Useful Definitions In Microbiology

Front 1

A pathogen that is an ordinary commensal but under certain circumstances can cause a disease and lowers the host's resistance.

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Potential pathogen.

Front 2

These are organisms that are generally harmless in their normal habitat but can cause a disease upon gaining access to their sites.

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Opportunistic pathogens.

Front 3

It is an organism that always causes a ds. when it encounters an animal or any living host.

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Obligate pathogen.

Front 4

It is the capacity of an organism to produce a ds.

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Pathogenecity.

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It is the capacity of an organism to establish itself and cause infection in tss. and organs.

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Infectivity

Front 6

This refers to the capacity of a pathogen to produce toxic metabolites.

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Toxigenecity

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A microbe that can initiate a ds. on its own.

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Primary agent of ds.

Front 8

A microbe that invades or establishes itself in tss. that have been infected by a primary agent.

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Secondary invader.

Front 9

These are animals whose fauna and flora are known and previously defined.

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Gnotobiotic

Front 10

These are animals that have come from stocks delivered through CS operations.

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Specific Pathogen Free (SPF)

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These are living forms that are so small as to be only visible only through the use of a microscope.

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Microorganisms

Front 12

These are unicellular prokaryotic living forms.

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Bacteria

Front 13

This is a living form in which its nuclear substance is not enclosed by a nuclear membrane.

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Prokaryote

Front 14

This is a living form in which its nuclear substance is enclosed by a distinct nuclear membrane.

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Eukaryote

Front 15

These eukaryotic plant-like forms devoid of a chlorophyll.

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Fungi

Front 16

It is a measure of the degree of bacterial pathogenecity.

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Virulence

Front 17

It is a process of weakening or reducing the virulence of a pathogen.

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Attenuation

Front 18

This refers to a population of microbes growing in a given environment.

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Culture

Front 19

It denotes a bacterial culture that contains a single species of microbes having the same genetic make up.

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Pure culture.

Front 20

It is a mixture of nutrients needed to support the growth and multiplication of bacteria.

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Culture medium.

Front 21

It is a compact mass of bacterial cell growing visibly in a medium.

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Colony

Front 22

It is a descendant of a bacterial pure culture.

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Strain

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This refers to the existence of a disease caused by living pathogen.

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Infection

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It is a disease transmitted from one animal to another.

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Contagion

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It refers to a new infection in addition to an already existing infection.

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Super infection.

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It is an infection caused by more than one spp. of pathogens.

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Mixed infection.

Front 27

It is a living host that appears normal yet it continuously discharges a virulent organism in its excretions.

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Carrier

Front 28

It is a living host with a recognized infection and has not yet completely rid itself of the infection.

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Convalescent carrier

Front 29

It is a living host that has no history of the disease but eliminates the pathogen.

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Immune/Asymptomatic carrier

Front 30

A process which includes all physical methods of destroying all forms of living pathogens.

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Sterilization

Front 31

A process which includes all chemical methods of destroying all forms of living pathogens.

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Disinfection

Front 32

It is a chemical agent that kills growing and infective forms of bacteria.

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Disinfectant

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It is a chemical agent applied to living tss. with the purpose of preventing microbial growth.

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Antiseptic

Front 34

It is a chemical agent applied to inanimate objects with the purpose of reducing microbial population to safe levels.

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Sanitizer

Front 35

It is chemical agent that kills microbes.

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Germicide

Front 36

It is a condition that prevents growth and multiplication of bacteria.

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Bacteriostasis

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It denotes the confinement of a pathogenic infection within a particular anatomic spot.

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Localized infection.

Front 38

It refers to the spread of bacterial infection and its end products generally all over the body.

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Generalized infection.

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It refers to the confinement of an infection in a restricted area but can serve as the potential source of infection to other parts of the body.

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Focal infection.

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An infection that is usu. held in check by the defense forces of the body.

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Latent infection.

Front 41

It denotes the presence of bacteria in the blood.

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Bacteremia

Front 42

It denotes the presence of bacteria in the blood that multiply and produce toxins.

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Septicemia