Microbiology Glossary
Browse our comprehensive collection of 777 microbiology terms and definitions.
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Colonization
Colonization is the process by which microorganisms establish themselves on a host or surface, multiply, and persist without necessarily causing harm or...
Colony
A colony is a visible mass of microorganisms that arises from the growth of a single cell or a small group of cells on a solid medium. Colonies are clonal, so...
Colorado Tick Fever Virus
Colorado tick fever virus CTFV is a double‑stranded RNA virus of the genus Coltivirus family Reoviridae. Its genome consists of twelve segments and it has an...
Colorimetric Test
A, colorimetric test is a chemical assay in which the concentration of a substance in a solution is estimated by the colour it produces when it reacts with a...
Commensalism
Commensalism is a type of symbiosis in which one organism benefits from an association while the other organism is neither helped nor harmed. Explanation...
Commercial Sterilization
Commercial sterilization is a thermal processing method used in the food industry to render canned and bottled products shelf‑stable. Foods are heated in...
Complement System
The complement system is a group of plasma proteins and cell surface receptors that collaborate to defend the host by tagging and destroying microbes, forming...
Complex Media
Complex media are culture media that contain ingredients of unknown exact chemical composition, such as peptones, meat extract, yeast extract and other...
Compound Microscope
A compound microscope is a light microscope that uses a combination of lenses to magnify small specimens. It has an objective lens close to the specimen that...
Conjugation
Conjugation is a mode of horizontal gene transfer in bacteria and some protists in which genetic material is transferred from a donor to a recipient cell...
Conjugation (detailed)
Bacterial conjugation is a mechanism of horizontal gene transfer in which a donor cell transfers DNA directly to a recipient cell through cell–cell contact,...
Consortium (Microbial)
A microbial consortium is a stable association of two or more different microorganisms that live and function together. Members of the consortium interact...
Contaminated Culture
Glossary Item A contaminated culture is a microbial culture that contains unwanted organisms in addition to the intended species. Contaminants may come from...
Contaminated Culture
A contaminated culture is a microbial culture that contains unwanted organisms or impurities not part of the intended organism being studied. Explanation In...
Contamination
Contamination is the unintended introduction of foreign organisms, chemicals, or particulate matter into a culture, sample, environment or product that alters...
Coronavirus
Coronaviruses are large, enveloped viruses with a single-stranded positive-sense RNA genome that infect mammals and birds. Explanation Coronaviruses family...
Corynebacterium diphtheriae
Corynebacterium diphtheriae is a Gram-positive, rod-shaped bacterium in the genus Corynebacterium that produces diphtheria toxin and causes diphtheria....
Cosavirus A
Cosavirus A is a species of the genus Cosavirus within the family Picornaviridae. Cosaviruses are non‑enveloped positive‑sense RNA viruses first identified in...
Coulter counter
A Coulter counter is an electronic instrument that counts and sizes particles in a conductive fluid by measuring changes in electrical impedance as each...
Coxsackievirus A10
Coxsackievirus A10 is an enterovirus belonging to species Enterovirus A that causes hand, foot and mouth disease and occasionally respiratory or neurological...
Coxsackievirus A16
Coxsackievirus A16 is a serotype of Enterovirus A and one of the most frequent causes of hand, foot and mouth disease HFMD worldwide. It is a non enveloped...
Coxsackievirus A6
Coxsackievirus A6 is an enterovirus in species Enterovirus A that causes hand, foot and mouth disease and other exanthems. The virus has a non enveloped...
Coxsackievirus B1
Coxsackievirus B1 is one of six serotypes of coxsackievirus B, classified under Enterovirus B in the family Picornaviridae. The virion is a non enveloped...
Coxsackievirus B2
Coxsackievirus B2 is a serotype of coxsackievirus B within Enterovirus B of the Picornaviridae family. The virus has a non enveloped icosahedral capsid roughly...