Microbiology Glossary Chapter 1

Front 1

Archaea

Back 1

The domain of life that contains prokaryotic cells with cell walls that lack peptidoglycan;

They have unique lipids in their membranes and archaeal rRna (among many differences)

Front 2

Bacteria

Back 2

The domain of life that contains prokaryotic cells with cell walls that contain the structural molecule peptidoglycan

They have bacterial rRna

Front 3

Eucarya

Back 3

The domain of life that features organisms made of cells that have a membrane-delimited nucleus and differ in many other ways from prokaryotic cells.

Includes protists, fungi, plants and animals

Front 4

fungi

Back 4

A diverse group of microorganisms that range from unicellular forms (yeasts) to multicellular molds and mushrooms

Front 5

Koch's postulates

Back 5

a set of rules of proving that a specific microorganism causes a particular disease

Front 6

Microbiology

Back 6

Study of organisms that are usually to small to be seen with the naked eye; special techniques are required to isolate and grow them.

Front 7

miroorganism

Back 7

An organism that is too small to be seen clearly with the naked eye and lacks highly differentiated cells and distinct tissues.

Front 8

prions

Back 8

infectious agents that cause spongiform encephalopathies such as scrapie in sheep

Composed of only protein

Front 9

Prokaryotic cell

Back 9

cells that lack a true, membrane-enclosed nucleus; Bacteria and Archaea are prokaryotic and have their genetic material located in a nuceleoid

Front 10

protists

Back 10

Mostly unicellular eukaryotic organisms that lack cellular differentiation into tissues; cell differentiation is limited to cells involved in sexual reproduction, alternate vegetative morphology, or resting states such as cysts, includes organisms often referred to as algae and protozoa.

Front 11

spontaneous generation

Back 11

An early belief, now discredited, that living organisms could develop from non-living matter

Front 12

viroids

Back 12

infectious agents composed of only single-stranded, circular RNA, they cause numerous plant diseases

Front 13

viruses

Back 13

Infectious agents having a simple acellular organization with a protein coat and a nucleic acid genome, lacking independent metabolism, and reproducing only within living host cells

Front 14

virusoids

Back 14

Infectious agents composed only of single-stranded RNA; they are unable to replicate without the aid of specific viruses that connect the host cell.

Front 15

Koch's Postulates
DESCRIPTION

Back 15

1) The microorganism must be present in every case of the disease but absent from healthy individuals.

2) The suspected microorganism must be isolated and grown in pure culture

3) The same disease must result when the isolated organism is inoculated into a healthy host
4) The same organism must be isolated again from the diseased host