Microbiology Essentials: 300 Terms You Get Tested On
Most marks are lost between two organisms that look alike on one test and differ on another.
카드 300장
수록 카드 30장 보기
전체 300장 중 30장을 발췌해 보여 주고 있습니다.
| 앞면 | 뒷면 |
|---|---|
| Prokaryotic cell | Meaning: A cell without a membrane-bound nucleus or organelles. Detail: Its DNA sits in a nucleoid region and its ribosomes are smaller than eukaryotic ones. Watch for: Prokaryotic does not mean simple. Prokaryotes have highly organised internal structure. |
| Coccus | Meaning: A spherical bacterial cell. Detail: Arrangements include pairs, chains and clusters, depending on the plane of division. Watch for: Arrangement is a clue to identity, so it must be recorded along with shape. |
| Endospore | Meaning: A dormant, highly resistant structure formed inside certain bacteria. Detail: It survives heat, drying, radiation and many chemicals. Watch for: An endospore is a survival structure, not a means of reproduction. |
| Nucleoid | Meaning: The region of a prokaryotic cell containing the chromosome. Detail: It is not enclosed by a membrane. Watch for: It is a region, not an organelle, and has no defined boundary. |
| Obligate aerobe | Meaning: An organism that requires oxygen for growth. Detail: It uses oxygen as the final electron acceptor in respiration. Watch for: It grows only at the surface of a liquid medium tube. |
| Psychrophile | Meaning: An organism that grows best at low temperatures. Detail: Its enzymes and membranes function in the cold. Watch for: It can spoil refrigerated food, so refrigeration slows but does not stop all growth. |
| Acidophile and alkaliphile | Meaning: Organisms adapted to low and high pH. Detail: They maintain a near-neutral internal pH despite the external value. Watch for: Most bacteria are neutrophiles, so extreme pH values inhibit them. |
| Colony forming unit | Meaning: A unit representing one viable cell or clump that produces a colony. Detail: It is used to express viable counts from plate methods. Watch for: A clump of cells produces one colony, so counts underestimate cell number. |
| Chemoheterotroph | Meaning: An organism using organic compounds for both energy and carbon. Detail: Most bacteria of medical importance belong to this group. Watch for: It contrasts with autotrophs, which use inorganic carbon. |
| Bacterial chromosome | Meaning: A single circular DNA molecule carrying the essential genes. Detail: It is supercoiled and packed into the nucleoid region. Watch for: A few bacteria have linear or multiple chromosomes, so the circular form is typical rather than universal. |
| Bacterial DNA replication | Meaning: Copying of the circular chromosome from a single origin. Detail: Two forks proceed in opposite directions and meet on the far side. Watch for: One origin serves the whole chromosome, unlike in eukaryotes. |
| Transposon | Meaning: A DNA segment that can move to a new location in a genome. Detail: It often carries additional genes such as resistance determinants. Watch for: It moves within and between DNA molecules, so it is not confined to one chromosome. |
| Genome sequencing in microbiology | Meaning: Determining the complete DNA sequence of an isolate. Detail: It identifies species, resistance genes and outbreak relationships. Watch for: Carrying a resistance gene does not always mean the gene is expressed. |
| Sterilisation | Meaning: The removal or destruction of all microorganisms including endospores. Detail: It is the standard required for surgical instruments and culture media. Watch for: Sterile is an absolute term. Almost sterile is not sterilisation. |
| Decimal reduction time | Meaning: The time required to kill ninety percent of a population. Detail: It allows treatments to be compared quantitatively. Watch for: Microbial death is exponential, so no finite time gives absolute certainty of sterility. |
| Disc diffusion susceptibility test | Meaning: A method measuring the zone of inhibition around an impregnated disc. Detail: Zone diameters are compared with standard interpretive criteria. Watch for: A larger zone does not always mean a better clinical choice, since criteria differ by agent. |
| Virus | Meaning: An obligate intracellular agent consisting of nucleic acid in a protein coat. Detail: It has no metabolism of its own and replicates only inside a host cell. Watch for: A virus is not a cell and cannot be cultured on agar. |
| Attachment | Meaning: The binding of a virus to a specific receptor on the host cell. Detail: It is the first and most specific step of infection. Watch for: Binding requires a matching receptor, which is why viruses show tissue preferences. |
| Bacteriophage | Meaning: A virus that infects bacteria. Detail: It attaches to the bacterial surface and injects its genome. Watch for: The phage particle itself does not enter the cell in many cases. |
| Latency | Meaning: The persistence of a virus in a cell without producing new particles. Detail: The genome remains in the cell and can reactivate later. Watch for: The absence of symptoms does not mean the virus has been cleared. |
| Antigenic drift | Meaning: Gradual change in viral surface proteins from accumulated mutations. Detail: It allows a virus to escape existing immunity over time. Watch for: It produces small yearly changes rather than a sudden new virus. |
| Prion | Meaning: An infectious protein particle containing no nucleic acid. Detail: It converts normal host protein into the misfolded form. Watch for: It resists heat and chemicals that destroy conventional organisms. |
| Protozoa | Meaning: Single-celled eukaryotic organisms, many of which are motile. Detail: They are classified partly by their means of movement. Watch for: They are not fungi or bacteria and require different culture approaches. |
| Helminth | Meaning: A parasitic worm. Detail: Groups include roundworms, tapeworms and flukes. Watch for: Helminths are multicellular animals, so they are not microorganisms in the strict sense. |
| Ova and parasite examination | Meaning: Microscopic examination of stool for parasite stages. Detail: Eggs and cysts are identified by size, shape and internal structure. Watch for: Shedding is intermittent, so several specimens may be needed. |
| Normal microbiota | Meaning: The community of microorganisms that normally live on and in the body. Detail: It competes with pathogens and helps train the immune system. Watch for: Its presence in a specimen does not indicate infection. |
| Pathogenicity and virulence | Meaning: The ability to cause disease and the degree of that ability. Detail: Virulence is measured by the dose required to cause disease or death. Watch for: Pathogenicity is a yes or no property, while virulence is a matter of degree. |
| Antibody | Meaning: A protein produced by B cells that binds a specific antigen. Detail: It neutralises toxins, tags organisms for phagocytosis and activates complement. Watch for: Antibodies rarely kill organisms directly, and mostly mark them for other mechanisms. |
| Active and passive immunity | Meaning: Immunity produced by the person's own response and immunity transferred from elsewhere. Detail: Active immunity lasts far longer because memory cells are formed. Watch for: Passive immunity acts immediately but fades as the transferred antibodies are cleared. |
| Incidence and prevalence | Meaning: The number of new cases and the total number of cases at a time. Detail: Incidence measures risk while prevalence measures burden. Watch for: A long-lasting disease has high prevalence even with low incidence. |
이 덱 소개
A negative Gram stain does not exclude mycobacteria, because their waxy wall resists the stain entirely. A positive result on an old culture does not confirm a gram-positive organism either, because older cells decolourise. Microbiology is full of tests that answer one question and quietly fail at another, and knowing which is which is most of the subject. This deck is 300 cards, one organism group, structure, process or technique per card, with the back cut into three fixed lines. "Meaning" defines it in a sentence. "Detail" gives the structure, mechanism or method that makes it identifiable. "Watch for" names the organism or term it is confused with. The sections run from cell structure and staining through growth and metabolism, microbial genetics, control of microbes, viruses, fungi and parasites, and host interaction and immunity. No doses or treatment recommendations appear anywhere. The deck covers mechanisms of action, targets and resistance, which is what examinations test and what stays true regardless of local guidance. Once it is on a spaced-repetition schedule, the organisms you can already separate stop coming back and the pairs you keep confusing return until they stop being guesswork.
자주 묻는 질문
- What is in each section of the deck?
- Cell structure and staining has 50 cards, growth and metabolism 50, microbial genetics 45, control of microbes 45, viruses, fungi and parasites 55, and host interaction and immunity 55, for 300 in total. Every card carries section and subtopic tags, so you can drill only staining or only immunity.
- Is this a clinical microbiology deck?
- No. It covers the science that clinical practice rests on, including virulence factors, resistance mechanisms and susceptibility testing, but it contains no doses, no regimens and no treatment advice. Clinical decisions depend on local guidance and on a patient in front of you, neither of which belongs on a flashcard.
- Who is it aimed at?
- Students taking an introductory microbiology course, including those on nursing, laboratory science and biology programmes. The vocabulary is standard across those courses, so the deck transfers even where the syllabus order differs from the section order used here.
- Can I import the whole deck on the free plan?
- Yes. Importing a saved deck runs no new AI generation and spends no AI credits, so the free plan imports all 300 cards. You can study, edit and delete them afterwards.
- Will importing it twice create duplicates?
- No. Cards you already have are skipped and only cards added in a revision come through. Including re-imports after deleting it, one official deck can be imported three times per account.
- Can I use it on the web and in the mobile app?
- Yes. The deck is added to your account rather than to a device, so the same cards and the same progress are there on the web, on iOS and on Android.
- Can I edit the cards after importing?
- Yes. Imported cards are yours: you can edit both sides, delete cards you do not need, change tags, and move cards to another deck.
No official exam questions are reproduced. Every card was written for this deck.The deck is a study aid for exam knowledge. It is not medical advice, and it gives no doses.Editorial reference date 2026-08-31.