Topic 1: Microbiology

Question 1

What is the definition of a micro-organism?

Answer 1

An organism of microscopic size. These organisms can not be seen by the naked eye. Examples include virus, bacteria and fungi.

Question 2

What is the definition of a pathogen?

Answer 2

Any type of microorganism which can cause infection or disease in its host.

Question 3

What is the definition of an infection?

Answer 3

An infection occurs when viruses, bacteria, or other microbes enter your body and begin to multiply.

Question 4

What is the definition of a disease?

Answer 4

A disease is a condition that deteriorates the normal functioning of the cells, tissues and organs, that are characterised by their signs and symptoms.

Question 5

What is the definition of a (medical) sign?

Answer 5

A (medical) sign is a physical response linked to a medical fact or characteristic that is detected by a physician, nurse, or medical device during examination of a patient.

Question 6

What is the definition of a symptom?

Answer 6

A symptom is a manifestation of disease apparent to the patient themselves.

Question 7

What is the definition of virulence?

Answer 7

Virulence is the severity or harmfulness of a disease or poison.

Question 8

What is the definition of bacteremia?

Answer 8

Bacteremia is the presence of bacteria in the blood stream.

Question 9

What is the definition of viremia?

Answer 9

Viremia is the presence of virus in the blood stream.

Question 10

What is the definition of aerobic?

Answer 10

An organism which may survive in the presence of oxygen or free air.

Question 11

What is the definition of obligate aerobes?

Answer 11

An organism that requires only oxygen to grow and survive.

Question 12

What is the definition of facultative aerobes?

Answer 12

An organism that can survive in the absence of oxygen.

Question 13

What is the definition of anaerobic?

Answer 13

An organism which can survive in the absence of oxygen or free air.

Question 14

What is the definition of obligated anaerobes?

Answer 14

The organism that can grow and survive only in the absence of oxygen.

Question 15

What is the definition of facultative anaerobes?

Answer 15

The organism which can survive in both oxygenated as well as the deoxygenated environment.

Question 16

What is the definition of motile?

Answer 16

Motile is the ability of an organism to move independently.

Question 17

What is the definition of non-motile?

Answer 17

Non-motile is the inability to move by itself.

Question 18

What is the definition of mesophilic?

Answer 18

An organism that grows best in moderate temperature, neither too hot nor too cold (20-45 degree Celsius)

Question 19

What is the definition of thermophilic?

Answer 19

An organism that grows best at higher temperature (55-65, maximum 80 degree Celsius).

Question 20

What is the definition of capnophilic?

Answer 20

Capnophiles are microorganisms that grows in the presence of high concentration of carbon dioxide (5-10% CO2)

Question 21

What is the definition of Halophilic?

Answer 21

Halophiles are microorganisms that requires certain concentration of salt to survive.

Question 22

What is the definition of Commensal Bacteria?

Answer 22

Types of microbes that reside on either surface of the body or at mucosa without harming human health.

Question 23

What is the definition of Opportunistic pathogens?

Answer 23

Some commensals or saprophytes can produce disease, when a host is immunocompromised.

Question 24

What is the definition of antibiotic?

Answer 24

Antibiotics are medicines that fight bacterial infections in humans and animals. They work by killing the bacteria or by making it hard for the bacteria to grow and multiply.

Question 25

What is the definition of Antiseptic?

Answer 25

An antiseptic is a substance that stops or slows down the growth or microorganisms. Antiseptics are applied to external body surface.

Question 26

What is the definition of an incubation period?

Answer 26

An incubation period is a time period taken to cause disease by bacteria in our body.

Question 27

What is the definition of sterilization?

Answer 27

Sterilization is the process of making an article surface or medium free from bacteria or other living microorganisms either in vegitative form or spore form.

Question 28

What is the definition of sterilant?

Answer 28

An agent used to destroy microorganisms.

Question 29

What is the definition of disinfection?

Answer 29

Disinfection is the destruction of all pathogens or microorganisms that are capable for producing infection but not necessarily spores. All organisms may not be killed, but the number is significantly reduced to a level that is no longer harmful to health

Question 30

What is the definition of a disinfectant?

Answer 30

A substance or process that is used on non-living objects to kill microorganisms that cause infection and disease.

Question 31

What is the definition of ingestion?

Answer 31

Ingestion is the process of taking in food, drink or another substance into the body by swallowing or absorbing it.

Question 32

What is the definition of inhalation?

Answer 32

Inhalation is the process of drawing air or other gases into the respiratory tract, primarily for the purpose of breathing and oxygen exchange within the body.

Question 33

What is the definition of a host?

Answer 33

A host refers to a living organism that acts as a harbor for invading pathogenic organism.

Question 34

What is the definition of a vector?

Answer 34

A carrier of a disease-causing agent from an infected individual to a non-infected individual

Question 35

What is the definition of qualitative?

Answer 35

Qualitative measures the presence or absence of a substance, or evaluate cellular characteristics, such as morphology

Question 36

What is the definition of quantitative?

Answer 36

Quantitative is any information that can be quantified, counted or measured, and given a numerical value.

Question 37

What is the definition of 'fomites'

Answer 37

A fomite or fomes is any inanimate object that, when contaminated with or exposed to infectious agents, can transfer disease to a new host.

Question 38

What does Obligate Intracellular mean?

Answer 38

Obligate Intracellular means a parasite or pathogen cannot reproduce outside their host cell. Therefore the pathogen is entirely reliant on intracellular resources.