Microbiology Exam #1 (Chapter 1,3,4,5,6) Questions with Answers, A+

Microbiology - The specialized area of biology that deals with organisms too small to be seen with the naked eye 6 major groups of microorganisms - 1. Bacteria 2. Algae 3. Protozoa 4. Helminths 5. Fungi 6. Viruses What do microbiologists study? - - Cell structure - Growth and Physiology - Genetics - Taxonomy and evolutionary history - Interactions with living and non living environment What are the 6 different branches of study in microbiology? - 1. Medical microbiology 2. Public Health microbiology and Epidemiology 3. Immunology 4. Industrial Microbiology 5. Agricultural Microbiology 6. Environmental Microbiology Medical Microbiology - Study of microbes as they relate to medicine, deals with microbes that causes disease in humans and animals Public Health Microbiology and Epidemiology - Monitor and control the spread of disease in communities. USPHS, CDC, WHO Industrial Microbiology - - Use of microbes to manufacture important compounds - Safeguards our food and water - Also includes biotechnology - Ranges from bread making to gene therapy - Microbes can be used to create large quantities of substances such as amino acids, beer, drugs, enzymes, and vitamins Agricultural Microbiology - - Deals with the relationships between microbes and domesticated plants and animals - Plant specialists focus on plant diseases, soil fertility, and nutritional interactions - Animal specialists work with infectious diseases and other associations animals have with microorganisms Immunology - Studies a diverse areas such as vaccination, blood testing, and allergy. Immunologists investigate the role of the immune system in cancer and autoimmune diseases Environmental Microbiology - Studies the effect of microbes on the earth's diverse habitats. Example- aquatic microbiology, soil microbiology, geomicrobiology, and astrobiology eu-kary means? - true nucleus; cells with a nucleus are classified as eukaryotes Pro-kary means? - Pre-nucleus; bacteria and archaea do not have a nucleus and have been traditionally classified as prokaryotes What is a microbe? - A microorganism How are biology and microbiology different? How are they similar? - Biology is concerned with all the different scales of size that microorganisms exist on, but many fields on biology are concerned with more complex organisms such as mammals. Microbiology is concerned specifically with smaller, individual organisms. Microbiologists might be concerned with something as big as a bacteria, and they do study systems, such as the immune system, but generally they focus on smaller individual organisms. They are similar because they both study organisms, just on different scales. Bacteria - - Unicellular microorganisms - Some cause human, animal, or plant diseases; others are beneficial. - Prokaryotic Algae - - Unicellular microorganisms - Prokaryotic - Food or water borne - Reproduce Asexually - Photosythetic Protozoa - - Unicellular - Eukaryotic - Live independently or as parasites - Mostly found in soil or water Helminths - - Multicellular - Eukaryotic - Worms Fungi/Yeast - - Eukaryotic - Multicellular - Protists characterized by the absence of chlorophyll and by the presence of a rigid cell wall Medical Microbiology - - Deals with diseases of humans and animals - Study the way microorganisms cause disease - Example: A Microbiologist at the CDC may examine a culture of the influenza virus in order to understand why is is so harmful Public Health Microbiology & Epidemiology - - Monitor and control the spread of diseases in communities - CDC, USPHS, & WHO - Example: Epidemiologists conduct interviews as a part of the effort to curb the cholera epidemic in Haiti Immunology - - Studies the web of protective substances and cells produced in response to infection - Vaccination, blood testing, and allergy - Immunologists investigate the role of the immune system in cancer and autoimmune diseases - Example: Immunologists freeze dry samples of infectious diseases Industrial Microbiology - - Branch of microbiology in which microbes are manipulated to manufacture useful products - Ranges from bread making to gene therapy - Safeguards our food and water - Microbes can be used to create large quantities of substances such as amino acids, berm drugs, enzymes and vitamins - Example: Scientists use a multispectural imaging systems for inspection of chickens to be manufactured