Any substance that causes antibody formation; also called an immunogen.

The ability, obtained during the life of the individual, to produce specific antibodies and T cells.

All decomposition reactions in a living organism; the breakdown of complex organic compounds into simpler ones.

Movement in response to the presence of a chemical.

An organism that uses an inorganic chemical as an energy source and CO₂ as a carbon source.

A disease that is not transmitted from one person to another.

An organism that uses organic molecules as a source of carbon and energy.

An illness that develops slowly and is likely to continue or recur for long periods.

Break down from larger to smaller

The ingestion of particles by eukaryotic cells.

The scientific study of disease.

A cell having DNA inside a distinct membrane-enclosed nucleus

A disease that is constantly present in a certain population.

The lack of resistance to a disease.

The ability to ward off diseases through innate and adaptive immunity.

- Immunity produced by antibodies dissolved in body fluids, mediated by B cells; also called antibody-mediated immunity.

The living together of two different organisms or populations

A culture medium designed to suppress the growth of unwanted microorganisms and encourage the growth of desired ones.

An organism that grows best at about 15°C and does not grow above 20°C; a cold-loving microbe

An infection caused by an opportunistic microbe after a primary infection has weakened the host’s defenses.

A chemical bond formed when atoms gain or lose electrons in the outer energy levels

- Making use of the immune system to attack tumor cells, either by enhancing the normal immune response or by using toxin-bearing specific antibodies. See also immunotoxin

The science of the classification of organisms.

(1) Destruction of a cell by the rupture of the plasma membrane, resulting in a loss of cytoplasm. (2) In disease, a gradual period of decline.

A mutation that results in the substitution of an amino acid in a protein.

- The sum of all the chemical reactions that occur in a living cell.

- An asexual spore produced in a chain from a conidiophore.

An organism that requires high osmotic pressures such as high concentrations of NaCl.

best growing environment

release of energy in the form of heat

A symbiotic relationship in which two organisms live in association and one is benefited while the other is neither benefited nor harmed.

An infection throughout the body.

The point where DNA strands separate and new strands will be synthesized.

The manner in which a disease develops

A type of symbiosis in which both organisms or populations are benefited.

The ability to ward off diseases through innate and adaptive immunity.

An organism that requires molecular oxygen (O₂) to live.

An organism that does not use molecular oxygen (O₂) and is killed in the presence of O₂.

specific group of signs or symptoms that accompany a disease.

(1) The process in which genes are transferred from one bacterium to another as “naked” DNA in solution. (2) The changing of a normal cell into a cancerous cell.

The temperature required to kill all the bacteria in a liquid culture in 10 minutes.

A change due to a disease that a person can observe and measure.

A change in body function that is felt by a patient as a result of a disease.

Any compound with which an enzyme reacts.

A trophozoite of Plasmodium found in mosquitoes, infective for humans.

The science that studies when and where diseases occur and how they are transmitted.

The number of deaths resulting from a disease in a given period of time in relation to the total population.

Number of people affected/total population in a given time period