Edexcel Biology Gcse - Treating, Curing and Preventing Diseases Part 1

A Petri dish that contains agar gel and usually some nutrients. Agar plates are used to culture (grow) bacteria and fungi in the lab.

A jelly-like substance that is derived from a type of seaweed and used in the lab as a medium on which to grow bacteria and fungi.

Without oxygen.

Substance that controls the spread of bacteria in the body by killing them or stopping them reproducing.

The ability of bacteria to survive exposure to antibiotics. It is caused by mutations in their genes.

A protein produced by the immune system in humans (and other animals) that attacks foreign organisms (antigens) that get into the body.

A foreign organism that gets into the body and triggers an immune response.

A substance that kills or stops the growth of germs which cause disease.

Name given to the laboratory procedures carried out to prevent the contamination of pure cultures of microorganisms.

A strong heated container used to sterilise equipment.

Single-celled microorganisms, some of which are pathogenic in humans, animals and plants. Singular is bacterium

Tiny hair-like projections from a cell that usually allow it to move a substance past the cell (for example, in the bronchioles in the lungs).

Cells with tiny hair-like structures on their surface are said to be ciliated.

Irritation of the membrane that surrounds the eye.

Small glass bottle with lid, often filled with a liquid in which bacteria grow.

An illness affecting plants and animals.

A protein which catalyses or speeds up a chemical reaction.

Cells in the lining of the airways that produce mucus to trap dust and pathogens.

The protection given to a population against an outbreak of a specific disease when a very high percentage of the population have been vaccinated against it

The body’s defence system against entry of any foreign body, including pathogens and agents such as pollen grains. The role of the immune system is to prevent disease.