glossary a

• Abiogenesis


  Theory that life can arise from nonliving matter; 'spontaneous generation'
• Acellular microbe


  Microbe that is not composed of cells
• Acid-fast stain


  Differential staining procedure that differentiates acid-fast bacteria from non-acid-fast bacteria
• Acidophile


  Organisms that prefers acidic environments
• Acquired immunity


  Immunity or resistance acquired in an individual's lifetime
• Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS)


  Disease characterized by a variety of infections caused by HIV
• Acquired resistance


  Bacteria became resistant to a drug that they were once susceptible to
• Active acquired immunity


  Immunity or resistance acquired as a result of the active production of antibodies
• Active carrier


  Person who recovered from an infectious disease but continues to harbor and transmit the causative agent of that disease
• Acute coryza


  Synonym for common cold
• Acute disease


  Disease having sudden onset and short duration
• Adenosine triphosphate (ATP)


  Major energy-carrying and storing molecule in a cell
• Adhesins


  Molecules on the surface of pathogens; enable them to recognize and bind to a particular receptor on the surface of a host cell
• Aerial hyphae


  Mycelial hyphae extending above the surface where spores are produced
• Aerotolerant anaerobe


  Can live in the presence of oxygen but grows best in anaerobic environment
• Agammaglobulinemia


  Absence/extremely low level/ the gamma fraction of serum globulin; absence of immunoglobulin in the bloodstream
• Airborne infection isolation room


  Hospital room for patients who require airborne precautions
• Airborne precautions


  Standardized safety precautions to prevent infectious transmitted by the airborne route
• Algae


  Eukaryotic, photosynthetic organism that range in size from unicellular to multicellular; seaweed
• Algicidal agent


  Disinfectant or chemical that kills algae
• Allergen


  Antigen to which some people became allergic
• Ameba


  Type of protozoan that moves by means of pseudopodia
• Ames test


  Method of testing compounds to determine whether they are mutagenic
• Amino acid


  Building block of protein
• Ammonification


  Conversion of nitrogenous compounds to ammonia
• Amphitrichous bacterium


  Bacterium that possess one or more flagella at each end (pole) of the cell
• Anabolic reaction


  Metabolic reaction that requires energy
• Anabolism


  Term referring to anabolic reaction that occur within a cell
• Anaerobe


  Organism that do not require oxygen to survive
• Anaphylactic reactions


  Allergic reactions—systemic or localized; 'type 1 hypersensitivity reactions'
• Anaphylactic shock


  Shock after anaphylaxis; may lead to death
• Anaphylaxis


  Immediate, severe, sometimes fatal, systemic allergic reaction
• Anoxygenic photosynthesis


  Type of photosynthesis in which oxygen is not produced
• Antagonism


  Use of two drugs that work against each other
• Anthrax


  Bacteria caused by Bacillus anthracis, a spore-forming, gram positive bacillus
• Antibacterial agents


  Agent that can kill or inhibit the growth of bacteria; term reserved for drugs that are used to treat bacterial diseases
• Antibiogram


  Pattern of susceptible and resistant results
• Antibiotic


  Kills or inhibits the growth of microorganism
• Antibiotic-associated diarrhea


  Diarrheal disease that follows antibiotic therapy
• Antibody


  Produced by lymphocytes in response to antigen