Last edited and updated on: December 28, 2019 by Sagar Aryal

Terminology used in Basic Microbiology

1. Aerobe = organisms that grow in the presence of atmospheric oxygen
2. Anaerobe = grows in absence of free oxygen
3. aerotolerant anaerobes = microbes that grow equally well whether or not oxygen is present
4. facultative anaerobes = microbes that don’t require oxygen for growth but do grow better in its presence
5. microaerophile= requires a low level of oxygen for growth around 2 to 10% but is damaged by normal atmospheric oxygen level
6. monotrichous = having a single flagellum
7. amphitrichous = having single flagellum at each end
8. lophotrichous = cluster of flagella at one or both ends
9. peritrichous = flagella all over the surface
10. attenuation = reduced virulence but can provoke the immune system
11. pathogen = any virus, bacteria or other agents that cause disease
12. pathogenicity = ability to cause disease
13. virulence = degree or intensity of pathogenicity of an organism
14. disinfection = killing, inhibition or removal of microorganisms that may cause disease. it usually refers to the treatment of inanimate objects
15. sterilization = process by which all living cells, viable spores, viruses, and viroids are either destroyed or removed from an object or habitat
16. sanitization = reduction of the microbial population on an inanimate object to levels judged safe by public health standards
17. bacteremia= presence of viable bacteria in the blood
18. septicemia = severe condition of bacteremia which includes rapid multiplication of bacteria and toxins in the blood
19. viremia = presence of the virus in the blood
20. pyrogenic = inducing fever
21. antipyretic = which reduces temperature, given in case of fever
22. hemolysis = disruption of red blood cells and release of their haemoglobin
23. α-hemolysis = partial hemolysis, the greenish zone of incomplete hemolysis forms around the colony
24. β-hemolysis = clear zone of complete hemolysis
25. γ-hemolysis = no hemolysis
26. antibiotic = substance of microbial origin or its derivative that kills susceptible microorganism or inhibits their growth
27. antibody = also known as immunoglobin, a glycoprotein produced in response to the antigen
28. antigen = substance, when introduced into the body, stimulates the production of antibodies
29. bacteriostatic = inhibiting the growth of bacteria without killing them
30. bactericide = an agent that kills bacteria

References

1. Prescott.ML (2005), “Microbiology”, sixth edition, Mc-Graw Hill publication, page numbers: G1-G30
2. Pelczar. MJ (2017), “Microbiology”, fifth edition, Mc-Graw Hill Education.

Terminology used in Basic Microbiology