Microbiology (non majors) Lab Practical I Key Terms

1a

PRINT INSTRUCTIONS: place 3X5 flash cards in printer and set printer to print custom size (3x5) be sure to select duplex printing. Once the fronts are printed simply flip stack and place back in printer to print on back of cards.
1b

AEROBIC

2a

requires oxygen (opposite of anaerobic)

2b

AGAR

3a

powder added to media for solidification

3b

AIR-DRY

4a

drying of slide suspension in air before heat fixing and staining

4b

AGGLUTINATION

5a

the reaction between antigen and specific antibody

5b

ALIQUOT

6a

dispense an amount of liquid using a pipette

6b

ANALOG

7a

similar structure, but not identical

7b

ANTIBODY

8a

specific, protective protein produced by the immune system in response to an antigen

8b

ANTIGEN

9a

foreign, non-self immunogenic material that elicits an immune response

9b

ASEPTIC TECHNIQUE

10a

procedure to guarantee sterility and to reduce contamination

10b

ATRICHOUS

11a

without flagella, nonmotile

11b

AUTOCLAVE

12a

moist heat method of sterilization using pressure

12b

AXIAL FILAMENT

13a

a structure for motility used by the Spirochaete bacteria

13b

BIBULOUS PAPER

14a

absorbant paper used to blot dry slides after staining

14b

BHI

15a

brain heart infusion, a really good enrichment medium

15b

BRIGHTFIELD MICROSCOPY
16a

full light directed towards the specimen, used for stained and live specimens
16b

BROTH

17a

medium without agar

17b

BROWNIAN MOVEMENT

18a

vibrations of an object seen in a microscope, not true motility

18b

CANDLE JAR

19a

candle burns in a closed container producing a carbon dioxide incubator, containing 210% O 2 and around 10% CO 2
19b

CFU

20a

colony-forming units, i.e. colonies

20b

CHEMICALLY-DEFINED MEDIUM
21a

a synthetic medium, comprised of known ingredients and known amounts

21b

CHITIN

22a

a complex polysaccharide molecule found in walls of fungi and exoskeletons of shrimps and crabs
22b

CNA

23a

Columbia naladixic acid medium, selective (for Gram +) and differential medium
23b

COAGULATION

24a

clotting of blood, plasma

24b

COLIFORMS

25a

gram - rods which ferment lactose, nonsporeforming

25b

COLONY

26a

a visible mass of bacteria growing on solidifed medium, a clone

26b

COMPLEX MEDIUM

27a

medium with some unknown ingredients or amounts, i.e. blood agar

27b

CONDENSER

28a

collects all available light rays for direction up to the stage opening
28b

COUNTERSTAIN

29a

the 2nd dye added to a smear, taken in after the wall is decolorized, e.g. safrinin, methylene blue
29b

DARKFIELD MICROSCOPY
30a

special condenser blocks most light rays, only reflected light bounces off specimen into lens producing a black field of vision; used for wet mounts
30b

DECOLORIZER

31a

the reagent used to remove the primary dye from the cell wall in a differential stain, e.g. acid alcohol, acetonealcohol
31b

DIFFERENTIAL STAIN

32a

uses 2 or more dyes which allow differentiation between different bacterial groups orstructures
32b

DIAPHRAGM

33a

acts as an iris within the condenser which opens and closes for sensitive light control
33b

DISACCHARIDE

34a

2 sugar molecule, e.g. lactose or sucrose

34b

EMB

35a

Eosin methylene blue medium, selective (for Gram -) and differential medium
35b

EXOENZYM E

36a

enzyme excreted away from the cell

36b

FACULTATIVE ANAEROBE
37a

uses oxygen when present but can either ferment or anaerobically respire without it
37b

FASTIDIOUS

38a

hard-to-grow bacteria, requiring grow factors or particular nutrients

38b

FECAL COLIFORMS

39a

gram - rods which ferment lactose, nonsporeforming, GI flora in animals, in feces

39b

FLAGELLA

40a

a structure for motility

40b

FLAGELLATION

41a

differential category of flagella placement around the cell

41b

GENUS

42a

category of organisms with like features and closely related, divided into species
42b

HALOPHILIC

43a

salt-tolerant or salt-loving (salt-requiring)

43b

HEAT-FIX

44a

use of the flame to 1 )coagulate proteins of the suspension, causing adherence to slide, and 2) kill the microbes
44b

HELMINTH

45a

parasitic worm

45b

HYPHA

46a

A fungal filament (plural, hyphae)

46b

IMMUNOASSAY

47a

test which identifies antibody in patient based on use of a known antigen, or identifies the antigen based on the use of a known antibody
47b

IMVIC

48a

acronym = indole, methyl red, Voges-Proskauer, citrate

48b

INOCULUM

49a

a small sample of the microorganism

49b

MIC

50a

minimal inhibitory concentration of antibiotic that inhibits a bacterium

50b

MICROAEROPHILIC

51a

likes a reduced oxygen concentration

51b

MONOSACCHARIDE

52a

simple sugar, e.g. glucose

52b

MYCELIUM

53a

A visible mass of hyphal filaments

53b

NA/NB

54a

nutrient agar or nutrient broth

54b

NONIONIC

55a

no electrical charge

55b

OBLIGATE AEROBE

56a

requires oxygen to grow

56b

OBLIGATE ANAEROBE

57a

does not use oxygen to grow, may even be killed by it

57b

OIL-IMMERSION LENS

58a

100X objective lens, to be used always with immersion oil

58b

PARFOCAL

59a

feature of microscope which allows rotation of lenses with only minor focus movement, lenses alignment
59b

PATHOGENIC

60a

disease-causing

60b

PCA

61a

plate count agar medium, general all-purpose enrichment

61b

PFU

62a

plaque-forming units produced by bacterial viruses when infecting host bacterial cells
62b

PHASE-CONTRAST MICROSCOPY
63a

special condenser below stage and in objectives change speed of light rays, enhancing density differences inside and outside of cells; used for wet mounts

63b

PHAGE TYPING

64a

test to identify a bacterium based on which known virus infects it

64b

PHENOTYPE

65a

expression of a gene as a trait

65b

PLAQUE

66a

destruction of the bacterial lawn by a bacteriophage as the lytic infection progresses

66b

PLATE COUNT AGAR

67a

variation of nutrient agar, for optimizing counts of bacteria in samples

67b

POUR PLATE

68a

procedure where liquified agar has been poured into a petri dish after being mixed with bacteria
68b

PRIMARY DYE

69a

the 1st dye used in a differential stain, e.g. malachite green, crystal violet, carbol fuschin
69b

RESIDENT FLORA

70a

Microbes firmly entrenched in niches in/on the body

70b

REVOLVING NOSEPIECE

71a

rotating turret attached to the 3 lenses

71b

RESAZURIN

72a

oxygen indicator in thioglycollate broth, pink when oxygenated

72b

SEROLOGY

73a

the analysis of substances antigen or antibody--in blood serum

73b

SPECIES

74a

a subdivision of a genus, almost identical organisms, a clone

74b

SPREAD PLATE

75a

procedure where pre-made agar plates have a sample of bacterium placed on top of the agar and spread via a glass rod
75b

STREAK PLATE

76a

procedure where a bacterial specimen is placed on a premade plate and diluted out using flame and multiple sections.
76b

SYMBIOTIC/SYMBIOSIS

77a

a relationship between 2 or more organisms

77b

THERMAL DEATH TIME

78a

minimal amount of time to completely sterilize a specimen at a certain temperature

78b

TRANSIENT FLORA

79a

Microbes easily dislodged from the body, come-andgo

79b

TSB/TSA

80a

trypticase soy broth or trypticase soy agar

80b

ZONE OF INHIBITION

81a

area of no bacterial growth around a chemical on a disc, indicates sensitivity

81b