1. Global Influence of Microbes

Question 1

What is Microbiology the study of?

Answer 1

The study of microscopic organisms, which includes self-sustaining and host reliant organisms.

Question 2

Why do we culture bacteria to study them?

Answer 2

They are music easier to study when you have more to look at.

Question 3

How do microbiomes contribute to our health?

Answer 3

They contribute to;
Availability and uptake of nutrients
Resistance to disease
Regulation of immune responses
Generation and uptake of key dietary factors

Question 4

What are the Phylum of ‘True’ Bacteria?

Answer 4

Firmicutes
Actinobacteria
Proteobacteria
Deep branching gram negatives
Spirochetes
Verrucomicrobia
Deep branching thermophiles
Cyanobacteria

Question 5

What effect do microbes have on Climate Change?

Answer 5

Fixation (reduction) of CO2

Increasing CO2, CH4 and N2O emmisions

Question 6

Where is all O2 derived from?

Answer 6

Cyanobacteria or plants containing chloroplasts

Question 7

What are cyanobacterial blooms?

Answer 7

Huge mat like structures of cyanobacteria, result of massive growth.

Question 8

What are the 2 major concerns of cyanobacterial blooms?

Answer 8

Biochemical oxygen debt

By-products of growth

Question 9

Why are plants so important?

Answer 9

Main contributors of atmospheric oxygen
Food
Environment/wildlife
Maintenance of the support biosphere
Carbon storage

Question 10

What defence to plants have against infection?

Answer 10

Immune system

Question 11

What defence to plants have against insect attacks?

Answer 11

Hard/waxy surfaces
Toxins
Recruiting parasitoid insects

Question 12

What defence to plants have against grazing?

Answer 12

Thorns
Silica granules in leaves
Small molecule toxins such as alkaloids

Question 13

What are the different types of pathogens?

Answer 13

Viruses
Bacteria
Oomycete
Fungus
Nematode

Question 14

Give an example of a plant virus

Answer 14

Tobacco mosaic virus

Question 15

Give an example of a plant bacteria

Answer 15

Agrobacterium tumefaciens

Question 16

Give an example of a plant oomycete

Answer 16

Potato blight

Question 17

Give an example of a plant fungus

Answer 17

Dutch elm and ash dieback diseases

Question 18

Give an example of a plant nematode

Answer 18

Potato cyst nematode

Question 19

What are the health risks of animal pathogens?

Answer 19

Dead animals/people
Poorly developed animals
Food-borne illness
Endemic disease

Question 20

What are the economic risks of animal pathogens?

Answer 20

Diagnostics
Vaccines and medicine
Market disruptions
Productivity losses

Question 21

What is a retrovirus?

Answer 21

Type of RNA virus that inserts a copy of its genome into the DNA of a host cell that it invades, thus changing the genome of that cell.

Question 22

Is a normal retrovirus single or double stranded?

Answer 22

Single stranded

Question 23

What percentage of cancers are viruses associated with?

Answer 23

~15%

Question 24

What viruses are associated with cancer?

Answer 24

Retroviruses
Herpesviruses
Papillomaviruses
Hepatitis viruses

Question 25

What kinds of products can be obtained from industrial microbiology?

Answer 25

Pharmaceutical products Speciality chemicals and food additives Commodity chemicals Alcoholic beverages

Question 26

When are primary metabolites produced?

Answer 26

During exponential growth phase

Question 27

When are secondary metabolites formed?

Answer 27

Near the end of the growth phase

Question 28

What are the ideal properties for a useful microorganism?

Answer 28

``` Large-scale growth Spore or reproductive cell form Rapid growth and production Bulk quantities available for cheap Non-pathogenic ```

Question 29

What are the three main microbes used in bio-terrorism?

Answer 29

Bacillus Anthracis Burkhol4deria mallei Salmonella Typhtimurium

Question 30

What makes a good BW agent?

Answer 30

``` Infectivity Casualty effectiveness Resistance Availability Means of transmission ```