All terms are defined using the Modern Biology student textbook.
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Acquired immunity: specific immune response
Antibiotic: a substance that inhibits the growth of or kills microorganisms
Antibody: a protein that reacts to a specific antigen or that inactivates or destroys toxins
Arthropod: invertebrate having a segmented body, jointed limbs, and chitinous shell examples are insects and spiders
Asexual reproduction: reproduction that does not involve the union of gametes and in which a single parent produces offspring that are genetically identical to the parent
Bacteria: domain made up of prokaryotes that usually have a cell wall and that usually reproduce by cell division; this domain aligns with the traditional kingdom Eubacteria
Conjugation: an exchange of genetic material that occurs between two temporarily joined cells; in prokaryotes, the process by which two organisms bind together and one cell transfers DNA to the other cell through a structure called a sex pilus
DNA: the material that contains the information that determines inherited characteristics
Endocytosis: cellular ingestion of an invading substance in the body
Enzymes: a type of protein or RNA molecule that speeds up metabolic reactions in plant and animals without being permanently changed or destroyed
Eukaryote: an organism made up of cells that have a nucleus enclosed by a membrane, multiple chromosomes, and a mitotic cycle; eukaryotes include animals, plants, and fungi but not bacteria or archaea
Evolution: a heritable change in the characteristics within a population from one generation to the next; the development of new types of organisms from preexisting types of organisms over time
Fungi: a kingdom made up of nongreen, eukaryotic organisms that get food by breaking down organic matter and absorbing the nutrients, reproduce by means of spores, and have no means of movement
Helminthes: a worm that can be parasitic examples are roundworms or tapeworms
Host: a living organism that supplies nourishment to a parasite
Immunocompromised: immune system that is incapable of developing a normal immune response due to disease or immunosuppressive therapy
Immunosuppressed: the inhibition of the immune system response due to drug use, surgery, or disease
Innate immunity: nonspecific immune response
Pathogen: a virus, microorganism, or other organism that causes disease; an infectious agent
Prion: an infectious particle that consists only of a protein and that does not contain DNA or RNA
Prokaryote: a single celled organism that has no nucleus and has no membrane bound organelles; examples include bacteria and archaea
Prophage: the viral genome (DNA) of a bacteriophage that has entered a bacterial cell, has become attached to the bacterial chromosome, and is replicated with the host bacterium's DNA
Protozoa: unicellular, nonphotosynthetic organisms
Retrovirus: a virus that contains single stranded RNA and produces a reverse transcriptase, which converts RNA to DNA
RNA: a natural polymer that is present in all living cells and that pays a role in protein synthesis
Transformation: the transfer of genetic material in the form of DNA fragments from one cell to another or from one organism to another
Virulent: describes a microorganism that causes disease and that is highly infectious; strictly, refers only to viruses that reproduce by the lytic cycle
Virus: a nonliving, infectious particle composed of a nucleic acid and a protein coat; it can invade and destroy a cell
Zoonosis: a disease that can pass from animals to humans; an example is Lyme disease, which can be passed from deer to humans through infected ticks
