Microbiology Spring Final Exam Review

Ch. 1 Humans and the Microbial World

  1. What was Edward Jenner’s contribution to Microbiology?
  2. Explain the theory of spontaneous generation.
  3. What was Francesco Redi’s contribution to Microbiology?
  4. What was Luis Pasteur’s contribution to Microbiology?

Ch. 2 The Molecules of Life

  1. What are the 4 major organic macromolecules of your cells? What are their monomers?
  2. What are enzymes? Explain how they catalyze reactions.
  3. Draw the pH scale and insert 2 examples of each that are acidic, neutral and alkaline.

Ch. 3 Microscopy and Cell Structure

  1. What is a compound microscope?
  2. How do you calculate total magnification of a compound microscope?
  3. Why is a specimen stained?
  4. Illustrate a gram-positive and gram-negative cell wall and give examples of each.
  5. Explain gram staining.
  6. Illustrate the following bacterial shapes: coccus, bacillus, spirillum, diplococcus, vibrio, tetrad
  7. Differentiate between active and passive transport in cells and give examples of each.
  8. What are endospores? Which bacteria are famous for forming these?
  9. Differentiate between prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells.

Ch. 4 Lab Techniques and Prokaryotic Growth

  1. Explain how to isolate bacterial colonies using the streak-plate method.
  2. Define generation, aka doubling time.
  3. Be able to calculate the exponential multiplication of bacteria using the formula: N(t)=No2^t
  4. Define the following:

  1. Obligate anaerobes
  2. Obligate aerobes
  3. Halophiles
  4. Thermophiles
  5. Psychrophiles
  6. Acidophiles

Ch. 5 Controlling Prokaryotic Growth

  1. Define the following:

  1. Pasteurization
  2. Sanitized
  3. Preservation
  4. Degerming
  5. Disinfection
  6. Sterile
  7. Antiseptics
  8. Autoclaving

  1. What level of microbial control should a hospital have compared to your home?
  2. Medical items are categorized according to their potential risk of transmitting infectious agents. Give an example of each type of instrument (critical, semi-critical and non-critical).
  3. Germicidal chemicals can be used to disinfect and sterilize surfaces and materials. How do alcohols and aldehydes work?
  4. Does microbial growth depend on temperature? Explain.

Ch. 7-9 DNA, Bacterial Genetics and Biotechnology

  1. Define Transcription.
  2. Define Translation.
  3. How are mutations beneficial to bacteria?
  4. Differentiate between point and frameshift mutations.
  5. Define Recombinant DNA technology.
  6. What are restriction enzymes used for in gel electrophoresis?
  7. Scientists can make DNA and RNA fragments in the lab using what process?
  8. What is genetically modified food and give 3 examples.

Ch. 10-11 Prokaryotic Identification and Diversity

  1. What is Taxonomy?
  2. What is a dichotomous key and how is it used?
  3. In an antibiogram, what does the clear area indicate?
  4. What are methanogens? Where do they live?
  5. Why are nitrogen-fixing cyanobacteria important to plants?
  6. What bacterial species is commonly found on your skin?

Ch. 12 Eukaryotic Identification

  1. What major organelle do eukaryotes have that prokaryotes do not have?
  2. Protozoa refers to what kind of protists (plant-like, fungus-like or animal-like)?
  3. Giardia lamblia is a protozoa usually transmitted to humans through what?
  4. Most protozoa live near plenty of ______.
  5. Fungi cannot make their own food and are called ______.
  6. Fungi grow well in acidic, humid, and ______environments.
  7. What is the name of the common bread mold?
  8. What is the name of the fungus used to make the antibiotic penicillin?
  9. How do roundworms cause disease in humans?

Ch. 13-14 Bacterial and Eukaryotic Viruses

  1. Illustrate the following viral shapes:
  2. Isometric (Polyhedral)
  3. Helical
  4. Complex
  5. What is a bacteriophage? What does it infect?
  6. Contrast the lytic and lysogenic cycles of viral replication.
  7. Disease-causing viruses are grouped by route of transmission. Define the following:
  8. Enteric viruses:
  9. Respiratory viruses:
  10. Zoonotic viruses:
  11. Sexually transmitted viruses:
  12. Differentiate between acute and persistent viral infections.
  13. What is poliomyelitis? Who made the first polio vaccine?
  14. Define these infections: Latent, Acute, and Chronic

Ch. 19 Host-Microbe Interactions

  1. Define and give an example of each symbiotic relationship (your examples should include a human and a microorganism):
  2. Mutualism:
  3. Commensalism:
  4. Parasitism:
  5. What could happen if your normal flora is killed by antibiotics?
  6. What is an infectious disease?
  7. Differentiate between localized and systemic infections.
  8. What is the fungus responsible for most yeast infections?
  9. What are mycotoxins?

Ch. 20-21 Epidemiology

  1. What is a pandemic?
  2. Differentiate between communicable and non-communicable diseases and give examples of each.
  3. Epidemiologists investigate disease outbreaks to determine what?
  4. What are typical reservoirs for nosocomial infections?
  5. List major duties of the WHO and CDC.

Ch. 30 Microbial Ecology

  1. List the 6 levels of ecological organization from smallest to largest.
  2. Why are wet soils unfavorable for microbial growth?
  3. What kind of microbe thrives in salty lakes?
  4. In cows, the ______is located in front of the true stomach and provides a home for thousands of microbes.
  5. Differentiate between endo and ectomycorrhizae.

Ch. 31 Environmental Microbiology

  1. What kind of water is considered potable?
  2. Why is it bad to dump untreated wastewater into a lake or stream?
  3. When wastewater first enters the primary treatment center, what filters out large objects?
  4. What are trickling filters? How do they work?
  5. What microbes can survive in a compost pile?

Ch. 32 Food Microbiology

  1. Describe how each method below can preserve food quality:
  2. Refrigeration:
  3. Canning foods:
  4. Pasteurization of foods:
  5. Irradiation of foods:
  6. Using preservatives:
  7. In wine making, what fungus ferments the sugars?
  8. Are fruits and breads more likely to be spoiled by bacteria or fungi?
  9. Describe how the following organisms can spoil food and cause illness:
  10. Salmonella
  11. E. coli O157:H7
  12. Clostridium botulinum
  13. Staphylococcus aureus