answer 33

study the mechanisms by which microorganisms inherit traits

Question 34

molecular biology

Answer 34

the science dealing with DNA and protein synthesis of living organisms

Question 35

microbial ecology

Answer 35

the study of the relationship between microorganisms and their environment

Question 36

bioremediation

Answer 36

use of microbes to remove an environmental pollutant

Question 37

biotechnology

Answer 37

industrial application of microorganisms, cells, or cell components to make a useful product

Question 38

gene therapy

Answer 38

treating a disease by replacing abnormal genes

Question 39

normal microbiota / normal flora

Answer 39

the microorganisms that colonize a host without causing disease

Question 40

resistance

Answer 40

the ability to ward off diseases through innate and adaptive immunity

Question 41

biofilm

Answer 41

a microbial community that usually forms as a slimy layer on a surface

Question 42

infectious disease

Answer 42

a disease in which pathogens invade a susceptible host and carry out at least part of their life cycle in the host

Question 43

emerging infectious diseases (EIDs)

Answer 43

a new or changing disease that is increasing or has the potential to increase in incidence in the near future