Question | Answer |
A staining procedure that differentiates between bacteria based on their ability to retain a dye when washed with an acid alcohol solution. | acid-fast staining
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The type of specific immunity that develops after exposure to a suitable antigen or is produced after antibodies are transferred from one individual to another. | acquired immunity
| An organism that grows in the presence of atmospheric oxygen. | aerobe
| Microorganisms that grow equally well whether or not oxygen is present. | aerotolerant anaerobes
| A complex sulfated polysaccharide, usually extracted from red algae, that is used as a solidifying agent in the preparation of culture media. | agar
| The formation of an insoluble immune complex by the cross-linking of cells or particles. | agglutination reaction
| The type of infectious organism transmission in which the pathogen is truly suspended in the air and travels over a meter or more from the source to the host. | airborne transmission
| A greenish zone of partial clearing around a bacterial colony growing on blood agar. | alpha hemolysis
| A cell with a single flagellum at each end. | amphitrichous
| An antibiotic from a strain of Streptomyces nodosus that is used to treat systemic fungal infections; it also is used topically to treat candidiasis. | amphotericin B
| An organism that grows in the absence of free oxygen. | anaerobe
| An immediate (type I) hypersensitivity reaction following exposure of a sensitized individual to the appropriate antigen. Mediated by reagin antibodies, chiefly IgE. | anaphylaxis
| Without oxygen present. | anoxic
| A microbial product or its derivative that kills susceptible microorganisms or inhibits their growth. | antibiotic
| An apparatus for sterilizing objects by the use of steam under pressure. Its development tremendously stimulated the growth of microbiology. | autoclave
| An organism that uses CO2 as its sole or principal source of carbon. | autotroph
| A mutated prototroph that lacks the ability to synthesize an essential nutrient and therefore must obtain it or a precursor from its surroundings. | auxotroph
| The organ of motility in spirochetes. | axial filament
| The presence of viable bacteria in the blood. | bacteremia
| A protein produced by a bacterial strain that kills other closely related strains. | bacteriocin
| A virus that uses bacteria as its host. | bacteriophage
| Inhibiting the growth and reproduction of bacteria. | bacteriostatic
| A phagocytic leukocyte whose granules stain bluish-black with a basic dye. It has a segmented nucleus. The granules contain histamine and heparin. | basophil
| A zone of complete clearing around a bacterial colony growing on blood agar. | beta hemolysis
| Asexual reproduction in which a cell or an organism separates into two cells. | binary fission
| Organized microbial systems consisting of layers of microbial cells associated with surfaces, often with complex structural and functional characteristics. | biofilms
| The use of biologically mediated processes to remove or degrade pollutants from specific environments. | bioremediation
| The coupling of a biological process with production of an electrical signal or light to detect the presence of particular substances. | biosensor
| An acute infectious enteritis, endemic and epidemic in Asia, which periodically spreading to the Middle East, Africa, Southern Europe, and South America; caused by Vibrio cholerae. | cholera
| An enzyme that induces blood clotting; it is characteristically produced by pathogenic staphylococci. | coagulase
| A gram-negative, nonsporing, facultative rod that ferments lactose with gas formation within 48 hours at 35°C. | coliform
| Living on or within another organism without injuring or benefiting the other organism. | commensal
| A bacterial cell that can take up free DNA fragments and incorporate them into its genome during transformation. | competent
| A DNA copy of an RNA molecule. | complementary DNA (cDNA)
| A host with lowered resistance to infection and disease for any of several reasons. | compromised host
| The form of gene transfer and recombination in bacteria that requires direct cell-to-cell contact. | conjugation
| Culture medium made with components of known composition. | defined medium
| A treelike diagram that is used to graphically summarize mutual similarities and relationships between organisms. | dendrogram
| The reduction of nitrate to gas products, primarily nitrogen gas, during anaerobic respiration. | denitrification
| A thin film on the surface of teeth consisting of bacteria embedded in a matrix of bacterial polysaccharides, salivary glycoproteins, and other substances. | dental plaque
| To make a sensitized or hypersensitive individual insensitive or nonreactive to a sensitizing agent. | desensitization
| A pair of cocci. | diplococcus
| An enzyme that joins two DNA fragments together through the formation of a new phosphodiester bond. | DNA ligase
| An enzyme that synthesizes new DNA using a parental DNA strand as a template. | DNA polymerase
| The process in which a cell takes up solutes or particles by enclosing them in vesicles pinched off from its plasma membrane. | endocytosis
| An extremely heat- and chemical-resistant, dormant, thick-walled spore that develops within bacteria. | endospore
| An organism that lives within the body of another organism in a symbiotic association. | endosymbiont
| The heat-stable lipopolysaccharide in the outer membrane of the cell wall of gram-negative bacteria that is released when the bacterium lyses, or sometimes during growth, and is toxic to the host. | endotoxin
| An acute inflammation of the lining of the stomach and intestines, characterized by anorexia, nausea, diarrhea, abdominal pain, and weakness. | gastroenteritis
| Inflammation of the stomach. | gastritis
| The time required for a microbial population to double in number. | generation time
| A network of polysaccharides extending from the surface of bacteria and other cells. | glycocalyx
| An individual who harbors a pathogen, but is not ill. | healthy carrier
| A kidney disease characterized by blood in the urine and often by kidney failure. It is caused by enterohemorrhagic strains of Escherichia coli O157:H7 that produce a Shiga-like toxin, which attacks the kidneys. | hemolytic uremic syndrome
| The body of an organism that harbors another organism. | host
| Granules of organic or inorganic material lying in the cytoplasmic matrix of bacteria. | inclusion bodies
| The period after pathogen entry into a host and before signs and symptoms appear. | incubation period
| The dose or number of organisms that will infect 50% of an experimental group of hosts within a specified time period. | infectious dose 50 (ID50)
| A localized protective response to tissue injury or destruction. | inflammation
| Molecules that can be inserted between the stacked bases of a DNA double helix, thereby distorting the DNA and inducing insertion and deletion mutations. | intercalating agents
| The ability of a microorganism to enter a host, grow and reproduce within the host, and spread throughout its body. | invasiveness
| A set of rules for proving that a microorganism causes a particular disease. | Koch's postulates
| A period following the introduction of microorganisms into fresh culture medium when there is no increase in cell numbers or mass during batch culture. | lag phase
| The dose or number of organisms that will kill 50% of an experimental group of hosts within a specified time period. | lethal dose 50 (LD50)
| A cell with a cluster of flagella at one or both ends. | lophotrichous
| Virus life cycle that results in the lysis of the host cell. | lytic cycle |