Microorganisms & Disease

Question 1

Microorganisms I

Answer 1

Also called microbes are living things too small to be seen without magnification. Are beneficial for producing oxygen, decomposing organic material, providing nutrients for plants and humans. Characterized based on cellular components, morphology(size&shape), locomotion, and reproduction.

Question 2

Microorganisms II

Answer 2

Microorganisms are divided into several types: bacteria, viruses, protozoans, fungi and animals. Are free living and gain all they need from the surrounding environment. Parasites live in or on the body of a larger organism called the host and derive most of its sustenance from that host. Parasite damages host through infection and disease. Considered a pathogen at this point.

Question 3

Microbes/Microorganism

Answer 3

Organisms that cannot be seen with the naked eye and maybe classified as bacteria, viruses, fungi, protozoa (including algae) or animals.

Question 4

infectious/communicable diseases

Answer 4

Diseases that spread from one person to another.

Question 5

noninfectious diseases

Answer 5

Diseases that cannot be transmitted directly from one person to another.

Question 6

Host

Answer 6

A larger organism on/in whose body a parasite lives.

Question 7

Pathogen

Answer 7

An infectious agent

Question 8

Bacteria

Answer 8

Are unicellular organisms capable of causing disease such as tuberculosis, meningitis, food poisoning, and more. Bacteria cells are prokaryotic because they lack a nucleus. Unique cell wall structure classifies these organisms. Not all are pathogenic. There are harmless bacteria that support bodily functions.

Question 9

Viruses

Answer 9

are noncellular entities that consist of a nucleic acid core (DNA or RNA) surrounded by a protein coat. Classified as microorganisms, but not considered living things. Viruses invade and multiply healthy prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells causing diseases. Ex: viral diseases include influenza, measles, mumps, HIV, and COVID-19 virus.

Question 10

Protozoans/Protist

Answer 10

Are unicellular eukaryotes. Makeup the largest group of organisms in the world in terms of numbers, biomass, and diversity. Protozoa feed on other cells and are divided based on their locomotion. Protist diseases include dysentery, malaria, and sleeping sickness (African trypanosomiasis).

Question 11

Fungi

Answer 11

Eukaryotic organisms that obtain nutrients by absorbing organic material from their environment (decomposers) through symbiotic relationships with plants or harmful relationships with a host. Include molds, mushrooms, yeast. They have a true nucleus. Thousands of species of fungi, some cause disease in humans. Ex: asthma, ringworm, lung infections, and bloodstream infections.

Question 12

Animals

Answer 12

Microbes that are not free living and must find a host from which to gain nutrients. Such as parasitic worms, also known as helminths. Are large enough to see with the naked eye. They can live in many areas of the body. Some include flatrowrms, (tapeworms), which can live in the intestines and round worms that can live in the gastrointestinal tract and lymphatic system.

Question 13

Infectious vs. Non-Infectious Diseases

Answer 13

A disease is a condition taht deteriorates the normal functioning of cells, tissues, and organs. Two disease categories are infectious vs. non-infectious diseases. Infectious diseases spread from one person to another and are called communicable diseases. They are pathogenic microorganisms such as bacteria, protozoans, virus, and other microbes. Some infectious diseases are cholera, chickenpox, COVID-19 virus. Non-infectious diseases do not spread to others and not caused by pathogens. Caused by age,nutritional deficiency,gender, lifestyle. Ex: diabetes, cancer, and asthma.

Question 14

Microbes & Infectious Diseases

Answer 14

Infectious diseases spread in multiple ways. Direct to direct contact with a sick individual or skin -to-skin contact ( including sexual contact) or touching common surfaces, can transmit the disease to a new host. Contact with body fluids such as blood and saliva also spreads infectious diseases. Some diseases spread through droptletsdischarge from a sick person’s body when they cough or sneeze. Droplets linger in the air for a short period of time. landing on a healthy person’s skin and inhaled into their lungs. Infectious diseases travel through air for long periods of time as small particles. Healthy people inhale and become sick.

Question 15

Microscopes I

Answer 15

Most important tool of microbiologists. It was invented in the 1600s by Anton Van Leeuwenhoek consisting of a tube and magnifying lens and stage to make visual discoveries of microbes and blood cells. 1665 Rober Hooke used a compound microscope with two sets of lenses of magnification: the ocular lens next to the eye, objective lens next to specimen or object.

Question 16

Microscopes II

Answer 16

Essential in the medical field for new cellular discoveries and the types of microscpes are based on physical principles. Categories are: Light microscpe, electron microscope. Electrons can resolve small structures better than light microscope.

Question 17

Light Microscope

Answer 17

Are dependent on a light source. Six types of light microscopes: bright field microscope, dark-field microscope, phase contrast microscope, fluorescence microscope, confocal scanning laser microscope (CSLM) and differential interference contrast (DIC).

Question 18

Electron Microscopes

Answer 18

A magnification instrument that forms an image using a beam of electrons that travel at high speeds and form a wavelength pattern. Microscopes that replace light with electron visualization. Magnification can reach 150,000 times the size of the specimen and achieve greater resolution than light microscopes. Cant work with living cells. Two types of electron microscopes are: Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM) and Scanning Electron Miscroscope (SEM).