Glossary of Terms Used in Medical Microbiology

• Link to list of subjects

• ÆTIOLOGY: The cause of disease.
• ANOREXIA: Loss of appetite.
• ASO: Antistreptolysin O (titre).
• BACTERAEMIA: The presence of bacteria in the bloodstream.
• BACTERIOPHAGE: a virus that infects bacteria. Some bacteriophage carry genes that code for toxin production.
• BIOPSY: Removal of some tissue from the body for examination to establish a diagnosis.
• BUBOE: infected lymph nodes associated with the bubonic plague.
• CARBUNCLE: Skin lesion typically caused by Staphylococcus aureus, and resembling a boil with multiple heads.
• CARIES: Suppuration and subsequent decay of hard tissue.
• CEREBROSPINAL FLUID (CSF): Fluid bathing the ventricles of the brain and circulating around the spaces surrounding the brain and spinal cord.
• CELLULITIS: Rapidly-spreading skin infection.
• CERVICAL LYMPHADENOPATHY: swollen glands in the neck.
• CHOLECYSTECTOMY: Surgical Removal of the gall bladder.
• COMMENSALS: Microbes that live on and in a healthy body. These are the resident microbes of the body and outnumber human cells by about 10:1. The word is derived from the Latin, meaning to share one's table.
• CREPITATION: Sound produced on pressure when there is air in the subcutaneous tissue.
• CSU: Catheter specimen of urine.
• CYANOSIS: A blue-ish appearance of the skin and mucous membranes caused by the failure to oxygenate the blood adequately.
• CYSTOSCOPY: Surgical investigation of the lower urinary tract and bladder.
• DENTAL CARIES: Decay of teeth due to penetration of bacteria through the enamel to the dentine.
• DYSPHAGIA: Difficulty in swallowing caused by pain.
• DYSPNOEA: Difficulty with breathing.
• DYSURIA: Difficulty or pain on passing urine.
• ECTOPIC PREGNANCY: Pregnancy in which implantation occurs outside the uterus. Development of ectopic pregnancy is a life-threatening condition for the mother.
• ENCEPHALOPATHY: cerebral inflammation. This is most often manifest as disorientation, mental confusion, excitability or abnormal behaviour.
• ENDEMIC: A disease that is always present in a particular locality.
• ENDOGENOUS INFECTIONS: Infections that are caused by microbes derived from the patient's own commensal flora. In contrast, exogenous infections are acquired from sources outside the patient.
• ENDOTOXIN: The lioppolysaccharide associated with the outer membrane of Gram-negative bacteria.
• EPIDEMIC: An infection that occurs at a level greater than expected.
• ERYSIPELAS: Local inflammation of the skin of the face, resulting in a deep red coloration of the affected area, with attendant vesiculation.
• ERYTHEMA: Reddening due to inflammation.
• EMU: Early morning urine.
• ERYTHEMATOUS: Superficial redness.
• EXOGENOUS INFECTIONS: Infections that are acquired from sources outside the patient. In contrast, endogenous infections are caused by microbes derived from the patient's own commensal flora.
• EXOTOXIN: A toxic protein produced by a bacterium and released into its environment. It may exert adverse effects quite remote from the site of infection.
• FASTIDIOUS: Demanding in requirements for nutrients, atmospheric conditions and/or temperature of incubation.
• FUNGAEMIA: The presence of fungi in the bloodstream.
• FURUNCLE: Infection of a single hair follicle, typically caused by Staphylococcus aureus - a boil.
• GANGRENE: Anaerobic infection of the musculature.
• GLOMERULONEPHRITIS: acute inflammation of the glomeruli in the kidney
• HAEMATURIA: The presence of blood in the urine.
• HAEMOPTYSIS: Coughing up blood. Because it is aerated in the lungs, the blood is often bright red, and if force is used to expel the sputum, it may also be frothy.
• HEMIPLEGIA: Paralysis of one side of the body.
• HYPERAEMIC: gorged with blood. This will give a very red appearance to the tissue.
• HYPERTENSION: Raised blood pressure.
• ISCHAEMIA: Deprivation of blood supply.
• JARISCH-HERXHEIMER REACTION: The sudden worsening of a patient's condition following penicillin therapy for syphilis. It is caused by the sudden release of toxins from the dying and dead treponemes
• LAPAROSCOPY: Surgical investigation of the abdominal cavity.
• LACERATION: Wound with jagged edges.
• LEUKOCYTOSIS: Increased number of white blood cells in the blood.
• LUMBAR PUNCTURE: Procedure in which a needle is introduced into the lumbar region of the spine to withdraw a sample of cerebrospinal fluid.
• LYMPHADENOPATHY- swollen glands.
• MALAISE: Discomfort, feeling awful.
• METACHROMATIC GRANULES: Inclusion bodies in bacterial cells that alter the colour of particular stains.
• MSU: Mid-stream Specimen of urine.
• MICTURITION: Passing urine.
• MUCOCILIARY ESCALATOR: Mucus lines the respiratory tract, and cilia beat to remove the mucus out of the lungs. This is a continual process so any particles that penetrate into the lungs are trapped in the mucus and swept out up to the epiglottis where they can be swallowed.
• MYALGIA: Muscle pain.
• MYCOSIS: Fungal infection.
• MYELOMA: Tumour of the bone marrow.
• MYRINGOTOMY: Surgical incision of the tympanic membrane.
• NECROSIS: Death of tissue.
• NECROTIZING ENTEROCOLITIS: Destruction of both small and large intestines.
• NECROTIZING FASCIITIS: Infection that leads to the destruction of the musculature underlying skin.
• NOSOCOMIAL: Literally, disease associated with, and often restricted to hospital. Hospital-acquired.
• OEDEMA: Collection of fluid in a tissue causing swelling which, if indented, only slowly regains its former shape.
• PANDEMIC: an infection that spreads around the globe.
• PAPULAR: Pimple-like
• PARASITAEMIA: The presence of parasites in the bloodstream.
• PAROXYSM: Fit, sudden attack.
• PCR: The Polymerase Chain Reaction, used to amplify DNA lying between two target sequences.
• PERIPHERAL NEUROPATHY: Inflammation of the peripheral nerves with pain, loss of function, altered sensation, etc.
• PETECHIA: Small spot caused by leakage of blood under the skin.
• 'PHAGE: See bacteriophage
• PHOTOPHOBIA: Light intolerance.
• PLEURITIC PAIN: Pain in the chest or side associated with inflammation of the pleural membranes surrounding the lungs.
• POLYMORPHS: Polymorphonuclear leukocytes, phagocytic cells.
• PRION: Putative infectious protein that is associated with spongiform encephalopathies such as scrapie, BSE and Creutzfeldt Jakob disease.
• PROSTRATION: Extreme exhaustion and collapse.
• PUERPERAL FEVER: Infection suffered by women following childbirth.
• PUO: Pyrexia of unknown origin. This term is now more commonly referred to as FUO: Fever of unknown origin.
• PURULENT: Resembling or containing pus.
• PYREXIA: Fever, elevated body temperature.
• PYOGENIC COCCI: Staphylococcus aureus and the b-haemolytic streptococci associated with the formation of pus ('puon' is the Greek for 'pus').
• RHEUMATIC FEVER: acute swelling and pain associated with fever and affecting one or more joints causing stiffness. In most cases, inflammation also affects the heart. This may lead to cardiac complications later in life.
• RIGOR: Sudden chill with shaking.
• RPR: Rapid plasma reagin (RPR) test, a non-specific test for syphilis in which a cadiolipin complex antigen reacts with antibodies in people with syphilis. Although non-specific, it is very useful in following treatment as the antibodies disappear on successful treatment.
• SCALDED SKIN SYNDROME: Staphylococcus aureus infection that leads to widespread peeling of the skin.
• SEPTICAEMIA: Blood poisoning usually due to the presence of bacterial toxins.
• SEQUELA: Morbid condition following a disease.
• SEROSANGUINOUS EXUDATE: A serum-like exudate which is blood-stained.
• "SHIFT TO THE LEFT": Preponderance of immature neutrophils in the peripheral blood.
• "SHIFT TO THE RIGHT": Preponderance of mature neutrophils in the peripheral blood.
• SIGMOIDOSCOPY: Examination of the sigmoid flexure, which is that part of the colon just above the rectum.
• SUPPURATION: Formation of pus.
• SUTURE: Stitch(es) used to close a wound.
• SYNERGY: When the combined action of two antimicrobials is greater than the sum of their effects when used alone.
• TACHYCARDIA: Rapid heart beat and consequent pulse rate.
• TACHYPNOEA: Rapid breathing.
• TOXAEMIA: Poisoning of the blood.
• TOXIC SHOCK SYNDROME: Toxic illness associated with use of super-absorbent tampons and caused by strains of Staphylococcus aureus that elaborate TSST-1 toxin.
• TPPA: Treponema pallidum particle agglutination test. This is a test that has replaced the TPHA test -Treponema pallidum haemagglutination test. In the TPPA test, stained gelatin particles substitute for avian red blood cells, used in the TPHA test.
• TRACHEOSTOMY: making an opening through the throat into the trachea.
• TRANSURETHRAL RESECTION: Removal of part of an enlarged prostate gland via the urethra.
• VDRL: Venereal Disease Reference Laboratory test. This has been superceded by the rapid plasma reagin (RPR) test as a tool to diagnose syphilis.
• VIRAEMIA: The presence of viruses in the blood.
• WHITLOW: Infection of the nail bed, typically caused by Staphylococcus aureus, but also associated with herpes simplex virus.
• XANTHOCHROMIA: Yellow coloration.
• ZOONOSIS: Disease of man acquired from animals.

Link to list of topics

Page edited April 2006

Microbiology Teaching Page

The information on this web site is copyrighted.

© John Heritage 2004, 2006

The information is being released only for use by students of the University of Leeds.

It is solely for use by students of the University of Leeds. If any other party aside from students of the University of Leeds should access this information, the University of Leeds accepts no responsibility for any such unauthorised use.