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Microbiology

Master Microbiology with 200 free flashcards. Study using spaced repetition and focus mode for effective learning in Science.

200 cards · ~100 min · Advanced

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What is the basic structural difference between Gram-positive and Gram-negative cell walls?

Gram-positive bacteria have a thick peptidoglycan layer and no outer membrane; Gram-negative bacteria have a thin peptidoglycan layer plus an outer membrane containing lipopolysaccharide (LPS).

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What is the basic structural difference between Gram-positive and Gram-negative cell walls?

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What color do Gram-positive bacteria appear after Gram staining?

Q · 3 of 200

What color do Gram-negative bacteria appear after Gram staining?

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What is the basic structural difference between Gram-positive and Gram-negative cell walls?

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Gram-positive bacteria have a thick peptidoglycan layer and no outer membrane; Gram-negative bacteria have a thin peptidoglycan layer plus an outer membrane containing lipopolysaccharide (LPS).

What color do Gram-positive bacteria appear after Gram staining?

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Purple/violet (retain crystal violet-iodine complex).

What color do Gram-negative bacteria appear after Gram staining?

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Pink/red (crystal violet is washed out by decolorizer; counterstained with safranin).

What are the four main steps of the Gram stain procedure, in order?

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1) Crystal violet (primary stain) 2) Gram's iodine (mordant) 3) Alcohol/acetone decolorizer 4) Safranin (counterstain).

What molecule in the outer membrane of Gram-negative bacteria acts as an endotoxin?

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Lipopolysaccharide (LPS), specifically its lipid A component.

What is teichoic acid and where is it found?

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A polymer unique to Gram-positive cell walls that extends through the peptidoglycan and contributes to virulence and immune stimulation.

Name the polymer that gives bacterial cell walls their rigidity.

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Peptidoglycan (murein), made of alternating NAG and NAM sugars cross-linked by peptide chains.

Which enzyme, found in tears and saliva, breaks down peptidoglycan?

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Lysozyme.

What bacterial genus lacks a cell wall entirely and is therefore resistant to penicillin?

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Mycoplasma.

What special cell wall component makes Mycobacterium species acid-fast?

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Mycolic acid, a waxy lipid layer.

What staining technique is used to identify Mycobacterium tuberculosis?

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Ziehl-Neelsen (acid-fast) stain, which appears bright red/pink against a blue background.

What is the function of bacterial flagella?

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Motility/locomotion, propelled by rotation of the flagellar motor.

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