microbe vocab Flashcards
Antibiotic
A medicine that inhibits the growth of or destroys microrganisms
Archaeebacterium
An prokaryotic organisms that has no peptidoglycan in its cell walls. Group between bacteria and eukkaroytes
Bacillus
A rod shaped bacterium
Chemoautotroph
an organism that synthesizes its own energy from chemicals (NOT light)
Coccus
Sphere shapped bacterium
Eubacterium
Rigid cell wall, gram positive. Includes all contemporary bacteria except archaebacterium
Extreme halophile
an archaebacterium that lives in high salt constellation
Gram-negative
Pink, usually outer covering on cell wall
Gram-poistive
Purple, usually no outer covering on cell wall. Thick peptidoglycan layer
Gram-stain
A series of stains that dye bacteria based off of cell chemistry. Thin peptidoglycan layer
Heterocyst
a cell of cyanophytes that fixes atmospheric nitrogen. Large, transparent, thick walled found in filaments of some blue-green algae and some fungi
Population bloom
The sudden increase of an organism population
Spirillum
Spiral shaped eubacteria
Staphylococcus
a eubacterium that occurs in grape like structures
Streptococcus
Gram + eubacterium chains
Thermoacidophile
an archaebacterium that lives in hot/acid places
Conjugation bridge
In some alage and fungi its a pathway to transfer genetic information from one organism to another
Capsule
a polysaccharide layer that lies outside the cell envelooe. Can be cause of disease.
Conjugation
the genetic transfer of genetic material by direct cell to cell contact
Endospore
a dormant bacteria cell enclosed by a tough coating
Facultative anaerobe
an organism that can metabolize with or without oxygen but prefers none
obligate aerobe
an organism that requires oxygen
Pilus
an appendege bacteria uses to attach to objects
Saprophyte
an organism that feeds off dead material
Thermophilic
Bacteria that best grows between 40 and 110 c (104 - 230 f) aka an organism living at a high tempeature
Transduction
in viruses the process where genetic info is passed from one cell to another
Transformation
a process of direct transfer of nucleic acid from one bacteria to another
Endotoxin
a molecule within the cell wall of a gram-negative bacteria that causes an inflamitory respose in host
Exotoxin
Made of protein, produced by gram-positive bacteria and is secreated into the surrounding enviorment
Pathology
the study of disease
Toxin
a chemical that causes harm in a host
obligate anaerobe
an organisms that requires the lack of oxygen
