Dictionary of microbiology

From WikiMD's Wellness Encyclopedia

The Dictionary of Microbiology is a comprehensive lexicon that covers a wide array of terms pertinent to the field of microbiology, the study of microscopic organisms. These terms are crucial for students, researchers, and professionals working in microbiology and related fields.

A[edit | edit source]

  • Aseptic technique - A set of practices used to prevent contamination from pathogens.
  • Agar plate - A petri dish filled with agar used to culture microorganisms.

B[edit | edit source]

  • Biofilm - A complex aggregation of microorganisms marked by the excretion of a protective and adhesive matrix.
  • Bacteriophage - A virus that infects and replicates within bacteria.

C[edit | edit source]

  • Culture medium - A substance that provides the necessary nutrients for microorganisms to grow.
  • Colony-forming unit - A unit used to estimate the number of viable bacteria or fungal cells in a sample.

D[edit | edit source]

  • Differential stain - A staining process that allows microscopists to distinguish different types of microorganisms.
  • DNA sequencing - The process of determining the nucleotide sequence of a DNA molecule.

E[edit | edit source]

  • Endospore - A dormant, tough, and non-reproductive structure produced by certain bacteria.
  • Eukaryote - Organisms whose cells have a nucleus enclosed within a nuclear envelope.

F[edit | edit source]

  • Fermentation - A metabolic process that converts sugar to acids, gases, or alcohol in the absence of oxygen.
  • Fomite - Any inanimate object that, when contaminated with a viable pathogen, can transfer disease.

G[edit | edit source]

  • Gram stain - A method of staining used to differentiate bacterial species into two large groups (Gram-positive and Gram-negative).
  • Growth curve - A graphical representation of the growth of a culture of microorganisms.

H[edit | edit source]

  • Host (biology) - An organism that harbors a virus or parasite, or supports the survival of a commensal organism.
  • Hybridization (molecular biology) - The process of forming a double-stranded DNA molecule between a single-stranded DNA probe and a single-stranded target DNA.

I[edit | edit source]

  • Immunology - The branch of medicine and biology concerned with immunity.
  • Inoculation - The introduction of microorganisms or viruses into a growth medium or an organism.

J[edit | edit source]

  • Joule (unit) - A derived unit of energy in the International System of Units.

K[edit | edit source]

  • Koch's postulates - A series of criteria used to establish that a microorganism causes a disease.
  • Kilobase pair (kbp) - A unit of measurement in molecular biology used for the length of DNA strands.

L[edit | edit source]

  • Lysis - The disintegration of a cell by rupture of the cell wall or membrane.
  • Lysogeny - A process where the genome of a virus integrates into the host cell's DNA and is replicated together with it.

M[edit | edit source]

  • Microbiota - The assemblage of microorganisms present in a defined environment.
  • Mutagenesis - The process by which the genetic information of an organism is changed, resulting in a mutation.

N[edit | edit source]

  • Nucleoid - The irregularly-shaped section of a prokaryotic cell where genetic material is located.
  • Nitrogen fixation - The process by which nitrogen in the Earth's atmosphere is converted into ammonia (NH3) or related nitrogenous compounds in soil.

O[edit | edit source]

  • Osmosis - The spontaneous net movement of solvent molecules through a selectively permeable membrane into a region of higher solute concentration.
  • Obligate aerobe - An organism that requires oxygen to grow.

P[edit | edit source]

  • Pathogen - An organism that causes disease.
  • Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) - A method widely used to rapidly make millions to billions of copies of a specific DNA sample.

Q[edit | edit source]

  • Quorum sensing - A system of stimuli and response correlated to population density.

R[edit | edit source]

  • Ribosome - A complex molecular machine found within all living cells, which serves as the site of biological protein synthesis (translation).
  • Recombinant DNA - DNA that has been formed artificially by combining constituents from different organisms.

S[edit | edit source]

  • Symbiosis - A close and long-term biological interaction between two different biological organisms.
  • Streaking (microbiology) - A method used to isolate a pure strain from a single species of microorganism.

T[edit | edit source]

  • Transformation (genetics) - The genetic alteration of a cell resulting from the direct uptake and incorporation of exogenous genetic material.
  • Transduction (genetics) - The process by which DNA is transferred from one bacterium to another by a virus.

U[edit | edit source]

  • Ubiquitin - A small regulatory protein that has been found in almost all tissues of eukaryotic organisms.
  • Ultrastructure - The detailed structure of a biological entity.

V[edit | edit source]

  • Vector (molecular biology) - An organism that does not cause disease itself but which spreads infection by conveying pathogens from one host to another.
  • Virology - The study of viruses – submicroscopic, parasitic particles of genetic material contained in a protein coat.

W[edit | edit source]

  • Winogradsky column - A simple device for culturing a large diversity of microorganisms.
  • Waste treatment - The process of converting wastewater into an effluent that can be either returned to the water cycle with minimal environmental issues or reused.

X[edit | edit source]

  • Xenobiology - A subfield of synthetic biology, the area of research concerns biological systems and living organisms that are not found in nature.
  • Xanthophyll - A yellow pigment found in many plants and bacteria, important in the xanthophyll cycle.

Y[edit | edit source]

  • Yeast - Eukaryotic, single-celled microorganisms classified as members of the fungus kingdom.
  • YOP proteins - A family of proteins secreted by some strains of bacteria, including those responsible for the plague.

Z[edit | edit source]

  • Zoonosis - An infectious disease caused by a pathogen (an infectious agent, such as a bacterium, virus, parasite or prion) that has jumped from a non-human animal to a human.
  • Zymogen - An inactive precursor of an enzyme, which requires a biochemical change for it to become an active enzyme.

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Contributors: Prab R. Tumpati, MD