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Micro Vocab
Basic vocab for Microbiology
Question | Answer |
---|---|
Psychrophile | microorganism that thrives at low temperature (0-20 *C) |
Mesophile | microorganism that grows at intermediate temperatures |
Thermophile | microorganism that thrives at a temperature of 50*C or higher |
Hyperthermophile | microorganism that thrives at very high temperatures |
Photoautotroph | organism that uses light for its energy and CO2 for its carbon needs |
Chemoautotroph (lithoautotroph) | organism that relies upon inorganic chemicals for its energy and CO2 for its carbon |
Chemoheterotroph | microorganism that get their nutritional needs from organic compounds |
Aerobe | microorganism that lives and grows in the presence of free gaseous oxygen |
Anaerobe | microorganism that grows best in the absence of oxygen |
Obligate | without alternative; restricted to a particular characteristic |
Facultative | capacity of microbes to adapt or adjust to variations, not obligate |
Microaerophile | aerobic bacterium that requires oxygen at a concentration less than that of the atmosphere |
Capnophile | microorganism that thrives in high concentrations of CO2 |
Mutualism | organisms living in an obligatory, but mutually beneficial relationship |
Commensalism | unequal relationship where one organism is benefitted without harming the other |
Parasitism | a relationship between two organisms where one is harmed and one is benefitted |
Synergism | correlated action by two or more microbes or drugs that result in a heightened response or greater activity |
Antagonism | relationship in which organisms compete for survival in a common environment by inhibiting or destroying one another |
Saprobe | a microbe that decomposes organic remains from dead organisms |
Turbidity | cloudy appearance of nutrient solution in a test tube due to microbial growth |
Osmosis | diffusion of water through a selectively permeable membrane in the direction of lower water concentration |
Isotonic | two solutions that have the same osmotic pressure, no net movement |
Hypotonic | having a lower osmotic pressure than a reference solution |
Hypertonic | having a greater osmotic pressure than a reference solution |
Binary fission | formation of two new cells of equal size due to parent cell division |
Sterilization | any process that completely removes or destroys all viable microorganisms including viruses |
Disinfection | destruction of pathogenic, nonsporulating microbes or their toxins, usually on inanimate surfaces |
Antisepsis | chemical treatment to kill or inhibit the growth of all vegetative microorganisms on body surfaces |
Decontamination | removal or neutralization of an infectious, poisonous, or injurious agent from a site |
Sanitization | clean inanimate objects using soap so that they are free of high levels of microorganisms |
Sepsis | the state of putrefaction, the presence of pathogenic organisms or their toxins in tissue or blood |
Asepsis | a condition free of viable pathogenic microorganisms |
antibiotic | a chemical substance from one microorganism that can inhibit or kill another microbe even in minute amounts |
Resistant R factors | plasmids, typically typically shared among bacteria by conjugation that provide resistance to the effects of antibiotics |
Beta-lactamases | enzyme secreted by certain type of bacteria that cleaves the beta-lactam ring of penecillin and cephalosporin and thus provides for resistance against the antibiotic |
Probiotics | preparations of live microbes used as a preventative or therapeutic measure to displace or compete with potential pathogens |