lecture 11

Question 1

infection

Answer 1

an event during which a microorganism not a member of the local microbiota is established and grows in a host, regardless of whether the host is harmed

Question 2

disease

Answer 2

an injury to a host organism, caused by a pathogen or other factor, that is accompanied by specific signs and symptoms that affect host function

Question 3

pathogen

Answer 3

a disease-causing microorganism

Question 4

adherence

Answer 4

the enhanced ability of a microorganism to attach to a cell or surface

Question 5

adhesins

Answer 5

glycoproteins of lipoproteins covalently bound to the outer layer of the pathogen that function in attachement to host tissues

Question 6

capsule

Answer 6

a polysaccharide or protein outermost layer, usually rather slimy, present on some bacteria

Question 7

colonization

Answer 7

the growth of a microorganism after it has gained access to host tissues

Question 8

mucous membrane

Answer 8

a layer of mucus-covered epithelial cells in the body that communicates with the external environment

Question 9

mucus

Answer 9

a viscous liquid composed of mucin secreted by specialized epithelial cells that contains water-soluble glycoproteins and proteins that retain moisture and aid in resistance to microbial invasion on mucosal surfaces

Question 10

dental caries

Answer 10

tooth decay resulting from bacteria infection

Question 11

dental plaque

Answer 11

a bacterial biofilm found on the teeth and consisting of cells embedded in a matrix of extracellular polymers and salivary products

Question 12

invasion

Answer 12

the ability of a pathogen to enter into host cells or tissues, spread, and cause disease

Question 13

bacteremia

Answer 13

the presence of bacteria in the blood

Question 14

septicemia

Answer 14

a bloodborne systemic infection

Question 15

pathogenicity

Answer 15

the ability of a pathogen to cause disease

Question 16

virulence

Answer 16

the relative ability of a pathogen to cause disease

Question 17

virulence factors

Answer 17

substances or strategies of a pathogen that indirectly or directly enhance invasiveness and host damage by facilitation and promoting infection

Question 18

attenuate

Answer 18

to decrease or eliminate the virulence of a pathogen or virus

Question 19

opportunistic pathogen

Answer 19

an organism that causes disease only in the absence of normal host resistance

Question 20

toxicity

Answer 20

the ability of an organism to cause disease by means of a preformed toxin that inhibits host cell function or kills host cells

Question 21

exotoxin

Answer 21

a protein that is released extracellularly by a microorganism as it grows and that produces immediate damage to the host

Question 22

enterotoxin

Answer 22

a protein that is released extracellularly by a microorganism as it grows and that produces immediate damage to the small intestine of the host

Question 23

endotoxin

Answer 23

the lipopolysaccharide portion of the outer membrane of most gram-negative bacteria, which is a toxin when solubilized

Question 24

serology

Answer 24

the study of antigen-antibody reactions in vitro

Question 25

titer

Answer 25

the number of individual particles of a substance, such as antibodies or infectious virions, per unit volume of a solution

Question 26

monoclonal antibody (mAb)

Answer 26

a single type of antibody made by a single B cell hybridoma clone

Question 27

precipitation

Answer 27

a reaction between antibody and a soluble antigen resulting in a visible, insoluble complex

Question 28

agglutination

Answer 28

a reaction between antibody and particle-bound antigen resulting in visible clumping of the particles

Question 29

fluorescent antibody

Answer 29

an antibody molecule covalently modified with a fluorescent dye that makes the antibody visible under fluorescent light