Microbes Lec 1

• What are the three types of symbiotic relationships?

  Commensalism, mutualism, parasitism
• What is the definition of symbiotic relationships?

  Association of 2 or more partners
• How do symbiotic relationships affect survival?

  They may rely on each other for survival
• In commensalism, what happens to one organism?

  One organism benefits while the other remains unchanged
• What occurs in parasitism?

  One species benefits at the expense of the other
• Who is known as 'the father of modern microbiology'?

  Koch
• What are Koch's postulates used for?

  To identify the causative agent of a disease
• What is the definition of virulence?

  Degree of pathogenicity of an organism
• What is the significance of the human-microbe relationship?

  Microbial population exceeds us in abundance and diversity
• What is an example of a primary pathogen?

  Plasmodium falciparum
• What is a zoonosis?

  An infectious disease transmitted from animals to humans
• What is the role of mycorrhizae in plants?

  Fungi help plants obtain nutrients and sugars
• What is the main benefit of mutualism in the gut?

  Vitamin K and folate synthesis
• What is the significance of opportunistic pathogens?

  They do not normally cause disease
• What is the purpose of molecular Koch's postulates?

  To identify specific genes linked to disease
• What is the first postulate of Koch's postulates?

  Pathogen must be absent in healthy individuals
• What is the role of phenotypic switching in virulence?

  Increased adherence and biofilm development
• How does classical microbiology differ from molecular methods?

  Classical restricts growth; molecular identifies DNA
• What is the purpose of omics technology in microbiology?

  To analyze biomolecules for organism identification
• What are the four types of omics technologies in microbiology?

  • Genomics: DNA analysis
  • Transcriptomics: RNA expression
  • Proteomics: Protein production
  • Metabolomics: Metabolite profiling
• What is the main focus of the Human Microbiome Project?

  Understanding microbial interactions in humans
• What are the key components of symbiotic relationships?

  • Commensalism: One benefits, other unaffected
  • Mutualism: Both benefit
  • Parasitism: One benefits at other's expense
• What is the significance of the microbiome in humans?

  It consists of diverse microorganisms
• What is the role of the microbiome in health and disease?

  Many relationships remain unknown regarding health
• What are the advantages of mycorrhizae for plants?

  • Obtain immobilized nutrients
  • Speed up decomposition
  • Increase disease resistance
  • Remove heavy metal toxicity
• What are the implications of opportunistic pathogens?

  • Normally harmless
  • Can cause disease under certain conditions
  • Examples include Candida and Pseudomonas
• What are the key points of Koch's postulates?

  1. Pathogen absent in healthy hosts
  2. Pathogen isolated in pure culture
  3. Pathogen causes disease in healthy host
  4. Same organism re-isolated from diseased host
• What are the main virulence factors?

  • Pathogenicity: ability to cause disease
  • Virulence: degree of pathogenicity
  • Examples: Clostridium tetani, Ebola virus
• What are the challenges in classical microbiology?

  • Time-consuming
  • Limited to known organisms
  • Does not reflect natural environments
• What is the significance of microarray technology?

  • Measures gene expression
  • Uses single-stranded DNA on grids
  • Analyzes mRNA from samples
• What are the implications of the microbiome on human health?

  • Influences metabolism
  • Affects immune response
  • Plays a role in disease susceptibility