Term | Definition | |
Epidemiology | Study of patterns of disease infection and spread | |
Endemic | Diseases are present in a population all the time at low levels. | |
Epidemic | Affects many individuals in a population in a short amount of time. | |
Pandemic | Worldwide epidemic | |
Differential Stain | Use of 2 or more dyes to differentiate among bacterial species or distinguish structures of an organism. Ex) gram stain | |
Endospores | Unique to bacteria; tough dormant structures that allow bacteria to survive harmful environmental conditions; produced by vegetative cell. | |
Aseptic technique | Set of procedure to minimize chances that cultures will be contaminated by organisms from environment (prevents cross contamination) | |
Sterile | Free from bacteria or other living microorganisms | |
Standard Plate Count | Technique used to determine the number of bacteria in a sample | |
Selective Media | Enhances or inhibits the growth of some bacteria | |
Differential Media | Distinguishes between bacteria on same medium based on physical changes in medium; visible change to medium | |
Obligate aerobe | Requires oxygen to grow. | |
Microaerophiles | Grows best in presence of a small amount of oxygen | |
Obligate anaerobes | Killed by oxygen | |
Faculty anaerobes | Carries aerobic metabolism in presence of oxygen and shifts to anaerobic metabolism in the absence of oxygen | |
Psychrophile | Cold loving organisms grow best at
15C to 20C | |
Mesophile | Organisms grows best at 25C and 40C including most bacteria | |
Thermophile | Heat loving organisms 50 to 60C | |
Hypertonic Solution | Concentration of dissolved materials is greater than that in a cell; water moves out of cell and cell shrinks | |
Hypotonic solution | Concentration of dissolved materials is less than that of the cell; water moves in, cell lyses | |
Halophile | Salt loving organisms | |
Disinfectant | Chemicals used on the surface of an inanimate objects to kill microbes | |
Antiseptic | | |
Antibiotic | Chemicals that have ability to kill bacteria | |
Photoreactivation | | |
| Repair of DNA divers by light activated enzyme | |