GLOSSARY OF TERMS - LAB MANUAL Flashcards
Hyphae that grows above or outward from the surface of an agar medium or substrate; the visible colony
aerial hyphae
A gelatinous substance used as a culture medium to grow microorganisms
agar
a polysaccharide from seaweed extract (Genera Gelidum and Gracilaria) that consists of alternating β-D-galactose and 3,6-anhydro-L galactose units of agarbiose
agarose
It is used popularly as a medium for electrophoresis to separate DNA fragments.
agarose
In general, the higher the concentration the smaller the pore size
Concentration ranges from 0.5%-2%
agarose
asexual (imperfect) state or form of a fungus
anamorph
this is a step in PCR when the temperature is lowered to allow DNA primers to attach to a given DNA template.
Temperature ranges 50-56°C
annealing
a fungus that preferentially grows on human rather than animals or the soil
anthropophilic
a dermatophyte where human/people is the primary reservoir
anthropophilic
(pl. arthroconidia) a conidium released by fragmentation or by separation that occurs at the septum of cells of hypha
arthroconidium
fruiting body within which asci form
ascocarp
(pl. asci) saclike cells where ascopores develop
ascus
hypha without crosswalls
aseptate
antimicrobial that can kill a microorganism
bactericidal
a virus that infects bacterial cells
bacteriophage
an arrangement observed in Aspergillus spp. where a secondary phialide develops from a primary phialide, forming two series of phialides
bisertiate
conidia formed by budding process along a hypha, pseudohypha, or in a single cell, as seen in yeasts
blastoconidia
a nutrient-rich medium used to isolate fastidious fungi
brain heart infusion
is a concentration of an antimicrobial that defines if the particular microbial species is susceptible or resistant to the antimicrobial.
It is commonly expressed in μg/mL
breakpoint
a liquid medium containing nutrients used to grow microorganisms
broth
a type of asexual reproduction commonly found in yeasts
bud
an oval shaped “push out” or outgrowth from a parent cell
bud
colorless dye that binds to chitin and cellulose of fungi that fluoresce when exposed to ultraviolet light
calcofluor white
proteinaceous coat that protects the viral genome
capsid
a hyaline mucopolysaccharide covering the cell body of certain yeasts (e.g Cryptococcus, Rhodotorula) and some spores and conidia
capsule
also known as chlamydospores, these are enlarged, thick-walled round conidia
chlamydoconidia
these conidia can be present at the end of hypha (terminal), on the sides (sessile) or in between the hypha (intercalary)
chlamydoconidia
swollen, thick-walled resistant spore that do not reproduce
chlamydospore
club-shaped
clavate
hyphal structures without septa
coenocytic
a remnant of a cell well present at the tip of phialide, or around a sporangiophore
collarette
growth of an organism in a host without causing infection or tissue invasion
colonization
the distinct characteristics of a microbial colony that are visibly observed on the surface of a nutrient medium
colony morphology
a sterile dome-like structure at the tip of sporangiophore or within a sporangium
columella (pl. columellae)
a serologic procedure used to determine complement-fixing antibody to fungal antigens
complement fixation
pertains to a type of growth on the agar surface wherein it is continuous, uniform, and the colonies are not discrete or separated ; there should be no individual colonies growing on the surface
confluent
the cell that gives rise to a conidium
conidiogenous cell
a reproductive propagule produced in the absence of nuclear recombination, thus representing anamorphic or asexual reproduction
conidium (pl. conidia)
a specialized hypha that gives rise to or bears a conidium
conidiophore
a method of propagating microorganisms by supporting their growth using culture media and controlled environmental conditions
cultivation
distinct visible visual changes in the infected cells caused by a viral toxin or infection
cytopathic effect
an infection of cutaneous tissue (hair, skin, and nails) caused by the keratinophilic fungi other than those of the dermatophytes
dermatomycosis
a fungi that invades the keratinized part of hair, nail, and skin
dermatophyte
a fungus having brown or black melanotic pigment in the cell wall
dematiaceous
this initial stage in PCR allows separation of the double-stranded DNA into two single strands by breaking the hydrogen bonds that exists between the nucleotide base pairs (bp)
temperature ranges from 94-95°C
denaturation
fungi having two morphologic forms under different growth conditions
dimorphic
elimination or reduction of microorganisms that may cause disease
disinfection
also known as molecular-weight size markers, this is a set of predetermined DNA fragment sizes from where unknown bands are compared to identify the approximate size and concentration of a DNA fragment after running gel electrophoresis
DNA ladder
aka Deoxynucleotide triphosphates (dNTPs), they represent the essential building blocks of nucleic acid molecules that are necessary components of PCR mixes during amplification
dNTPs
Four known types of dNTP are recognized each with a unique DNA base which are
adenine (dATP), cytosine (dCTP), guanine (dGTP), and thymine (dTTP)
a disease which occurs in a limited geographic area
endemic
chemically 3,8-Diamino-5-ethyl-phenylphenathridinium, is a non-radioactive but carcinogenic DNA stain.
Distinct red-orange fluorescence under UV light suggests the presence of ds-DNA
ethidium bromide (EtBr)
agent causing the infection or disease
etiologic agent
this is a step in PCR when the temperature is increased and the new DNA strand is formed through the action Taq polymerase
Temperature is usually set at 72°C
extension
a property wherein a particle is able to pass through a membrane filter that will prevent the transmission of bacteria
filterable
synonymous with cottony or wooly
type of texture formed by large quantities of aerial hyphae usually arranged in a tangled manner
floccose
aka 5’ primers, these are PCR primers that are complementary to the anti-sense strand of ds-DNA and therefore responsible for its amplification
forward primer
it occurs at the 5’ end of the PCR product. primarily, it anneals to the antisense strand or negative strand of the double-stranded DNA, which runs from 3’-5’ direction.
antisense strand or the coding strand serves as the template strand for the synthesis of mRNA
forward primer
is the presence of fungi in the blood
fungemia
most common agent of fungemia
candida albicans
capable of inhibiting the growth of fungi
fungicidal
refers to the range of different inherited traits within a species
genetic diversity
soil-seeking, earth-loving.
a dermatophyte having soil as its primary reservoir
geophilic
an elongated or tube-like structure that emerges from a spore, with no constriction at the point of origin
the presence of germ tubes can be used to presumptively identify the presence of candida albicans
germ tubes
biological agents that can potentially cause harm to humans and animals when exposed
hazards
adherence of red blood cells on a virally infected cell culture
hemadsorption
an acronym for High Efficiency Particular Air
HEPA
a mechanical filter that is capable of trapping and removing particles and microorganisms for the air
HEPA filter
a member of the human Herpesviridae family that can cause oral and genital infections
Human Simplex Virus (HSV)
microscopic structures are clear or colorless
hyaline
a vegetative filament of a fungus
hypha (pl.hyphae)
a serologic test based on precipitation reaction to determine the presence of antibody to fungal antigen by double diffusion technique in gel medium
immunodiffusion
refers to persons complete set of chromosomes
karyotype
a simple serologic procedure wherein the antibody formed following a fungal disease is detected through the clumping of antigen coated particles
latex agglutination
commercially available or laboratory prepared solutions used to standardize the approximate amount of bacteria or fungie in a liquid suspension.
McFarland standard
standardization is done by either visual or spectrophotometric comparison of the tubridity of the bacterial or fungal suspension to the McFarland standard. if the turbidity is the same, the suspension is said to be standardized
the commonly used McFarland standard in the clinical microbiology, wherein its turbidity corresponds to approximately 1.5x10^8 cfu/mL
0.5 McFarland standard
this is the lowest concentration of an antimicrobial that inhibits the visible growth of a bacteria or fungi
usually expressed in μg/mL
minimum inhibitory concentration
aka candidiasis, a fungal infection caused by a yeast (candida albicans)
moniliasis
fungal colonies composed of hyphae
mould or mold
same definition as hyaline (microscopic structures are clear or colorless)
moniliaceous
like a wall; multicellular, with both transverse and longitudinal septations
muriform
colony with hyphae that do not produce conidia or spores
mycelia sterilia
the mass of hyphae making up a fungus colony
mycelium
pertaining to fungi
mycotic
a clear zone of lysis due to successive infection of host cells by a virus
plaque
defined as the presence of two or more variant forms of a specific DNA sequence that happen among different individuals or populations.
SNP is the most common type
polymorphisms
(SNP - single nucleotide polymorphism)
a general purpose basal medium made from potato infusion and dextrose used to isolate yeasts and molds
potato dextrose agar
set of media inoculated from the specimen
primary culture
referring to the surface
obverse
place where the fungus is found in nature
reservoir
the microbe is able to grow in the presence of a particular antimicrobial
resistant
aka 3’ primers, these primers are complementary to the sense or the (+) strand of the ds-DNA and therefore responsible for its amplification. it occurs at the 3’ end of the PCR product.
primarily, it anneals to the sense strand or positive strand of the double-stranded DNA, which runs from 5’ to 3’ direction. the sense strand is complementary to the template strand and therefore it is known as the anticoding strand
reverse primer
rootlike structures that anchors the fungus to the substrate and also utilized in the absorption of nutrients
rhizoids
a culture medium primarily used for fungal cultivation and isolation of dermatophytes
saboraud dextrose agar
an organism which requires organic material as a source of energy
saprobe
the ability to detect all patients with a specific disease
sensitivity
having cross walls or patitions
septate
a reproductive propagule produced internally by “free cell” formation, as in the ascomycete i.e, complete spores formed all at once around the nuclei available or by “progressive cleavage” as in a sporangium
spore
destruction of all life forms, including the bacterial spores
sterilization
a horizontal hypha from which hyphae, rhizoids or sporangiophore develop
stolon
material on which the fungus is growing
substrate
also known as sensitive
the microbe is unable to grow in the presence of a particular antimicrobial
susceptible
thermostable DNA polymerase used during PCR amplification. It can withstand high temperature without being denatured. It is extremely heat resistant with a half-life of 40 minutes at 95°C. it is derived from a heat-tolerant bacterium thermus aquaticus and
Taq polymerase
(also abbreviated as Taq pol)
used to preserve the integrity of the specimen from the time of collection up to the laboratory processing
transport medium
equipment used to visualize target DNAs and proteins by emitting high levels of ultraviolet rays through the viewing surface
UV transilluminator
a human herpes virus that can cause the highly contagious chickenpox
Varicella Zoster Virus (VZV)
capable of inactivating or destroy viruses
virucidal
predominantly a unicellular fungus, usually round or ovoid, that reproduces by budding
yeast
a culture medium that is useful for yeast identification made from peptone and yeast extract
yeast fermentation broth
a circular area surrounding the antibiotic disk showing no visible growth of the incoulum
zone of inhibition
