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Viruses & Bacteria
Review for Infectious Disease Unit
Term | Definition |
---|---|
virus | a non-living particle made of proteins, nucleic acids, and sometimes lipids; can only reproduce by infecting living cells |
capsid | the protein coat surrounding a virus |
bacteriophage | viruses that infect bacteria; literally "bacteria-eaters" |
lytic infection | a virus enters a host cell, makes copies of itself, and causes the cell to burst (or lyse); symptoms usually appear within several days of infection |
lysogenic infection | viral nucleic acid is inserted into the host cell's DNA, where it is replicated along with the host DNA without immediately damaging the host cell; symptoms may not appear for months or years after infection |
prokaryote | a cell that does NOT contain a nucleus; also known as bacteria |
decomposer | an organism that breaks down dead tissues and recycles the nutrients back into the soil |
pathogen | any disease-causing agent |
antibiotic | a drug used to treat a bacterial infection; useless against viral infections |
vaccine | a weakened or killed pathogen that is injected into the body and triggers the immune system to produce antibodies, providing immunity to a specific disease |
antibody | proteins produced by the immune system which bind to pathogens and tag them for destruction by white blood cells |
eukaryote | a cell that contains a nucleus |