Term | Definition |
Bacilli | Bacteria that have a rod shape |
Cocci | Bacteria that have a round shape |
Colony | a mass of bacteria growing on a solid culture medium that have arisen from the multiplication of a single bacterium. |
Contagious | Capable of being transmitted directly or indirectly from one person to another |
Culture | The propagation of a mass of microorganisms in a laboratory culture medium |
Culture Medium | A mixture of nutrients on which microorganisms in the laboratory |
False negative | a test result denoting that a condition is absent when it is actually present |
False positive | a test result denoting that a condition is present when it is actually absent |
Fastidious | extremely delicate difficult to culture & involving specialized growth requirements |
Immunization | the process of becoming protected from a disease through vaccination |
Incubate | in microbiology, the act of placing a culture in a chamber (incubator) that provides optimal growth requirements for the multiplication of the organisms, such as the proper temperature, humidity, & darkness |
Incubation Period | the interval of time between the invasion by a pathogenic microorganism & the appearance of first symptoms of the disease |
Infectious Disease | a disease caused by a pathogen that produces harmful effects on its host |
Inoculate | to introduce microorganisms into a culture medium for growth & multiplication |
Microbiology | the scientific study of microorganisms & their activities |
Mucous Membrane | a membrane lining body passages or cavities that open to the outside |
Normal Flora | harmless, non pathogenic microorganisms that normally reside in many parts of the body but do not cause disease |
Resistance | the natural ability of an organism to remain unaffected by harmful substances in its environment |
Sequela | a morbid (secondary) condition occurring as a result of a less serious primary infection |
Smear | material spread on a slide for microscope examination |
Specimen | a small sample or part taken from the body to show the nature of the whole |
Spirilla | bacteria that have a spiral or curved shape |
Streaking | it is accomplished by skimming a wire inoculating loop that contains the specimen across the surface of the medium, using a back & forth motion |
Streptolysin | an exotoxin produced by beta-hemolytic streptococci, which completely hemolyzed red blood cells |
Susceptible | easily affected, lacking resistance |