Unit 2B Vocabulary - Bacteria & Viruses

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Antibiotic

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a substance that can inhibit the growth of or kill some microorganisms

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Archaebacterium

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prokaryotic organisms that are distinguished from other prokaryotes by differences in their genetics and in the makeup of their cell wall; currently, biologists prefer to call these organisms archaea and to classify them into the domain Archaea (singular, archaebacterium)

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Bacillus

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a rod-shaped bacterium

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Chemoautotroph

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an organism that synthesizes organic compounds by using inorganic compounds instead of light

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Coccus

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a sphere-shaped bacterium

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Eubacterium

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in a traditional taxonomic system, a kingdom made up of all prokaryotes except members of the kingdom Archaebacteria; currently, biologists prefer to classify members of this kingdom into the domain Bacteria

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Gram Positive

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a bacterium that retains the Gram stain and usually lacks an outer covering on its cell wall

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Gram Negative

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a bacterium that loses the Gram stain and usually has an outer covering on its cell wall

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Gram Stain

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a series of dyes used to classify bacteria; depending on the chemistry of the bacterial cell wall, bacteria will either retain or lose the stain

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Peptidoglycan

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a protein-carbohydrate compound that makes the cell walls of bacteria rigid

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Spirillum

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a spiral-shaped bacterium

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Staphylococcus

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a usually pathogenic bacterium that occurs in grapelike clusters of cocci

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Capsule

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in mosses, the part that contains spores; in bacteria, a protective layer of polysaccharides around the cell wall

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Conjugation

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in prokaryotes, algae, and fungi, a type of sexual reproduction in which two cells join temporarily to recombine nuclear material

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Endospore

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a thick-walled protective spore that forms inside a bacterial cell and resists harsh conditions

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Facultative Anaerobe

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an organism that can live with or without oxygen

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Obligate Aerobe

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an organism that needs oxygen in order to live

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Obligate Anaerobe

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an organism that needs the absence of oxygen in order to live

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Photoautotroph

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an organism that uses sunlight as its source of energy for photosynthesis

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Pili

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a short, thick appendage that allows a bacterium to attach to another bacterium

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Saprophyte

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an organism that feeds on dead organic material

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Endotoxin

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a bacterial toxin that forms within the bacterial cell and that is released when the bacterial cell breaks apart

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Exotoxin

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a potent, extracellular toxin secreted by some bacteria

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Toxin

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a substance that is produced by one organism and that is poisonous to other organisms

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Capsid

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a protein sheath that surrounds the nucleic acid core in a virus

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Envelope

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a membrane-like layer that covers the capsids of some viruses

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Glycoprotein

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a protein to which carbohydrate molecules are attached

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HIV

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human immunodeficiency virus, the virus that causes AIDS

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Icosahedron

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a polyhedron that has 20 triangular faces

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Prion

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an infectious particle that consists only of a protein and that does not contain DNA or RNA

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Retrovirus

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a virus that contains single-stranded RNA and produces a reverse transcriptase, which converts RNA to DNA

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Reverse Transcriptase

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an enzyme that catalyzes the formation of DNA from an RNA template

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Virus

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a nonliving, infectious particle composed of a nucleic acid and a protein coat; it can invade and destroy a cell

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Bacteriophage

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a virus that infects bacteria

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Lysogenic Cycle

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describes viral replication in which a viral genome is replicated as a provirus without destroying the host cell

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Lytic Cycle

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describes viral replication that results in the destruction of a host cell and the release of many new virus particles

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Prophage

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the viral genome (DNA) of a bacteriophage that has entered a bacterial cell, has become attached to the bacterial chromosome, and is replicated with the host bacterium's DNA

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Provirus

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viral DNA that has attached to a host cell's chromosome and that is replicated with the chromosome's DNA

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Receptor Site

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the part of a cell that combines with outside molecules and that functions as an antibody

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Virulent

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describes a microorganism or virus that causes disease and that is highly infectious

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Aero

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air

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Anti

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against, opposite

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Archeo

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ancient, old, original

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Autos

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self

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Bacterion

Back 45

stick; club

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Lysis

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decompose; split; dissolve

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Staphylo

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cluster

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Streptos

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twisted

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Virus

Back 49

agent that causes infectious disease