Microbiology Basics Quiz

He was the first to observe and describe microorganisms using a microscope, including bacteria, protozoa, and sperm cells.

Tiny living things, observable only under a microscope, including bacteria and protozoa.

Early magnifying devices used to observe small objects, enabling the discovery of microorganisms.

Protozoa are single-celled eukaryotic organisms and often motile.

Microorganisms capable of self-movement.

Long, whip-like structures used by some cells for movement, often moving in a wave-like motion.

Short, hair-like projections used by some cells for movement and moving fluid.

Single-celled organisms with a defined nucleus and other cellular organelles.

A component of Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in Gram-negative bacteria, known for triggering fever and inflammation.

Mycoplasma lack cell walls, but survive via a flexible cell membrane, often in balanced osmotic environments.

Movement of water across a selectively permeable membrane from low to high solute concentration.

Equal solute concentration inside and outside a cell, causing no net water movement.

Bacteria like Mycobacterium, having mycolic acid in their cell walls, making them resistant to staining and desiccation.

Long, whip-like structures for bacterial movement.

Contain a double membrane, inner folds (cristae), matrix with ribosomes, and DNA similar to prokaryotic DNA.

A network within cells, transporting materials, with rough ER synthesizing proteins and smooth ER producing lipids.

A differential staining technique used to identify bacteria that retain a primary stain, appearing red under a blue background, despite decolorization.

A differential staining procedure distinguishing bacteria based on differences in their cell wall structure. Gram-positive cells stain purple, while Gram-negative stain pink.

A substance that binds to a dye, increasing its affinity for a cell or tissue component, enhancing staining efficiency.

Organisms are classified into domains (Bacteria, Archaea, Eukarya) based on ribosomal RNA sequences, cell structure, metabolic properties, and genetic material.

Rapid confirmation of Salmonella involves biochemical tests (like API 20E) and serological tests (detecting Salmonella antigens).

Highly conserved sequences of ribosomal RNA provide essential characteristics for distinguishing bacterial species and understanding evolutionary relationships.

Light microscopes view live or stained specimens (bright-field, dark-field, phase-contrast). Electron microscopes offer higher magnification & resolution (TEM, SEM). Fluorescence/confocal microscopes use fluorescent dyes.

Ethanol-acetone dissolves the outer membrane of Gram-negative bacteria in the Gram staining process, which allows the crystal violet-iodine complex to be washed out, whereas the Gram-positive cells retain the complex.

Negatively charged dyes that repel negatively charged bacterial cells, often staining the background, useful for observing cell structure.

A basic dye that stains acidic structures like DNA, helping visualize cell features in simple staining procedures.

The sum of all biochemical processes in a cell, encompassing both breaking down molecules (catabolism) and building them (anabolism).

The process of building larger molecules from smaller ones, requiring energy.

Biological catalysts that speed up chemical reactions without being consumed, often proteins with cofactors/coenzymes, acting on specific substrates.

An antimicrobial that inhibits bacterial growth by mimicking PABA and blocking folic acid synthesis, essential for bacterial reproduction.

Often serve as coenzymes or precursors to coenzymes, assisting enzymes in facilitating biochemical reactions.

A product of glucose breakdown during glycolysis, the first step in carbohydrate catabolism.

A single microorganism separated from a sample

The process of breaking down molecules to release energy.

A visible cluster of microbes from one cell

Uses a proton gradient across a membrane to make ATP.

A microbial community attached to a surface.

A metabolic process that makes energy without oxygen, turning sugars into acids, gases, or alcohol.

Colony-forming units, estimated by plate counting.

Identifying bacteria based on their metabolic patterns and enzyme activities.

A lab medium with sheep blood for bacterial growth.

Photophosphorylation makes ATP and NADPH, which are used by the Calvin cycle to make glucose.

Stages of bacterial growth (Lag, Log, Stationary, Death).

Fermentation occurs in the absence of oxygen for ATP production, regenerating NAD+ through organic molecules.

Most ATP in prokaryotic cells is made at the cell membrane from electron transport chain.

Time for a bacterial population to double.

Microbes needing low oxygen for growth.

Enzymes that transfer electrons from one molecule to another, often involved in energy production.