Microbiology

thumb|right|An agar plate streaked with [[microorganisms]]

organism living in the absence of oxygen

resistance of microbes to drugs directed against them

organism that thrives in an oxygenated environment

thumb|Bacteria are also decomposers. Decomposers are organisms that break down dead organisms and release the nutrients from the dead matter into the environment around them. Decomposition relies on chemical processes similar to digestion in animals; in fact, many sources use the words digestion and decomposition interchangeably. In both processes, complex molecules are chemically broken down by enzymes into simpler, smaller ones. The term "digestion," however, is commonly used to refer to food breakdown that occurs within animal bodies, and results in the absorption of nutrients from the gut

thumb|"Flagellata" from Ernst Haeckel's Artforms of Nature, 1904 thumb|Parasitic Excavata (Giardia lamblia) thumb|Green algae ([[Chlamydomonas)]]

experiment that bacteria can transfer genetic information through transformation

right|thumb|upright=1.5|Clockwise from top right: Amoeba proteus, Actinophrys sol, [[Acanthamoeba sp., Nuclearia thermophila., Euglypha acanthophora, neutrophil ingesting bacteria.]]

thumb|373x373px| This figure shows that exotoxins are secreted by bacterial cells, Clostridium botulinum for example, and are toxic to somatic cells. Somatic cells have antibody|antibodies on the cell wall to target exotoxins and bind to them, preventing the invasion of somatic cells. The binding of the exotoxin and antibody forms an antigen-antibody interaction and the exotoxins are targeted for destruction by the immune system. If this interaction does not happen, the exotoxins bind to the [[exotoxin receptors that are on the cell surface and causes death of the host cell by inhibiting prote

microorganisms in or on human tissues and biofluids

resting or dormant stage of a microorganism

thumb|right|300px|Two serotypes 1a and 1b with antigens 2a and 2b on surface, which are recognized by two distinct [[antibodies, 3a and 3b, respectively]]

prevailing theory about the cause of infectious diseases

thumb|upright=2.2|In the theory of symbiogenesis, a merger of an archaean and an aerobic bacterium created the eukaryotes, with aerobic mitochondria; a second merger added [[chloroplasts, creating the green plants. The original theory by Lynn Margulis proposed an additional preliminary merger, but this is poorly supported and not now generally believed.]] Symbiogenesis (endosymbiotic theory, or serial endosymbiotic theory) is the leading evolutionary theory of the origin of eukaryotic cells from prokaryotic organisms. The theory holds that mitochondria, plastids such as chloroplasts, and possi

A mixotroph is an organism that uses a mix of different sources of energy and carbon, instead of having a single trophic mode. Mixotrophs are situated somewhere on the continuum from complete autotrophy to complete heterotrophy. It is estimated that mixotrophs comprise more than half of all microscopic plankton. There are two types of eukaryotic mixotrophs. There are those with their own chloroplasts – including those with endosymbionts providing the chloroplasts. And there are those that acquire them through kleptoplasty, or through symbiotic associations with prey, or through 'enslavement' o

231x231px|thumb|Some common air-borne spores

Xenobots, named after the clawed frog (Xenopus laevis), are synthetic lifeforms that are designed by computers to perform some desired function and built by combining together different biological tissues. There is debate among scientists whether xenobots are robots, organisms, or something else entirely.

conversion of carbon from CO2 to organic compounds

community of microorganisms in the vagina

award

thumb|Variety of mushrooms cultivated for culinary use Fungiculture is the cultivation of fungi such as mushrooms. Cultivating fungi can yield foods (which include mostly mushrooms), medicine, construction materials and other products. A mushroom farm is involved in the business of growing fungi.

Lithotrophs are a diverse group of organisms using an inorganic substrate (usually of mineral origin) to obtain reducing equivalents for use in biosynthesis (e.g., carbon dioxide fixation) or energy conservation (i.e., ATP production) via aerobic or anaerobic respiration. While lithotrophs in the broader sense include photolithotrophs like plants, chemolithotrophs are exclusively microorganisms; no known macrofauna possesses the ability to use inorganic compounds as electron sources. Macrofauna and lithotrophs can form symbiotic relationships, in which case the lithotrophs are called "prokaryo

multi-layered sheet of microorganisms

thumb|upright=2| Diverse microbial communities of characteristic microbiota are part of plant microbiomes, and are found on the outside surfaces and in the internal tissues of the host plant, as well as in the surrounding soil.

subset category of transmissible diseases, which are transmitted to other persons

class of bacterial protein complexes

microorganism

A microbiologist (from Greek ) is a scientist who studies microscopic life forms and processes. This includes study of the growth, interactions and characteristics of microscopic organisms such as bacteria, algae, fungi, and some types of parasites and their vectors. Most microbiologists work in offices and/or research facilities, both in private biotechnology companies and in academia. Most microbiologists specialize in a given topic within microbiology such as bacteriology, parasitology, virology, or immunology.

organism that requires oxygen to grow

Akshamsaddin (Muhammad Shams al-Din bin Hamzah, ) (1389 in Damascus – 16 February 1459 in Göynük, Bolu), was an influential Ottoman Sunni Muslim scholar, poet, and mystic saint.

group of compounds

thumb|upright=1.5| Structures found in the Allan Hills 84001|ALH84001 meteorite are similar to the structures found in nanobes

thumb|Diagram of a four membraned plastid containing a nucleomorph Nucleomorphs are small, vestigial eukaryotic nuclei found between the inner and outer pairs of membranes in certain plastids. They are thought to be vestiges of red and green algal nuclei that were engulfed by a larger eukaryote. Because the nucleomorph lies between two sets of membranes, nucleomorphs support the endosymbiotic theory and are evidence that the plastids containing them are complex plastids. Having two sets of membranes indicate that the plastid, a prokaryote, was engulfed by a eukaryote, an alga, which was then e

biological technique to evolve proteins using bacteriophages

Tyndallization is a process from the nineteenth century for sterilizing substances, usually food, named after its inventor John Tyndall, that can be used to kill heat-resistant endospores. Although now considered dated, it is still occasionally used.

toxin produced by microorganisms

microbiology of soils

alt=|thumb|377x377px|Some representative hopanoids: A. Diploptene, also called 22(29)-hopene B. Diplopterol, also called hopan-22-ol, the hydrated cyclomer of diploptene C. Bacteriohopanetetrol (BHT), a common extended hopanoid D. Hopane, the diagenetic product of A and B that results from reducing conditions during deposition and persists in the rock record. The diagenetic product of C would be an extended C35 hopane.Hopanoids are a diverse subclass of triterpenoids with the same hydrocarbon skeleton as the compound hopane. This group of pentacyclic molecules therefore refers to simple hopene

thumb|right|S. aureus uses coagulase to form a fibrin coat from fibrinogen present in the bloodstream. This helps the bacteria evade detection and phagocytosis by the immune system. Coagulase is a protein enzyme produced by several microorganisms that enables the conversion of fibrinogen to fibrin. In the laboratory, it is used to distinguish between different types of Staphylococcus isolates. Importantly, S. aureus is generally coagulase-positive, meaning that a positive coagulase test would indicate the presence of S. aureus or any of the other 11 coagulase-positive Staphylococci.

former research initiative

community of microorganisms of the skin

hypothesis that the eukaryotic cell nucleus evolved from a large DNA virus in a form of endosymbiosis within a methanogenic archaeon

community of microorganisms in the mouth

group of toxins

thumb|368x368px|Pangenome analysis of Streptococcus agalactiae genomes made with Anvi'o software whose development is led by [[A. Murat Eren. Genomes obtained from Tettelin et al. (2005). Each circle corresponds to one genome and each radius represents a gene family. At the bottom and at right are localized the core genome families. Some families in the core may have more than one homologous gene per genome. In the middle, at the left of the figure the shell genome is observed. At the top left are shown families from the dispensable genome and singletons. ]]

molecular mechanisms that regulate compatibility in sexually reproducing eukaryotes

pseudoscientific belief that germs do not cause infectious disease

gluey polymers secreted by microorganisms to form biofilms

subfield of genetics devoted to the study of microorganisms

Bioaugmentation is a type of bioremediation commonly used in municipal wastewater treatment to restart activated sludge bioreactors. Most cultures available contain microbial cultures, already containing all necessary microorganisms (B. licheniformis, B. thuringiensis, P. polymyxa, B. stearothermophilus, Penicillium sp., Aspergillus sp., Flavobacterium, Arthrobacter, Pseudomonas, Streptomyces, Saccharomyces, etc.). Activated sludge systems are generally based on microorganisms like bacteria, protozoa, nematodes, rotifers, and fungi, which are capable of degrading biodegradable organic matter.

The IMViC tests are a group of individual tests used in microbiology lab testing to identify an organism in the coliform group. A coliform is a gram negative, aerobic, or facultative anaerobic rod, which produces gas from lactose within 48 hours. The presence of some coliforms indicate fecal contamination.

thumb|Bacterial black spot of mango caused by Xanthomonas citri pv. mangiferaeindicae|Xanthomonas citri pv. mangiferaeindicae A pathovar is a bacterial strain or set of strains with the same or similar characteristics, that is differentiated at infrasubspecific level from other strains of the same species or subspecies on the basis of distinctive pathogenicity to one or more plant hosts. thumb|Bacterial leaf blight of common panax (Polyscias guilfoylei) caused by Xanthomonas campestris pv. hederae Pathovars are named as a ternary or quaternary addition to the species binomial name, for example

Bioclogging or biological clogging refers to the blockage of pore space in soil by microbial biomass, including active cells and their byproducts such as extracellular polymeric substance (EPS). The microbial biomass obstructs pore spaces, creating an impermeable layer in the soil and significantly reducing water infiltration rates.

Overview of human—microbe interactions

microorganisms whose metabolism is not dependent on, and not poisoned by, oxygen.

painting using microbe cultures

Russian physician

evolutionary view of an individual multicellular organism as a community of the host plus all of its symbiotic microbes

aspect of history

is a discipline that bridges microbiology and cell biology