Microbiology Terminology Quiz

What is the term for microorganisms that colonize a host without causing disease?

Which type of infection occurs when the infectious agent spreads throughout the body by blood or lymph?

What is the term for the capacity of bacteria to cause disease by overcoming the host defenses?

Which mechanism of bacterial pathogenicity involves the ability to invade tissues and encompass mechanisms for colonization and production of substances facilitating invasion?

What is the term for the bacterial extracellular substances that break down primary or secondary defenses of the body?

Which type of resistance must be induced or turned on by host exposure to a pathogen and is directed against specific microbes?

What is the normal pH range maintained by the normal bacterial microorganisms of the adult human vagina?

What are the dominant bacterial species in dental plaque?

What is dental caries?

What is the term for non-sterile sites that have normal flora and are directly exposed to the environment?

What type of resistance involves skin as a physical barrier, nasal hairs, and a reflex of coughing as protective mechanisms?

What is the term for substances or features of a microorganism that help it infect and cause disease?

What is the term used to describe bacteria and fungi that are permanent residents of certain body sites?

Which term is used to describe the acquisition of a new organism to a site in the body?

What type of relationship exists when two or more organisms co-exist in close physical association?

In which type of symbiotic relationship do both partners benefit?

What is the term for a type of relationship in which one organism benefits and the other is unaffected?

What is the term for a relationship in which one organism benefits at the expense of the other?

What is the ability of a microorganism to cause disease by overcoming the host's defenses known as?

What is the term used for an infected person who can either be a case or a carrier of an infection?

What is the term for a disease that is transferred from animal to human?

Which type of pathogen is only capable of causing disease when the immune system is overcome or when introduced to an unusual location?

Which term is used to describe bacteria and fungi that are permanent residents of certain body sites?

What is the term for a relationship in which one organism benefits at the expense of the other?

Which mechanism of bacterial pathogenicity involves the ability to invade tissues and encompass mechanisms for colonization and production of substances facilitating invasion?

What is the term for substances or features of a microorganism that help it infect and cause disease?

In which type of symbiotic relationship do both partners benefit?

What is the term for microorganisms that colonize a host without causing disease?

Which term describes a type of symbiotic relationship in which one organism (parasite) benefits at the expense of the other (host)?

What is the term for a localized infection where invading microorganisms are limited to a small area (e.g. abscesses)?

Which type of pathogen is never completely eliminated, remains inactive in the body, but can be reactivated if the immune system is weak?

What do we call the time between the initial infection and the first appearance of signs and symptoms of a disease?

What is the term for substances or features of a microorganism that help it infect and cause disease?

Which type of resistance must be induced or turned on by host exposure to a pathogen and is directed against specific microbes?

What do we call non-sterile sites that have normal flora and are directly exposed to the environment?

What is the term for a rapid onset, short-duration infectious disease like influenza?

Which mechanism of bacterial pathogenicity involves the ability to invade tissues and encompass mechanisms for colonization and production of substances facilitating invasion?

What do we call microorganisms that colonize a host without causing disease, and can prevent colonization by pathogens and simulate the production of natural antibodies?

What is dental caries?

What is normal pH maintained by normal bacterial microorganisms in the adult human vagina?

What is the term for the ability of a microorganism to produce toxins?

Which bacterial substance is associated with the cell walls of Gram-negative bacteria?

Which bacterial toxin is released into the extracellular environment of pathogenic bacteria?

Which mechanism of bacterial pathogenicity encompasses mechanisms for colonization, production of extracellular substances facilitating invasion, and ability to bypass or overcome host defense mechanisms?

Which type of bacterial toxin is soluble in body fluids and easily diffused into blood, making them highly specific and lethal?

What is the term used to describe the establishment of the pathogen at the appropriate portal of entry?

Which type of bacterial toxin is found in the lipid portion of the outer wall of Gram-negative bacteria?