Question | Answer |
Alga | a photosynthetic eukaryote, may be unicellular, filamentous, or multicellular but lack the tissues found in plants. |
Antibiotic | an antimicrobial agent, usually produced naturally by a bacterium or fungus |
Archaea | prokaryotic cells lacking peptidoglycan, one of the three domains |
Aseptic technique | Laboratory techniques used to minimize contamination |
Bacteria | kingdom of prokaryotic organisms, characterized by peptidoglycan cell walls, bacterium when referring to singular organism |
Bacteriology | The scientific study of prokaryotes, including bacteria and Archaea |
Biogenesis | The theory that living cells arise only from preexisting cells. |
Bioremediation | the use of microbes to remove an environmental pollutant. |
Biotechnology | the industrial application of microbes, cells, or cell components to make a useful product |
Cell Theory | all living organisms are composed of cells and arise from preexisting cells, |
Chemotherapy | treatment with chemical substances |
Ecology | the study of the interrelationship between organism and with their environment |
Eukaryote | a cell having DNA inside a distinct membrane enclosed nucleus |
Fermentation | the enzymatic degradation of carbohydrates in which the final electron acceptor is an organic molecule, ATP is synthesized by substrate level phosphorylation, and oxygen is not required |
Fungus | an organism that belongs to the Kingdom Fungi, a eukaryotic absorptive chemoheterotroph |
Gene therapy | treating a disease by replacing abnormal genes |
Genetic engineering | manufacturing and manipulating genetic material in vitro, also called recombinant DNA technology |
Genomics | the study of genes and their function |
Genus | the first name of the scientific name (binomial), the taxon between family and species |
Germ theory of disease | the principle that microbes cause disease |
Helminth | a parasitic roundworm or flatworm |
Immunity | the body’s defenses against particular pathogenic microbes, also called specific resistance |
Immunology | the study of a host’s specific defenses to a pathogen |
Infectious diseases | a disease in which pathogens invade a susceptible host and carry out at least part of their life cycle |
Koch’s postulates | criteria used to determine the causative agent of infectious diseases |
Microorganism | a living organism too small to be seen with the naked eye, includes bacteria, fungi, protozoa, and microscopic algae, also includes viruses |
Molecular biology | the science dealing with DNA and protein synthesis of living organisms |
Mycology | the scientific study of fungi |
Normal microbiota | the microbes that colonize a host without causing disease also called normal flora |
Parasitology | the scientific study of parasites (protozoa and parasitic worms) |
Pasteurization | the process of mild heating to kill particular spoilage microbes or pathogens |
Pathogen | a disease causing organism |
Prokaryote | a cell whose genetic material is not enclosed in a nuclear membrane |
Protozoan | unicellular eukaryotic organisms, usually chemoheterotroph |
Recombinant DNA | a DNA molecule produced by recombination |
Species | the most specific level in the taxonomic hierarchy |
Species epithet | the second or species name in a scientific binomial |
Spontaneous generation | the idea that life could arise spontaneously from nonliving matter |
Synthetic drugs | a chemotherapeutic agent that is prepared from chemicals in a laboratory |
Virology | the scientific study of viruses |
Virus | a submicroscopic, parasitic, filterable agent consisting of a nucleic acid surrounding by a protein coat. |