Microbiology

Key Terms

Aerobe

an organism requiring molecular oxygen (O2) for growth

Anaerobe 

an organism that does not require molecular oxygen (O2) for growth 

Anabolism

all synthesis reactions in a living organism; the building of complex organic molecules from simpler ones

Catalyst

a substance that increases the rate of a chemical reaction but is not altered itself

Calvin-Benson cycle

the fixation of CO2 into reduced organic compounds used by autotrophs

Co-factor

1. The nonprotein component of an enzyme; and
2. A microorganism of molecule that acts with others to synergistically enhance or cause disease

Coenzyme

a nonprotein substance that is associated with and that activates and enzyme

Krebs cycle

a pathway that converts two-carbon compounds to CO2 transferring electrons to NAD1 and other carriers; also called tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle or critic acid cycle

Enzyme

a molecule that catalyzes biochemical reactions in a living organism, usually a protein

Acidophile

a bacterium that grows below pH4

Budding

1. Asexual reproduction beginning as a protuberance from the parent cell that grows to become a daughter cell; and
2. Release of an enveloped virus through the plasma membrane of an animal cell

Agar

a complex polysaccharide derived from a marine alga and used as a solidfying agent in a culture media

Culture

microorganism that grow and multiple in a container of culture medium

Death phase

the period of logarithmic decreases in a bacterial population; also called logarithmic decline phase

Filtration

the passage or gas through a screenlike material; a 0.45-um filter removes most bacteria

Generation time

the time required for a cell or population to double in number

Lag phase

the time interval in a bacteria curve during which there is no growth

Log phase

the period of bacterial growth or logarithmic increase in cell numbers; also called exponential growth phase

Colony

a visible mass of microbial cells arising