Microbiology Pre-Matriculation Review Answers

The answers to the questions are shown in blue text.

1. What are the two major components of the bacterial envelope?

Cell Wall and Cell Membrane

2. What is the main function of a bacterial capsule?

Virulence factor that protects against phagocytosis

3. What is Gram staining?

A procedure to classify bacteria by the ability of the cell wall to absorb a crystal violet
dye followed by a red safranin counter stain.

4. What color are Gram-negative bacteria?

Pink, because they do not retain the crystal violet dye but do take up the red safranin
counter stain.

5. What are the three components of LPS?

O-antigen, middle core polysaccharide, inner Lipid A

6. What are two types of pili and what are there functions?
Common pili (fimbriae) mediate adhesion and sex pili allow for exchange of genetic
material.

7. What advantage does spore formation offer bacteria?

To ensure survival in a harsh environment; Highly resistant to heat, chemicals and
radiation

8. During what phase is bacterial growth the fastest?

Log phase

9. What are the four phases of bacterial growth?

Lag, Log, Stationary, and Death

10. In what phase does bacterial growth equal that of bacterial death?
Stationary phase

11. By what process do bacteria multiply?

Binary fission

12. Name two types of DNA forms found in bacteria?

Chromosomal and plasmid DNA

13. Describe the DNA structure of plasmids?

Double-stranded circular DNA
14. How are plasmids transferred between bacteria?
Conjugation

15. Name three ways in which bacteria are able to acquire new genetic information?
Transformation, Transduction, and Conjugation

16. What mediates the transfer of genetic material in transduction?

Bacteriophages

17. What are the two types of phages?

Virulent and Temperate

18. What plasmid encodes the proteins needed to form the sex pilus?
The F plasmid (F = fertility factor)

19. What are the basic shape classifications of bacteria?

Cocci (spheres), bacilli (rods), and spirochetes (spirals)

20. What are some benefits of normal flora?

Normal flora occupies attachment sites on skin and mucosa and thus prevents
colonization by pathogenic bacteria. The flora also supplies nutrients to the host.

21. What are some bacteria of the normal flora of the intestinal tract?
Escherichia coli and Bacterioides fragilis

22. What is a carrier state?

A host with an asymptomatic infection, or who has recovered from an infection but
continues to carry and possibly shed the organism

23. Where in the body does S. aureus commonly colonize?

The nose

24. How does ELISA work?

An enzyme linked to either a bacterial antigen or antibody reacts in direct proportion
to the amount of antigen-antibody complexes formed.

25. How does PCR work?

PCR amplifies bacterial DNA using bacterial specific primers, free DNA nucleotides,
and DNA polymerase allowing for identification of bacteria.

26. What type of nucleic acid do viruses have?

Either DNA or RNA, but not both.

27. What is a viral capsid?

A protein coat surrounding and protecting the genetic material
28. What is a virion?
The complete infectious virus particle

29. What are two possible forms of symmetries in viral capsids?

Icosahedral and helical

30. What is a disadvantage of having a viral envelope?

Enveloped viruses are generally more sensitive to acid, heat, and detergents than
non-enveloped viruses.

31. What viral protein spikes facilitate attachment to host cells?

Glycoproteins

32. What are the general steps in viral replication?

Attachment, Penetration, Uncoating, Genome replication, Assembly, and Release

33. What does the term Eclipse Period refer to?

The time between entry into the cell and the appearance of the first progeny virion

34. Where do most DNA viruses replicate their genomes?

In the nucleus

35. Where do most RNA viruses replicate their genomes?

In the cytoplasm

36. What does it mean to be a positive sense RNA virus?

The genomic RNA is the same sense as mRNA and can be directly translated into
protein.

37. What does it mean to be a negative sense RNA virus?

The genomic RNA cannot be translated directly into protein, but must first be
transcribed into a positive sense RNA and then translated into protein.

38. Are there examples of viruses that contain double-stranded RNA as their genetic
material?
Yes

39. How do viruses cause cell death?

By taking over the cellular machinery so that cells can no longer perform necessary
functions, and by accumulation if viral particles within the cell leading to lysis

40. Are antibiotics used to treat viral infections?

No