The Mircobiology Department: What is Studied, Tested, and Used

1834 Words4 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Chapter 12 the structure of dna

Microbiology Department
Introduction
A Microbiology department deals with micro-organisms. These microorganisms are too small and they can only be seen by microscopes. A micro-organism is smaller than a red blood cell and they are the oldest form of life on earth.
Pathogen is a biological agent that causes disease to its host and pathogen. Pathogen can pass disease to unicellular organisms that belong to biological kingdoms.
There are some organisms that can cause infectious diseases. Infectious disease is a disease that caused by a micro-organism (viruses, bacteria and fungus) that enters the body of an organism. This disease can spread from one person to another person. Infectious bacteria can spread via air, bodily fluids, food, drinks and touch. There are different types of infectious diseases such as HIV/AIDS, Chickenpox, E.coli, Influenza and measles.

Types of microorganism
Bacteria
Bacterium is single-cell microorganisms. There are 5 billion bacteria on the earth. Bacteria can take the form of three shapes such as Spherical (Coccus), Rod shaped (Bacillus) and Spiral.

There is no internal membrane structure in bacteria, for an example nuclei, mitochondria and lysosomes. In bacterium, there are genomes which are circular shaped, double stranded DNA that is quite related to eukaryotic genomes. Bacteria can reproduce by dividing and growing and this process is known as Binary fission. Some bacteria get their energy by sun and some get their energy by oxidizing inorganic compound. Some bacteria generate energy by breaking down organic compounds for example, amino acid and sugars. There are bacteria that need oxygen in to produce energy but bacteria can reproduce with or without oxygen.

Bacterial Structure
There are caps...

... middle of paper ...

...phabet appear in a certain order to form words and sentences.

DNA bases pair up with each other, A with T and C with G, to form units called base pairs. Each base is also attached to a sugar molecule and a phosphate molecule. Together, a base, sugar, and phosphate are called a nucleotide. Nucleotides are arranged in two long strands that form a spiral called a double helix. The structure of the double helix is somewhat like a ladder, with the base pairs forming the ladder’s rungs and the sugar and phosphate molecules forming the vertical sidepieces of the ladder.

An important property of DNA is that it can replicate, or make copies of itself. Each strand of DNA in the double helix can serve as a pattern for duplicating the sequence of bases. This is critical when cells divide because each new cell needs to have an exact copy of the DNA present in the old cell

Show More
Related

  • Understanding Prokaryotic and Eukaryotic Cells

    533 Words  | 2 Pages

    Bacteria can function and reproduce as single cells but often combine into multicellular colonies. Bacteria are also surrounded by a cell wall. Archaea differ from bacteria in their genetics and biochemistry. Their cell membranes are made with different material than bacteria.

    Read More

  • Unit 18: Genetics And Genetic Engineering

    762 Words  | 2 Pages

    DNA is made up of nucleotides, and a strand of DNA is known as a polynucleotide. A nucleotide is made up of three parts: A phosphate (phosphoric acid), a sugar (Deoxyribose in the case of DNA), and an organic nitrogenous base2 of which there are four. The four bases are as followed: Adenine (A), Cytosine

    Read More

  • Tuberculosis: The Life Cycle Of Pathogens

    1406 Words  | 3 Pages

    Organisms that cause disease can variety the ordinary cold to food poisoning to meningitis. They can spread in various ways such as by contacting with body fluids, consumption of undercooked food, or swimming in dirty water. In many countries surveys have took place to see the amount of disease spread by waterborne pathogens. One of the most way pathogens are spread is through personal contact.

    Read More

  • Gregor Mendel: The Father Of DNA

    797 Words  | 2 Pages

    We may resemble our parents, but we are never exactly like them, this because of inheritance. The genetic characters transmitted from parent to offspring. This is because each child gets only some of the DNA each parent carries. About half of our DNA comes from our mother and the other half comes from our father, the parts we get though are basically random. Identical twins are the only people that have identical DNA. DNA appears like a twisted ladder called a double helix (double spiral). A double helix is made up of multiple nucleotides which are made up of a phosphate, sugar and base. A nucleotide is a molecule that forms the structure of DNA. A gene is a section of DNA which has a code for a particular characteristic, this code is made up of bases and complimentary pairs. There are 4 different bases that make up a gene, Adenine, Thymine, Cytosine and Guanine. The 4 bases are separated into 2 pairs. Adenine and Thymine are a pair and Cytosine and Guanine are a pair. It is in these pairs that information/ traits are stored. Many scientists have contributed to the discovery of DNA such as Gregor Mendel, Frederick Griffiths, Oswald Avery, James Watson and Francis Crick.

    Read More

  • Blood Borne Pathogens and Disease Transmission

    989 Words  | 2 Pages

    Pathogens are a type of microorganism that spreads viral and bacterial diseases. These diseases when present in human blood and body fluids are known as blood borne pathogens, and can spread from one person to another. (Worcester polytechnic institute) The most serious types of blood borne diseases are the hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV), which can cause liver damage; and HIV (human immunodeficiency virus), which is responsible for causing AIDS (acquired immune deficiency syndrome). The blood borne pathogens can be spread when the blood or body fluids (semen, vaginal fluid, breast milk, and amniotic fluid) of an infected individual comes into contact with mucous membranes or an open sore or cut on the skin of another person. Mucus membranes are located in the eyes, nose, mouth, and other areas as well. ("Bloodborne pathogens: MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia") Two of the most common ways that pathogens are transmitted is through the exchange of fluids during sexual intercourse or by sharing infected IV needles. (Worcester polytechnic institute)

    Read More

  • Chain Of Infection Essay

    1097 Words  | 3 Pages

    Infectious diseases are the disorders caused by organisms such as bacteria, viruses, fungi or parasite who live both inside and outside our bodies and are normally helpful but can cause infectious diseases to the human (body) system under certain conditions. And for a disease to be infectious, there is what is called ‘’chain of infection’’ that takes place before. And this can be seen in the below diagram:

    Read More

  • Infectious Disease Essay

    665 Words  | 2 Pages

    These germs, or organisms, are often living in or on our bodies. Most of the time they are harmless, and sometimes they are helpful.2 These organisms are often called microorganisms because they are so small they can only be seen through a microscope. There are millions of microorganisms living in your body that help with body functions. The problem is when a microorganism that can cause disease enters your body and starts to multiply. These unwanted microorganisms are called pathogens. Pathogens can be bacteria, viruses, fungi, protozoans and insects or animals.3

    Read More

  • Essay On Non Infectious Disease

    530 Words  | 2 Pages

    An infectious disease is caused by another organism whether bacterial, viral, fungal, parasitic or rickettsia. Infectious diseases are transmitted through a direct transfer of bacteria, viruses or other germs from one person to another. This can happen when someone who has the bacterium or virus touches, kisses, coughs/sneezes on someone who is not infected. Noninfectious disease cannot be passed from one being to another. Non-infectious diseases are generic or life style related. Things such as Down syndrome and skin cancer are non-infectious diseases.

    Read More

  • Example Of Microorganism In Cheese

    1114 Words  | 3 Pages

    Microorganism is a living thing that cannot be seen by naked eye and is so small in size. Microorganism usually can be seen through microscope because microscope have the ability to see small thing using various magnification. The examples of microorganism are bacteria, fungi, protozoa, algae and virus. Among all of the microorganisms, bacteria have the greatest advantages in preserving food and beverages. Bacteria are generally harmless but can produce enzymes that can alter the structure the food. In extreme cases, bacteria can secrete toxic substances that can cause the food to spoil.

    Read More

  • Informative Essay: Plagues

    1148 Words  | 3 Pages

    Infectious diseases also called as communicable diseases are caused by pathogenic microorganisms (such as bacteria, viruses, parasites or fungi), can be spread directly or indirectly from one person to another.

    Read More

  • Hand Sanitizer Lab Report

    1501 Words  | 4 Pages

    Bacteria are single celled microbes. Bacteria reproduce by binary fission. In this process, the bacterium, which is a single cell, divides into two identical daughter cells. Binary

    Read More

  • Microbes Essay

    1428 Words  | 3 Pages

    Microbes are microscopic life forms, usually too small to be seen by the naked eye. Although many microbes are single-celled, there are also numerous multi-cellular organisms. The human body has 10-100 trillion microbes living on it, making it one giant super-organism. Since the first link between microbes and diseases was made, people have been advised to wash their hands. Scientists, however, have recently started to investigate more closely how the microbes that call the human body home affect our health. While some microbes cause disease, others are more beneficial, working with our bodies in many subtle ways.

    Read More

  • Essay On Microbiology

    1989 Words  | 4 Pages

    The term “microbiology” refers to the branch of study that deals with microorganisms. Microbiology is extremely important in today’s time for the crucial information that the study provides. Human’s have had a long and cruel history of disease and sickness, for example the bubonic plague, but microbiology gives scientists the ability to observe, study, and prevent sickness like the bubonic plague to ever happen again. At the center of microbiology lies the bacterial cell, one that differs from those of a plant or animal because it lacks a nucleus and membrane-bound organelles which, in turn are traded for pili, flagella, and in some cases a cell capsule. Bacteria that are capable of causing illness or disease are called pathogens, pathogens work by releasing toxins in the body or directly damaging the host’s cells. An article by Lise Wilkinson explains that the earliest categorizations of bacterial cells first occurred in the late eighteen-hundreds to the early nineteen-hundreds by scientists (at the time) O. Muller and C. Ehrenburg (Wilkinson, 2004). The observation and identification of unknown bacteria that emerge is crucial because these new bacteria might be pathogenic and cause illness so it is very important that the bacteria is identified as soon as possible in order to either prevent the upcoming illness or treat it. While the common person is unable to identify if they are carrying bacteria (which is very likely), specialized tests that are ran in a lab can identify different types of bacteria and can even help

    Read More

  • Overview of the Importance of DNA

    1575 Words  | 4 Pages

    DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) is a self-replicating molecule or material present in nearly all living organisms as the main constituent in chromosomes. It encodes the genetic instructions used in the development and functioning of all known living organisms and many viruses. Simply put, DNA contains the instructions needed for an organism to develop, survive and reproduce. The discovery and use of DNA has seen many changes and made great progress over many years. James Watson was a pioneer molecular biologist who is credited, along with Francis Crick and Maurice Wilkins, with discovering the double helix structure of the DNA molecule. The three won the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 1962 for their work (Bagley, 2013). Scientist use the term “double helix” to describe DNA’s winding, two-stranded chemical structure. This shape looks much like a twisted ladder and gives the DNA the power to pass along biological instructions with great precision.

    Read More

  • The Effects of Music on Bacteria Growth

    1499 Words  | 3 Pages

    It is a single-celled organism that is not visible to the human eye, which means it can only be seen with a microscope. Bacteria are classified as Prokaryotes. They make their own food from the sunlight and can absorb food from the materials that they live on.

    Read More

More about The Mircobiology Department: What is Studied, Tested, and Used

Open Document