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U.S. Micro-Solutions, Inc. Glossary of Terms
Actinomycetes A heterogeneous group of morphologically diverse but usually filamentous gram-positive bacteria. They are typically saprobes (in soil) but there are a few pathogenic species that infect humans, animals and plants (e.g., Nocardia, Streptomyces).
Aerobic Bacteria Solely depends on aerobic respiration (free oxygen) and cannot grow in the absence of oxygen to generate ATP.
AIHA - American Industrial Hygiene Association Ambient Air - Outdoor air surrounding an object.
Amerospores - Small clear (hyaline) spores that range in size from 3-5 um. When noted microscopically with such methods as spore traps, amerospores cannot be differentiated from Aspergillus/Penicillium conidia or from a myriad of other fungal spore types. Amplification - Growing microorganisms to great numbers on laboratory agar medium or on inanimate materials.
Anaerobic Bacteria - Microorganisms that are unable to use oxygen to grow and may even be harmed or killed by molecular oxygen.
Antibiotic - A substance produced by microorganisms which inhibits or kills another living mircoorganism; it refers to substances produced by various species of fungi and Actinomycetes.
Antigens - A foreign substance when introduced into the tissues of a vertebrate animal stimulates the production of an antibody.
Antibody An immunoglobulin (protein) produced by lymphocytes (animal host) in response to a foreign antigen (e.g. bacteria, viruses, or other antigenic substance).
Ascomycota The largest group of fungi characterized by the formation of asci.
Ascospore A sexual spore produced in a sac-life structure called an ascus and is characteristic of the phylum Ascomycota.
Asthma A respiratory disorder of the bronchial tubes or airways; symptoms associated with obstructive airflow characterized by recurring attacks of dyspnea (shortness of breath), wheezing, cough, and tightening of chest. Episodes may be precipitated by inhalation of allergens (e.g. mould) or pollutants (e.g. smoke), infection, cold air, vigorous exercise, or emotional stress.
Bacillus A common rod-shaped bacterial cellular morphology (e.g. Bacillus anthracis - anthrax).
Bacteria Microscopically single-celled prokaryotic microorganisms. The bacteria vary morphologically in size and shape, being spherical (coccus), rod-shaped (bacilli), spiral (spirochetes) or comma-shaped (vibrios). The bacteria may be differentiated by the gram stain method (gram-positive or gram-negative).
Basidiospore A type of sexual spore formed externally on a basidium and is characteristic of the phylum Basidiomycota (e.g., mushroom, smuts, rusts).
Bioaerosol An airborne organic contaminant that is either generated by or is itself a living organism; examples of bioaerosols are fungi, bacteria, pollen.
Coccus A common spherical shaped bacterial cellular morphology.
Conidia Specialized asexual spore generally formed at the apex or side of a
specialized sporogenous cell. Conidia are the asexual spores principally of the Ascomycota group of fungi.
Dematiaceous Presence of dark (dematiaceous) pigmentation within the hyphae or the spores of fungi.
EMLAP - Environmental Microbiology Laboratory Accreditation Program, is
designed specially for laboratories involved in analyzing
microbiological samples to evaluate exposures in a variety of
workplaces.
EMPAT Environmental Microbiology Proficiency Analytical Testing Program
designed by AIHA to evaluate environmental laboratories that isolate
and identify microorganisms.
Endotoxin Substance containing lipopolysaccharide complexes found in the cell
wall of bacteria; principally gram-negative bacteria; believed to play
important role in many complications of sepsis such as toxic shock
syndrome, DIC, and thrombocytopenia.
Eukaryotic An organism whose cells possess true nuclei with a level of cellular
organization more complex than that of a prokaryotic organism.
Fungi Includes filamentous moulds and yeasts that produce fluffy, cottony, wooly, powdery, creamy, or glaborus colonies above the culture medium.
Genus Comprises
different species that have several important features in common but
differ sufficiently to still maintain their status as individual
species.
Gram-Negative Bacteria Stain a pink to red color by the gram-stain reaction and due to difference in constituents of bacterial cell walls.
Gram-Positive Bacteria Stain a blue to purple color by the gram-stain reaction and due to difference in constituents of bacterial cell walls.
HEPA Filter
High-Efficiency-Particulate-Air Filter; designed to remove organisms
larger than 0.3 ตm from isolation rooms, operating rooms, and
biological safety cabinets.
HVAC Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning Unit
Hyaline Colorless, transparent; e.g., conidia/spore as it relates to moulds.
Hypersensitivity Pneumonitis
(allergic alveolitis) an inflammatory form of interstitial pneumonia
that results from an immunologic reaction in hypersensitive
individuals. The allergic reaction may be provoked by a variety of
microorganisms such as moulds and bacteria.
Hyphae Tube like projections of basic structural units of mould.
Legionnaires Disease Febrile and acute bacterial pneumonia with numerous clinical presentations chiefly caused by Legionella pneumophila.
Moulds (Fungi) that produce cottony, wooly, fluffy, powdery aerial growths above the culture medium.
Mycotoxins Low-molecular-weight secondary metabolic products of filamentous fungi that may affect exposed persons in a variety of ways.
Nosocomial Health-care associated infections.
Photosynthesis
Process by which green plants and certain other organisms use energy of
light to convert carbon dioxide and water into simple sugar (glucose).
Prokaryotic Organism whose cells do not possess true nucleus.
Relative Humidity RH,
Ratio of the amount of water in the air at a given temperature to the
maximum amount it could hold at that temperature; expressed as a
percentage.
Saprophytic Microorganisms that obtain nutrition from dead organic matter and usually do not cause disease in the animal host.
Slime Moulds
Non-phototrophic eukaryotic microbes that have similarity to both fungi
and protozoa. Slime moulds live primarily on decaying plant matter such
as leaf litter, logs and soil.
Species
Collection of microbial strains that share many common physiological
and genetic features and as a group differ notably from other species.
Spore
Small, usually single-celled reproductive body that is highly resistant
to dehydration and heat and is capable of growing into a new organism,
produced especially by certain bacteria, fungi, algae and nonflowering
plants.
Symbiosis Two or more dissimilar organisms that interact and live together.
Taxonomy Science of classification.
Virus Composed
of nucleic acid genome surrounded by a protein coat; strict
intracellular parasites, reproducing or replicating only within a host
cell.
VOC
Volatile Organic Compounds; chemicals containing carbon are called
organic. Volatile means they evaporate or get into the air easily which
makes them more likely to be inhaled. VOCs are produced by many species
of bacteria and fungi and are often accompanied by a foul odor.
Yeasts Unicellular fungi that reproduce by blastoconidia formation
(budding) and sexually by the production of ascospores or
basidiospores; produce moist, creamy, opaque or pasty colonies on agar
media.
Zygomycetes A class of fungi that reproduce sexually by fusion of gametangia to form zygospores (eg - Mucor, Rhizopus).
Zygospores Latent spores, contained in a zygosporangium that results from the fusion of two gametangia.
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