Microbiology - Middle School

You won't sweat the small stuff once you master these words related to microbiology. Learn about bacteria, viruses, fungi, and other microorganisms, and review parts of cells, immunology, and relationships such as symbiosis and parasitism. You'll definitely want to put this vocabulary list under the microscope!
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. acellular
    not made up of or divided into cells
  2. aerobic
    depending on free oxygen or air
  3. algae
    primitive chlorophyll-containing aquatic organisms
  4. allergen
    any substance that can cause an allergy
  5. allergy
    hypersensitive immunological reaction to some substance
  6. amoeba
    a single-celled organism that lives in water or soil
  7. anaerobic
    not using or dependent on oxygen
  8. antibacterial
    destroying or inhibiting microscopic living organisms
  9. antibiotic
    a substance used to kill microorganisms and cure infections
  10. antibody
    a protein that produces an immune response
  11. antifungal
    any agent that destroys or prevents the growth of fungi
  12. antigen
    any substance that stimulates an immune response in the body
  13. antimicrobial
    capable of destroying or inhibiting the growth of disease-causing microorganisms
  14. antiseptic
    thoroughly clean and free of disease-causing organisms
  15. bacteria
    single-celled organisms that can cause disease
  16. carrier
    someone who has a pathogen that can be passed on to others
  17. cell
    the basic structural and functional unit of all organisms
  18. cell membrane
    a thin membrane enclosing the cytoplasm of a cell
  19. cell wall
    a rigid layer of polysaccharides enclosing a plant membrane
  20. colony
    a group of organisms grown from a single parent cell
  21. commensalism
    when one organism benefits from another without damaging it
  22. contagious
    (of disease) capable of being spread by infection
  23. culture
    the growing of microorganisms in a nutrient medium
  24. cytoplasm
    the substance inside a cell, not including the nucleus
  25. decompose
    break down
  26. disinfect
    destroy microorganisms or pathogens by cleansing
  27. DNA
    material that carries genetic information in a cell
  28. epidemic
    a widespread outbreak of an infectious disease
  29. epidemiology
    science dealing with the transmission and control of disease
  30. eukaryote
    an organism of one or more cells with membrane-bound nuclei
  31. flagellum
    a lash-like appendage used for locomotion
  32. fungicide
    any agent that destroys or prevents the growth of fungi
  33. fungus
    a spore-producing organism that lacks chlorophyll
  34. germicide
    an agent (as heat or radiation or a chemical) that destroys microorganisms that might carry disease
  35. host
    an animal or plant that nourishes and supports a parasite
  36. immune system
    the cells in the body that work together to fight disease
  37. immunity
    the condition in which an organism can resist disease
  38. immunology
    the study of how the body protects itself from infections
  39. infection
    the invasion of the body by pathogenic microorganisms
  40. infectious
    relating to the invasion of germs that cause disease
  41. microbe
    a minute life form, especially one that causes disease
  42. microbiology
    the study of very small forms of life
  43. microorganism
    any living thing that is too small to be seen with the naked eye
  44. microscope
    magnifier of the image of small objects
  45. motility
    ability to move spontaneously and independently
  46. multicellular
    consisting of many basic structural and functional units
  47. mutualism
    the relation between two organisms that benefit each other
  48. nucleus
    a part of the cell responsible for growth and reproduction
  49. organism
    a living thing that can act or function independently
  50. pandemic
    an outbreak of disease that is geographically widespread
  51. parasite
    an animal or plant that lives in or on a host
  52. parasitism
    when one organism benefits from another by causing damage
  53. pathogen
    any disease-producing agent
  54. prokaryote
    a unicellular organism lacking a membrane-bound nucleus
  55. protozoan
    any of diverse minute acellular or unicellular organisms usually nonphotosynthetic
  56. pseudopod
    temporary outgrowth of a cell used for locomotion or feeding
  57. replication
    the process whereby DNA makes a copy of itself
  58. ribosome
    a particle in a cell that helps synthesize proteins
  59. spore
    a small usually single-celled asexual reproductive body produced by many nonflowering plants and fungi and some bacteria and protozoans and that are capable of developing into a new individual without sexual fusion
  60. sterilization
    the procedure of making some object free of live bacteria or other microorganisms (usually by heat or chemical means)
  61. sterilize
    make free from bacteria
  62. symbiosis
    the relation between two interdependent species of organisms
  63. toxin
    a poisonous substance produced organically
  64. transmission
    an incident in which an infectious disease is carried
  65. unicellular
    having a single basic functional unit, of an organism
  66. vaccine
    injection of weakened or dead microbes to create antibodies
  67. virus
    infectious agent that replicates itself within living hosts
  68. white blood cell
    blood cells that engulf and digest bacteria and fungi
Created on 二月 9, 2017 (updated 四月 10, 2017)

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