Microorganisms and Bioremediation Quiz

Antibiotics and Microorganisms

• Antibiotics specifically target prokaryotic organisms because they inhibit cell wall formation, which is unique to prokaryotes.
• Only prokaryotic organisms (bacteria) are affected by antibiotics, as eukaryotic cells (like human cells) do not have a cell wall.

Bioremediation

• The primary factor required for successful bioremediation is microorganisms that can degrade pollutants.

Microorganisms and Disease

• Giardia lamblia causes backpackers' diarrhea.
• The bubonic plague was typically fatal within 4-7 days if left untreated.

Scientists and Discoveries

• Joseph Priestley is credited with the discovery of oxygen.
• Louis Pasteur used swan-necked flasks to prove biogenesis, demonstrating that microorganisms cannot spontaneously generate.
• Dr. Ignaz Semmelweis used handwashing with soap and water to reduce mortality rates in his ward.
• Louis Pasteur discovered the process of fermentation, which saved the French wine industry.
• Viruses are a type of microorganism that must infect a host cell to replicate.

Viruses

• Viruses can be considered parasites because they require a host cell to replicate.
• The primary feature of endospores that allows them to resist heat and drying out is their low water content and thick, protective coatings.
• To visualize a virus, an electron microscope is required.
• The core of a virus is surrounded by a protein coat called a capsid.

Historical Experiments

• Louis Jablot's experiment covering a bowl and leaving one uncovered demonstrated that microorganisms are present in the air and can contaminate food.
• Schroder and Van Dusch passed air through a red-hot tube before putting it in a flask, killing any microorganisms present, to demonstrate the role of microorganisms in fermentation.