Microbiology

• Size of bacteria cell: 2um
• what type of cell is bacteria?

  prokaryotic
• bacteria has no membrane-bound organelles therefore making it prokaryotic
• size of fungi cell: 4 um
• what type of cell is fungi?

  Eukaryotic
• presence of organelles in fungi: chloroplasts, mitochondria, and nucleus and more membrane-bound organelles
• size of parasite cells: 0.5mm - 3mm
• parasites are an organism that lives in or on a host and obtains nutrients from it
• size of virus cell: 20 - 200nm
• viruses are acellular and therefore consists of genetic material surrounded by a protein coat
• viruses can not reproduce outside of a host
• benefits of light microscopes:

  • low cost
  • easy to use - requires little training
  • allows for examination of living microorganisms
• benefits of scanning electron microscopes (SEM):

  • higher resolution
  • reveals more surface detail
  • displays a 3D view of the surface
• benefits of transmission electron microscopes:

  • higher resolution
  • reveals internal structures
  • displays a 2D view of the inner surface
• how to calculate magnification: magnification = image size / actual size
• The purpose of Gram staining:

  • to identify Gram Negative and Gram Positive bacteria
• The purpose of Giemsa staining:

  • to identify specific bacteria or parasites
  • to identify any pathophysiology of blood cells
• The purpose of haematoxylin and eosin staining:

  • staining human or animal tissue in order to give a differentiated image of the nuclear and cytoplasmic components of a cell