Category: B

The artery formed by the union of the right and left vertebral arteries; it runs from the lower to the upper border of the pons, where it bifurcates into the two posterior cerebral arteries. An artery which lies at the base of the brain. An artery in the base of the brain, formed by the…

Ubiquitous supportive tissue adjacent to epithelium and around smooth and striated muscle cells. This tissue contains intrinsic macromolecular components such as collagen, laminin, and sulfated proteoglycans. As seen by light microscopy one of its subdivisions is the basal (basement) lamina. In anatomy, the thin layer of tissue that separates the basal cell of the airway…

Microscopic organism which may have a spherical, rod-like, or spiral unicellular or non-cellular body. Bacteria usually reproduce through asexual processes. All bacteria consist of a single cell surrounded by a cell wall; DNA is circular; bacteria do not have internal membrane systems. A microscopic organism. Some types are permanently present in the gut and can…

A virus whose host is a bacterial cell; A virus that exclusively infects bacteria. It generally has a protein coat surrounding the genome (DNA or RNA). One of the coliphages most extensively studied is the lambda phage, which is also one of the most important. Discovered in 1917 by Felix d’Herelle (fr. “bacteria eaters”), a…

Substances elaborated by specific strains of bacteria that are lethal against other strains of the same or related species. They are protein or lipopolysaccharide-protein complexes used in taxonomy studies of bacteria. Proteins produced by many types of bacteria, that are toxic (primarily) to other closely-related strains of the particular bacteria that produce those proteins. Bacteriocins…

A toxic substance, made by bacteria, that can be modified to kill specific tumor cells without harming normal cells. Poisons produced by bacteria that cause cell damage. They include exotoxins (e.g. those secreted by Staphylococcus aureus and Corynebacterium diphtheriae), and endotoxins. Endotoxins continue to cause damage even after the bacteria are killed.  

Physiological processes and activities of bacteria.  

Infections by bacteria, general or unspecified. Any disease caused by bacteria. Bacteria exist in a variety of relationships with the human body. Bacteria colonize body surfaces and provide benefits (e.g., by limiting the growth of pathogens and producing vitamins for absorption (symbiotic relationship). Bacteria can coexist with the human body without producing harmful or beneficial…

A genus of Bacillaceae that are spore-forming, rod-shaped cells. Most species are saprophytic soil forms with only a few species being pathogenic. Bacilli, common rod-shaped bacterium (genus Bacillus) that normally lives in soil, water, and organic materials and helps in the process of decay. Only a few species (e.g.. Bacillus anthracis, the cause of anthrax)…

Bitter-tasting substance that increases gastric secretions, tonifies the stomach, increases deficient appetite, and increases stomach acidity. These all aid deficient digestion. A bitter-tasting substance or formula used to increase a deficient appetite, improve the acidity of stomach secretions (and protein digestion), and slightly speed up the orderly emptying of the stomach. A good bitter tonic…