Chapter 46 Study Guide/Notes

Microbiology

the study of microorganisms

Resident Normal Flora

performs a number of important functions such as producing vitamins, digesting food, and protecting the body from infection. typically do not cause disease. found on the skin and within the human body,

Pathogenic Organism

organism that is capable of causing disease

Virus

a subcellular microorganism among the smallest infectious agents and cannot be seen with a regular microscope

Mumps

causes fever, headache, muscle aches, fatigue, loss of appetite, and swollen and tender parotid salivary glands.

Influenza

is transmitted through the airborne route; precautions include covering coughs with a tissue and properly disposing of the tissue and using hand hygiene consistantly.

Chicken Pox

caused by the varicella-zoster virus, causes an itchy rash that becomes blistered, then scabs over.

Infectious mononucleosis

caused by the Epstein-Barr virus and causes fever, sore throat, and swollen lymph glands

Bacteria

Bacteria are most commonly classified according to their shape. **Gram staining techniques separate bacteria into two groups, Gram-positive and Gram-negative. Acid-fast stain is a staining procedure for identifying bacteria with a waxy cell wall such as seen in tuberculosis.

Aerobes

bacteria that grow best in the presence of oxygen.

Anaerobes

bacteria that grows best in the absence of oxygen.

Facultative Bacteria

bacteria that grow in either environment: can grow best in areas with oxygen or without it.

Tetanus

caused by direct contact through a deep cut.

Diphtheria

causes a sore throat, low grade fever, and the presence of a pseudomembrane over the tonsils, throat, and nose.

C&S Test

a culture and sensitivity test: a specimen is cultured, and the isolated bacterium is then tested to determine its susceptibility to various antibiotics

Sputum Specimen

should be cultured and tested using an acid-fast stain to determine the presence of tuberculosis.

Protozoan

is a single-celled organism that is found in soil or water and is usually much larger than bacteria. Certain protozoans can cause diseases such as malaria, dysentery, and trichomoniasis.

Molds

Fungi that grow into large, fuzzy, multi-celled organisms that produce spores

Yeasts

fungi that reproduce by budding.

Infestation

an infection caused by a parasite.

Multicellular parasites

are organisms that live on or in another organism and use that other organism for their nourishment or advantage, to the detriment of the host organism.

Scabies

is caused by the parasite Sarcoptes scabiei

Wet Mount

a preparation of a specimen in a liquid that allows the organisms to remain alive and mobile while they are being identified.

A Culture(s)

a sample of a specimen that is placed in or on a substance that contains the nutrients microorganisms need to grow.

A Smear

a specimen is spread thinly and evenly across a slide for microscopic examination

Rheumatic fever

an inflammation of the heart tissue that occurs most frequently in school-age children as a complication of untreated Strep throat.

Lab Request Form

must include the patient’s name, identification number, the source of the specimen, the date and time or collection, the doctor’s name and your initials if you collected the specimen.

KOH Mount

a type of wet mount in which potassium hydroxide (KOH) is added to dissolve the keratin in skin, nails, hair, or vagina to allow visualization of any fungus.

A Mordant

intensifies or deepens the response of a specimen to a stain

A Colony

is a distinct group of organisms that grows on the surface of a culture medium

Agar

a substance derived from seaweed. the semisolid, gelatin-like substance that gives a culture medium its consistency.

Qualitative Analysis

the determination of the type of pathogen is referred to as

Quantitative analysis

a determination of the number of bacteria present in specimens such as urine.