Textbook Question
List the following taxonomic groupings in order from general to specific.
Phylum, Kingdom, Genus, Family, Class, Domain, Species, Order
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Ch. 1 - Introduction to Microbiology
Norman-McKay2nd EditionMicrobiology: Basic and Clinical PrinciplesISBN: 9780137661619
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Table of contents
- Ch. 1 - Introduction to Microbiology22
- Ch. 2 - Biochemistry Basics19
- Ch. 3 - Introduction to Prokaryotic Cells17
- Ch. 4 - Introduction to Eukaryotic Cells16
- Ch. 5 - Genetics25
- Ch. 6 - Viruses and Prions12
- Ch. 7 - Fundamentals of Microbial Growth20
- Ch. 8 - Microbial Metabolism16
- Ch. 9 - Principles of Infectious Disease and Epidemiology11
- Ch. 10 - Host Microbe Interactions and Pathogenesis19
- Ch. 11 - Innate Immunity24
- Ch. 12 - Adaptive Immunity22
- Ch. 13 - Immune System Disorders15
- Ch. 14 - Biomedical Applications: Vaccines, Diagnostics, Therapeutics, and Molecular Method14
- Ch. 15 - Antimicrobial Drugs18
- Ch. 16 - Respiratory System Infections16
- Ch. 17 - Skin and Eye Infections19
- Ch. 18 - Nervous System Infections12
- Ch. 19 - Digestive System Infections20
- Ch. 20 - Urinary and Reproductive System Infections10
- Ch. 21 - Cardiovascular and Lymphatic Infections15
Norman-McKay2nd EditionMicrobiology: Basic and Clinical PrinciplesISBN: 9780137661619Not the one you use?Change textbook
Chapter 1, Problem 20
Acid-fast bacteria contain ___________________ in their cell wall.
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Understand that acid-fast bacteria are a group of bacteria characterized by their unique cell wall composition, which allows them to retain certain stains even after being washed with acid-alcohol.
Recall that the key component responsible for this acid-fast property is a type of lipid found in their cell wall.
Identify that this lipid is called mycolic acid, a long-chain fatty acid that makes the cell wall waxy and hydrophobic.
Recognize that mycolic acid is the reason acid-fast bacteria resist decolorization by acid-alcohol during staining procedures like the Ziehl-Neelsen stain.
Conclude that acid-fast bacteria contain mycolic acid in their cell wall.
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Key Concepts
Here are the essential concepts you must grasp in order to answer the question correctly.
Acid-Fast Bacteria
Acid-fast bacteria are a group of bacteria that resist decolorization by acids during staining procedures. This property is due to the unique composition of their cell walls, which makes them distinguishable from non-acid-fast bacteria in microbiological tests.
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02:45
Acids
Mycolic Acid
Mycolic acid is a long-chain fatty acid found in the cell walls of acid-fast bacteria. It creates a waxy, hydrophobic layer that protects the bacteria from chemical damage and dehydration, and is responsible for their acid-fast staining characteristics.
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02:45Acids
Cell Wall Structure in Bacteria
Bacterial cell walls provide shape and protection. In acid-fast bacteria, the cell wall contains a thick layer of mycolic acid linked to peptidoglycan, which differs from typical Gram-positive or Gram-negative bacteria and influences staining and antibiotic susceptibility.
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03:44Introduction to Bacterial Cell Walls
Related Practice
Textbook Question
What best describes the relationship between host and pathogen?
a. Mutualism
b. Parasitism
c. Commensalism
d. Endosymbiosis
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Textbook Question
Which of the following is true?
a. SEM is higher resolution than TEM.
b. Most viruses can be seen using a light microscope.
c. Simple staining involves an acidic and a basic dye in combination.
d. Samples can be stained or unstained for light microscopy.
e. These are all false statements.
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Textbook Question
Why is it clinically helpful to know the Gram property of an organism?
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Textbook Question
Over time, Koch’s disease postulates have been rephrased in a variety of ways, but they still reflect the same process outlined by Robert Koch. The following are reworded versions of Koch’s postulates. Based on the original postulates, put the following items in the correct order.
a. Use the purified agent to cause infection in a test animal.
b. Isolate an infectious agent from a diseased animal.
c. Grow the infectious agent as a pure culture in the lab.
d. From the test animal, re-isolate the infectious agent that was originally grown in pure culture.
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