Biology152 Unit 1 Paramedical Microbiology

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Biology 152: Paramedical Microbiology Study Guide:

UNIT 1

Reading: Tortora Ch 1

Define the following terms:

 microbiology pandemic microbiome (aka normal microbiota) pathogen epidemiology resistance pathogenicity infectious disease virulence spontaneous generation Answer the following questions:

1. Describe 4 reasons why it is important for health workers to understand microbiology.

2. List and briefly describe the differentiating characteristics of the 9 different groups of entities that are studied by microbiologists. Be able to classify them as prokaryotic, eukaryotic, or nonliving.

3. Microbiology is a broad field which encompasses many different areas of study. List and briefly describe at least 5 different sub-disciplines of microbiology.

4. What is the difference between infection and disease?

5. In order to cause a disease, what 4 things must a pathogen do?

 6. How is a true (primary) pathogen different from an opportunistic pathogen? What populations are most likely affected by opportunistic pathogens?

7. What types of diseases and processes do epidemiologists study?

8. Describe the contributions of each of the following microbiologists to our understanding of microbiology • Robert Hooke • Anton van Leeuwenhoek • Francisco Redi • John Needham • Spallanzani • Louis Pasteur • Joseph Lister • Robert Koch • Alexander Fleming • John Snow

9. What are Koch’s postulates? What steps are necessary to show that a microorganism causes a specific disease? What constraints exist on using Koch’s postulates for all diseases?

10. What is meant by “human microbiome”? What are some benefits conferred by the microbiome?