Microbiology Terminology

Question 1

a localised accumulation of pus.

Answer 1

Abscess

Question 2

a disease in which the symptoms appear rapidly but last only for a short time.

Answer 2

Acute disease:

Question 3

an organism requiring oxygen for growth.

Answer 3

Aerobe:

Question 4

the spread of pathogens farther than one meter of air from reservoir to susceptible host.

Answer 4

Airborne transmission:

Question 5

an organism that does not require oxygen for growth (can use carbon dioxide)

Answer 5

Anaerobe:

Question 6

an antimicrobial agent produced naturally by a bacterium or fungus

Answer 6

Antibiotic:

Question 7

a chemical that destroys pathogens without damaging body tissues

Answer 7

Antimicrobial drug:

Question 8

a chemical for the disinfection of the skin, mucous membranes or other living tissue

Answer 8

Antiseptic:

Question 9

an animal structure characterized
by an exoskeleton and
jointed legs e.g. insects and ticks

Answer 9

Arthropods:

Question 10

the absence of contamination by micro-organisms

Answer 10

Asepsis:

Question 11

Asepsis:

Answer 11

the absence of contamination by micro-organisms

Question 12

to change a micro-organism in order to make it harmless while it remains antigenic

Answer 12

Attenuate:

Question 13

equipment for the sterilization by steam under pressure

Answer 13

Autoclave:

Question 14

bacteria in blood

Answer 14

Bacteraemia:

Question 15

capable of killing bacteria

Answer 15

Bactericidal:

Question 16

antibiotic substances produced by the normal flora to suppress other bacteria

Answer 16

Bacteriocin:

Question 17

capable of inhibiting bacterial growth

Answer 17

Bacteriostatic:

Question 18

a group of micro-organisms in which cells stick together on a surface in some form of watery environment excreting a slimy, glue-like substance

Answer 18

Biofilm:

Question 19

an individual who harbours a pathogen but shows no signs of the illness

Answer 19

Carrier:

Question 20

an organism living in or on another organism, and deriving benefit, without harming or benefiting the host organism

Answer 20

Commensal:

Question 21

a disease that can be spread from one host to another

Answer 21

Communicable disease:

Question 22

a disease that is easily spread from one human to another

Answer 22

Contagious disease:

Question 23

any substance that decreases the surface tension of water

Answer 23

Detergent:

Question 24

an agent that destroys infection-producing organisms;

Answer 24

Disinfectant:

Question 25

the process that reduces the number of micro-organisms to a level at which they are not harmful but at which spores are not usually destroyed.

Answer 25

Disinfection:

Question 26

a disease that is constantly present in a certain population.

Answer 26

Endemic disease:

Question 27

produced within the organism

Answer 27

Endogenous:

Question 28

part of the cell wall of gram-negative bacteria that is released on the death of the bacterial cell

Answer 28

Endotoxin:

Question 29

a disease acquired by many people in a given area in a short time

Answer 29

Epidemic:

Question 30

the science of dealing with and when and where diseases occur and how they are transmitted

Answer 30

Epidemiology:

Question 31

of external origin (produced from outside the organism)

Answer 31

Exogenous:

Question 32

a protein toxin released from living, mostly gram-positive bacterial cells (actively secreted into the environment)

Answer 32

Exotoxin:

Question 33

Flora:

Answer 33

normal micro-organisms in or on another organism (see commensal)

Question 34

normal micro-organisms in or on another organism (see commensal)

Answer 34

Flora:

Question 35

inanimate (non-living) objects or materials on which disease-producing agents may be carried

Answer 35

Fomites:

Question 36

disinfection by exposure to the fumes of a vaporized disinfection agent

Answer 36

Fumigation:

Question 37

the total genetic material of an organism

Answer 37

Genome:

Question 38

A category used in classification of organisms. In micro-organism, it is depicted as the first part of its name. (Capitalized)

Answer 38

Genus:

Question 39

a substance that causes red blood cells to agglutinate (clump together)

Answer 39

Hemagglutinin:

Question 40

Infection:

Answer 40

when pathogenic microbes invade the body through a break in the skin or mucous membrane or through the body’s natural openings, multiply in tissues and cause an inflammatory response

Question 41

the time interval between the actual infection and the first sign or symptom of the disease

Answer 41

Incubation:

Question 42

the presence of animal parasites such as lice, ticks, and worms

Answer 42

Infestation:

Question 43

chemical compounds that kill insects and pests

Answer 43

Insecticide:

Question 44

the outward appearance of the cell such as size, shape and arrangement/structure

Answer 44

Morphology:

Question 45

an infection that develops during the course of a hospital stay and was not present at the time the patient was admitted

Answer 45

Nosocomial infection:

Question 46

a disease that must be reported to the Department of Health

Answer 46

Notifiable disease:

Question 47

an epidemic that occurs worldwide

Answer 47

Pandemic:

Question 48

any animal or vegetable organism living on or in another organism from which it gets nourishment

Answer 48

Parasite:

Question 49

a disease-causing micro-organism

Answer 49

Pathogen:

Question 50

the ability of the pathogen to cause disease

Answer 50

Pathogenicity:

Question 51

the manner in which micro-organisms gain entry to the body

Answer 51

Portal of entry:

Question 52

the route by which a pathogen leaves the body

Answer 52

Portal of exit:

Question 53

the period of isolation of an infectious or suspected infectious disease to prevent the spread of the disease

Answer 53

Quarantine:

Question 54

the natural ability of the body to withstand any toxins or disease

Answer 54

Resistance:

Question 55

the presence of unwanted bacteria

Answer 55

Sepsis:

Question 56

a condition characterized by multiplication of bacteria in the body

Answer 56

Septicaemia:

Question 57

changes due to a disease that can be observed and measured

Answer 57

Signs:

Question 58

any tissue or body fluid that can be subjected to microbiological investigation with the aim of identifying the infecting pathogen and predicting response to therapy

Answer 58

Specimen:

Question 59

free from micro-organisms

Answer 59

Sterile:

Question 60

the process of completely destroying or removing all micro-organisms including bacterial spores

Answer 60

Sterilisation:

Question 61

a change in body function that is felt by a patient as a result of a disease

Answer 61

Symptoms

Question 62

a specific group of signs or symptoms accompanying a particular disease

Answer 62

Syndrome:

Question 63

a poisonous substance produced by a micro-organism

Answer 63

Toxin:

Question 64

a substance derived from toxins released by bacteria- contains an inactivated toxin

Answer 64

Toxoid:

Question 65

an arthropod that carries disease-causing organisms from one host to another e.g. mosquitoes that carry malaria

Answer 65

Vector:

Question 66

the presence of viruses in the blood

Answer 66

Viraemia:

Question 67

the strength or power micro-organisms to harm the host

Answer 67

Virulence:

Question 68

a disease in animals that is transmitted to humans

Answer 68

Zoonosis: