Topic 6 Microbiology And Pathogens + 2.2 Viruses Flashcards
What are microbial techniques?
Aseptic techniques
- Bunsen burner: create updraft, sterilise air around Bunsen burner
- use disinfectant to clean surfaces
- flame the inoculating loop - sterilise and kills all microorganisms
- autoclave (heat and high pressure to sterilise Petri dish)
Where to culture bacteria and how?
Petri dish containing agar (nutrients like glucose, nitrates)
Put Petri dish on heat proof mat next to Bunsen
Flame and cool inoculating loop, and neck of sample bottle
Dip into bacteria
Slightly open lid of Petri and zig-zag streak on agar
Use tape to seal lid (12, 6 o’clock)
Store in incubator
What temperature would the the incubator for bacteria culture be at and why isn’t it higher?
25 C , 3-5 days
Prevent overgrowth and mutation that could become harmful
Why do we want to culture bacteria?
- test antibiotic resistance
- compare growth rate of bacteria
- identify bacteria then try to invent cure
Agar is a type of…
Culture medium that you grow bacteria on
What requirements are needed for microbial growth?
- organic C source
- N source
- mineral salts K, Mg, Fe
- vitamins
- purine and pyrimidines
All are needed
What are forms of culture media?
- liquid culture (stir w magnet to evenly distribute mineral ions, circulation of Oxygen as well) (can batch or continuous culture)
- solid culture (Agar)(no spillage, useful storage)
What are broad and narrow spectrum culture media?
Broad: can grow lots of generic/different bacteria containing general nutrients
Narrow: only specific bacteria can grow in it, designed specifically for particular microorganism. Inhibits growth of other microbes
How to make sure only specific bacteria grow on agar?
Use antibiotics
What makes antibiotics?
Bacteria to kill other species of bacteria to reduce competition
How do you know you’ve grown the specific species of bacteria you want?
Look at
- colour of colony
- shape/structure
- height
- texture
- colour
- form
What is a selective media?
Isolates bacteria
Can only grow gram positive/negative bacteria
What can grow on MacConkey Agar?
Gram -ve bacteria
How to measure population size of bacteria?
- serial dilution (so sample is less saturated)
- Then count (4 ways)
What are 4 ways of counting bacteria population size?
- haemocytometer (direct count)
- dilution plating (direct count)
- dry mass
- colorimeter
Define the total cell count of bacteria
Dead and alive bacteria cell population
Define the viable cell count of bacteria
Alive number of bacteria only
What can bacteria do?
- agents of infection
- invade and destroy host tissues
- produce toxins
What produces exotoxins?
Staphylococcus
What produces endotoxins?
Salmonella
What invades host tissues?
Mycobacterium tuberculosis
What are endotoxins?
Released from dead/broken down bacteria
Are lipopolysaccharide in cell wall membrane
Released by gram negative bacteria only
What are exotoxins?
Released from living bacteria
Are proteins
Released by both gram positive and negative
Evaluate methods of controlling malaria
Ethical- consent and insecticides affect other organisms
Social- social change, vaccines need to become accepted
Economical-treatment, other better uses of money than malaria treatment
What is a pathogen?
Infects another organism by invading the host, causing harm to it
What is an example of a bacterial disease caused by host tissue invasion?
Tuberculosis
Caused by bacteria Mycobacterium tuberculosis
What do antibiotics target?
- cell wall synthesis
- nuclei acid synthesis
- does NOT kill bacteria!!!
What are the 2 types of antibiotic resistance and describe
Primary resistance: natural resistance to narrow spectrum antibiotics
Secondary resistance: acquire resistance to antibiotics they are previously susceptible to
What’s the difference between lytic and latency?
Latency has incorporation of genetic material but not lytic
Lytic has symptoms, latency doesn’t
Lytic has protein synthesis
Describe the lytic cycle of a virus? (2 marks)
- viral proteins made
- virus/genetic material multiply and cell lyse
(- using host cell organelles)
State what it is meant by the term latency. (3 marks)
- virus nucleoid acid incorporated into host cell
- virus is inactive
- virus nucleus acid replicates when host cell divides
- viral proteins made and assembled
What happens in the lytic cycle?
- Virus receptors attach to host cell antigens
- Inject genetic material (DNA or RNA)
- Viral proteins synthesised
- New viruses assemble
- Host cell lyses
What happens in the latency cycle?
- Virus receptors attach to host cell antigens
- Inject genetic material (DNA or RNA)
- Viral genome incorporated into host cell genome
- Viral genome replicates with Host cell genome
(5. Join lytic cycle)
Or remain, no symptoms shown
- repressor gene stops rest of genome being read
What are the 4 types of capsid shapes?
- helical
- polyhedral
- spherical
- complex
What is a capsid?
Surrounds (protects) genetic material of virus