Bacteria - Definitions Flashcards
Peptidoglycan
An amino-sugar polymer, used as a structural component of bacterial cell walls.
Cryptic plasmid
Plasmids whose function we aren’t aware of yet.
Gram stain.
A quick and simple test that provides a first step, based on cell wall structure, in the process of categorizing prokaryotes.
Autotroph
They make their own organic carbon, from inorganic sources (carbon dioxide).
Heterotroph
Cannot make their own organic carbon, so they rely on eating autotrophs (or heterotrophs who ate autotrophs).
Adhesin
Molecules/structures produced by bacteria that allow them to stick to hosts.
Exotoxins
Toxins produced by the pathogen and secreted into host tissues, released via lysis of the pathogen (via activity of immune system).
What line of defence are most exotoxins able to defeat?
The first line of defence, the nonspecific immune system.
Endotoxins
Derived from gram-negative bacteria, specifically the LPS layer on the exterior of the cell. These toxins are nonspecific and exert their effect by stimulation of components of the immune system.
Which is more toxic endotoxins or exotoxins?
Exotoxins are more fatal.
Primary side effects of endotoxins
Fever, diarrhea, and vomiting.
How can endotoxins be lethal?
When they enter the circulatory system where their stimulatory affects cause leakage from the blood vessels.
