Ace Tickets

Amanda Andreas woke up early and stood in the cold for hours hoping to score tickets to the Taylor Swift concert for her little sister and two nieces.

"This is something I know they want for Christmas and something no one else is going to get them," she said.

She showed up outside Intrust Bank Arena shortly after 6 a.m. and was fifth in a line that grew to more than 150 by the time tickets went on sale at 10 a.m.

But because of the lottery system used for in-person ticket sales — the line started with the holder of ticket No. 140 — Andreas ended up near the back and walked away in tears when the show sold out.

She never made it in the door.

Untold numbers of others — scalpers, brokers and fans — sat at their computers shortly before 10 a.m. with their browsers aimed at www.selectaseat.com. When it was all over, many in Sedgwick County were left empty- handed.

The show sold out in minutes while many were stuck in the "virtual waiting room" for more than a half-hour, only to be disappointed.

They voiced outrage in calls and e-mails to The Eagle.

Chris Presson, general manager with arena management company, SMG, won't say how many tickets were available or how many were sold in a presale to American Express card holders and fan club members.

WTVF, a Nashville news station, reported that "internal ticketing documents show that, out of more than 13,000 seats at (Swift's) Nashville show, there were really only 1,600 set aside for sale to the general public." The rest went to American Express cardholders.

Presson said presales are up to the event promoter and that it would be inappropriate for a reporter to contact them.

The Eagle tried but didn't get calls back from the Messina Group's Houston office, where snow forced many to stay home Friday.

Presson also said the Web site worked fine.

"Our system functions properly," Presson said of Select-A-Seat's site. "It's the quickest sellout we've had. I would say the ticket system performed accurately and as it should. We certainly couldn't have sold out that quick if we were having issues."

Scalping

It's unclear how many tickets sold online, but thousands of tickets showed up on ticket marketplaces, such as stubhub.com, and on ticket broker Web sites at prices of up to $5,000 virtually at the same time.

Stubhub.com, for example, is a user-to-user marketplace owned by eBay where someone who gets a ticket can sell it at whatever price they choose.

It's up to the seller to make sure they comply with laws governing online resale, Joellen Ferrer, an corporate communications manager with StubHub, wrote in an e-mail.

Ferrer said it's unclear who bought tickets to the Swift show in Wichita live in Kansas, but she referenced the story by a Nashville TV station showing only 12 percent of tickets were available to the general public.

"This begs the question as to whether or not the same percentage of tickets were made available for the on-sale today (in Wichita)," Ferrer wrote.

Meanwhile, brokers, such as acesportsandtickets.com, buy tickets from people and resell them at higher costs.

Hal Wagner, president of owner of Ace Sports and Tickets at Oak Park Mall in Overland Park, defended the service.

He has 757 tickets for sale and said he didn't buy any of them at the advertised price. He had to buy them for more and takes the risk that he won't be able to sell them for yet more and turn a profit.

"We got shut out just like everybody else," he said of the online sale site.

Wagner paid up to $630 per ticket for the Taylor Swift concert in Wichita.

At the same time, he's taking losses on Kansas City Chiefs tickets, he said.

It comes down to demand. After 21 years in the business, Wagner said he blames promoters.

If they know it's going to sell out in minutes, they should put on a second show at the same venue, he said.

To shut down people who may be buying tickets just to turn a profit would also mean banning anyone who buys more tickets than they need from re-selling them, he said.

"It's not just a broker issue," he said. "There are private people all over America that buy and sell tickets for a profit. There's no law you're going to put out there that's going to stop that."

Kansas law defers to cities to decide how to control scalping.

Wichita requires anyone selling tickets above the advertised price to get a $200-a-year license.

Not one has been issued.

"It is not something that the City has aggressively enforced but if there is a complaint it would be investigated and prosecuted where appropriate," Deputy City Attorney Joe Lang said in an e-mail.

Lang also noted that the city would have to prove the sale happened in the city.

That might be difficult since online transactions are often facilitated by companies that operate in different cities and states.

Disappointed fans

Randy White of Derby tried to buy tickets online at 10 a.m. Friday. After languishing in Select-a-Seat's "virtual waiting room" for several minutes, he drove to the Dillons at Central and Rock Road, where he was told the concert was sold out.

"My concern is the taxpayers in this area subsidize that arena, but people all over the country are able to get the tickets first," White said.

He was trying to buy tickets for his 19-year-old daughter and his girlfriend's 8-year-old daughter.

"There's some rich guy in L.A. right now with a handful of these tickets, and the little girls around here who are Taylor Swift fans don't have a chance," he said.

Marvin Millard said he was upset that tickets were available online from brokers at well above face value even before they went on sale in Wichita.

"Our tax money paid for that arena, and the whole idea is that we're supposed to be able to go to concerts at a reasonable price," he said.

Rebecca Espinosa of Wichita said she was stuck in the online waiting room for more than 45 minutes and also was on the phone trying to buy tickets.

She wanted tickets for herself, her daughter and her daughter's best friend.

"I'm extremely peeved about this whole situation," she said. "They'll be lucky if I ever attend an event at that arena."

Got tickets

Others were pleased with the way things worked at the arena box office — or at least with their luck or ticket line strategy.

Lindy White of Wichita kept refreshing her browser and finally got in to buy a ticket.

She landed tickets for herself, an employee and her employee's sister. They'll be in Section 210 — straight back and way farther away than they wanted.

"That's all right," she said. "Tickets are tickets."

Azure Winter waited in line more than two hours but because of the lottery would have been toward the back of the ticket-buying line.

So Winter asked a woman near the front of the line if she planned to buy the maximum six tickets. The woman wanted only four tickets, so Winter gave her $200 cash — a recent birthday gift — for the remaining two tickets.

"She came out and said, 'Well, I hope you like your seats, because they're in the front row. Merry Christmas!' " Winter said. "I couldn't believe it. She was my angel."

Winter, who plans to take her 7-year-old daughter, Sydnie, to the concert, said she got home to a Facebook page full of comments from frustrated moms and dads.

"It's very disappointing, because she (Swift) is such a big star and really resonates with young girls.... It's too bad there's not a better system to make sure more tickets go to the people who really want them."
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Sec Championship Game 2009

The 2009 Florida vs Alabama game is the best on the schedule today and we’ll preview the SEC Championship game and make a pick.

Both teams come in with perfect 12-0 records for the 2009 Florida vs Alabama game and the winner will advance to the national championship game with the loser relegated to a lesser BCS Bowl.  The SEC Championship is also on the line but it will take a backseat as the #1 and #2 teams in the nation meet up on Saturday.

Alabama has actually been the best betting pick this season with 7 covers of the point spread odds against 6 for Florida.  We’ll get underway in the 2009 version of the Florida vs Alabama game with a kickoff start time of 4:00 PM ET.

SBGglobal Sportsbook has the Florida vs Alabama betting odds up and it’s the Gators who are favored on the point spread by 5.5.  The total for the 2009 Florida vs Alabama game currently sits at 40.5 and you’ll want to make your pick at SBGglobal Sportsbook so you can take advantage of their 30% sign-up bonus for new customers.

Florida covered the betting odds last year in a 31-20 victory, but it’s the Crimson Tide that were the correct betting pick in the 5 straight before that.  Only 2 of the last 10 games in the Florida vs Alabama rivalry have gone over the total.

Our betting pick in the 2009 Florida vs Alabama game has to be on the Gators to cover this small point spread.  They are battle tested and have a more dynamic offense and I think Alabama will struggle when their running game has issues.  Look for a score similar to last year’s Florida vs Alabama game.

Get in your betting pick in the 2009 Florida vs Alabama game at SBGglobal Sportsbook.
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2008

Skulls Unlimited

Mike Rowe, Ford spokesman and host of the Discovery Channel's popular show 'Dirty Jobs', is serving as the Grand Marshal for Sunday's Ford 400. He visited the Homestead-Miami infield media center to discuss his role and answer questions.

WHAT ARE YOUR TOP THREE DIRTY JOBS? "Top three or bottom three? There's no difference anymore. It's hard to know. You can't compare chipping out the concrete from the inside of a cement drum on a concrete truck, to replacing a broken lift pump in a five-story silo and a waste-water treatment plant versus washing windows from a bosun's chair at 500 feet in Hawaii. They're all weird. What they have in common is generally people who are willing to do that thing, and not just willing to do it but have a good time. That's the secret of the show. We sweat and we bleed and we cry, and sometimes we throw up, but we always laugh and, at the end of the day, we always enjoy a frosty beverage, so it's not all bad."

HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT BEING GRAND MARSHAL? "I feel grand. I kind of have a dysfunctional relationship with parades as a rule. In fact, in the first season of Dirty Jobs one of the jobs was parade float dismantler and after the Rose Bowl, they bring in these giant floats, and it rained that particular year, so all of those flowers and stuff were rotting on the things, so I went in and spent the day venting my frustrations, tearing floats apart. I vowed I would never go to a parade and wound up being the grand marshal at the smallest parade in the world two years later because so many people wrote me letters saying, 'Listen, you've got parades all wrong. You should give them another chance.' The shortest parade in the world is the St. Patrick's Day parade down in Arkansas. It goes one block, but 50,000 people show up. I sat on a toilet and a guy dragged me on a tractor and I waved a plunger. That was my last grand sort of anything, so this is what you call a step up."

IS THERE ANY DIRTY JOB YOU'VE DONE THAT'S CLOSE TO YOUR VOICE-OVER WORK ON DEADLIEST CATCH? "Danger, risk, those things are a big part of the show because people used to always equate them into the value of the job that gets done. Nowadays, risk gets mitigated a lot more than it used to, so when you see a show like Deadliest Catch or a job like high-rise window washing, it's hard not to watch it because you're seeing people who are still actually getting paid to assume risk, so that's a big part of this whole genre. Deadliest Catch, nothing really comes close to it statistically. The first time I went up there I spent six weeks. I worked on the boats and I hosted the first season of the show and most everybody I knew got hurt in some way, some seriously, and there were six funerals I went to, so it's hard to even really talk about it in terms of the unusualness of it because in the job, as the job is going on, it's just a part of the job and those guys don't think twice about it. Me, I think twice. My job is an apprentice, so everyday for me is the first day on the gig, so I live in a perpetual state of wonderness/hope/fear/regret/gratitude. It's complicated being me."

WHAT DO YOU SEE AS THE DIRTIEST JOB IN NASCAR BESIDES OURS (IN THE MEDIA)? "This room is not bad, actually (laughter). There's metaphorical dirt. There's literal dirt. I talked with a lot of the mechanics the other day and, obviously, they're up to their elbows in all kinds of grease. But the fact is this is not a dirty job. There's just way too much fun going on here for my brain to even make that particular association. I haven't seen anything necessarily that would make me go, 'Man, I wish I had my crew here for this.' Although this morning I did take a test lap in the pace car and hit the big turn at about 140, and there might have been a dirty job in the passenger seat, but, again, a totally different story."

WHAT PREPARES YOU FOR THOSE DIRTY JOBS? "That's a great question and the honest answer is nothing. We really wanted the show to live up to the name reality -- not the way it's become associated with so much programming, but to really be an honest show. The more you prepare, in TV anyway, the less honest you can be. The more produced the program becomes, the less authentic it becomes. The more you rehearse, the more you study, the more takes you do, the more scouting -- all of those things in a weird way are counterintuitive to what I think viewers want to see, and certainly to the kind of TV that I would like to make. So the short answer to your question is none. I really want to -- to the extent that I'm able -- show up with the viewer's point of view and experience whatever it is for the first time."

A PARTICULARLY PUNGENT ODOR IS WHEN THE REAR END OF A RACE CAR GETS BURNED UP. HOW DOES THAT COMPARE TO OTHER THINGS YOU'VE SMELLED? "How do I juxtapose a burning rear end with anything else? That's basically your question? Top 10? You can't compare it. For instance, there's a place in Oklahoma City called Skulls Unlimited. I didn't know what Skulls Unlimited was anymore than I know what the end of a rear end smells like when it's on fire, but at Skulls Unlimited they take the head of a Bison, in fact they take the whole Bison and they put it into a boil and they keep it their until all the flesh is gone. You can't compare anything on the planet to that smell. You really, really, honestly can't and I tried. I went home and I wrote for three hours in my journal and I tried to capture the flavor of scraping and invisible thing off your teeth and then it still gets on your fingers and you can still smell it. I don't know how to do it, but I also can't compare it to going into Bracken Cave, which is outside of Austin a few miles -- 40 million Mexican Free-tailed bats live in this cave. I went in with a bat biologist and the bats, they're constantly crapping. They don't stop, so you walk into three or four feet of guano and when you get to the end of the cave it's up to your waist, and then you're sinking in it, and in the guano live flesh-eating domestic beetles and they're biting you, and the bats are continuing to defecate and urinate and give birth, so little placentas hit you and explode. So when you're standing in the feces of another species slowly sinking and being eaten alive by domestic beetles while they defile you from both ends, it has an odor. It's hard to put that in a context with the back end of a burning car, but it's up there (laughing)."

HAS THERE BEEN ANYTHING TOO DIRTY? ANYTHING YOU SAID NO? "No. There have been some jobs that we passed on because we knew they wouldn't pass muster with the network. Fundamentally, I want the show to be a celebration. It's important. I want people who watch the show to understand that these are the jobs that are holding polite society together, and even though an embalmer or a crime scene clean-up technician is important, it's tough to go be a smart-aleck when there's a body in the trunk. It's just not the show that I want to do, so I've passed on some that are just grim and dark, but I've never said no to a job because it made me uncomfortable. My job is to be uncomfortable and to try my best. And really the only honest way to pay a tribute to the people who do these jobs, which is also critical to the show, is to let the view see me try. When I'm in Bracken Cave sinking in that horrible soup of stuff and the bat biologist is with me, it lets the people who are watching realize that the bat biologist is in there everyday, and as bad as it might be for me in that little snapshot of time, this is what he does. So that's an important thing to point out, to me. The show is not about succeeding, it's about trying."

ON YOUR WEBSITE MIKEROWEWORKS.COM YOU SAY IT'S 'PATERNALISTIC, UNCHARACTERISTICALLY SINCERE AND PEDANTIC.' TELL US ABOUT IT. "I knew that three or four seasons into the show I wanted to talk about more than exploding toilets and misadventures in animal husbandry and a lot of the things that make the show kind of fun and make it kind of a spectacle, so I suggested to the viewers that it might be fun to build a trade resource center online -- a place that actively celebrated carpentry and steam fitting and pipe fitting and plumbing -- these kinds of industries that essentially provide all the jobs we've been profiling -- and I got thousands of links from the people who watch the show. From that, we began to build this modest site, and then people wanted to talk about work and wanted to talk about labor, so we set up some forums. And then people wanted to literally find jobs, so we tried to find some more useful resources that we could combine together, so right now MikeRoweWorks has been around over a year. It started on Labor Day and it's been the thing that's grown from the show that I'm most proud of because there's a big conversation going on now nationally about what a good job is and what a good job looks like and what it means to actually work, so even though Dirty Jobs is maybe the simplist show in the history of TV, it's got some very big fundamental themes in it, and it's those themes that MikeRoweWorks is about."

DO YOU SCOUT OUT THESE JOBS BEFOREHAND OR NOT EAT BEFORE YOU GO OUT THERE? "I try not to show up hungry as a rule on this job, or full, but, no, not really. In the first season when we were trying to find an audience and see if the thing had any legs at all, I took an active role in making sure that the places we were going, that there was a there there. We've never really been disappointed. All of the ideas for the show come from the viewers. Dirty Jobs is essentially programmed by viewers and hosted by the people I meet, so it doesn't do me any good to know any more than I have to, and I really don't have to know very much. The show is more mission than story."

YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH FORD AND THIS WEEKEND IS A PERFECT FIT FOR YOU. "It's been great. Ford was a perfect fit before MikeRoweWorks. As soon as this show became a thing, we sat down and thought, 'Who looks at work the same way?' And just made a very short list of companies who would be good partners and Ford was at the top, and we began talking a little over three years ago and quickly realized we were saying a lot of the same things just as a matter of philosophy. I started working with the Truck Division, and continue to to this day -- cars as well, parts and service -- it's an across-the-board relationship and they've been wonderful. Not only have they sponsored and supported the show, but they're sponsoring and supporting MikeRoweWorks, and for that I'm grateful and glad to be here."

ANY HINT ON WHAT WE MIGHT HEAR TOMORROW? "It's gonna be a surprise to me first and foremost. I don't do a lot of rehearsal, so I'm not exactly sure, but from what I've seen others do, the deliveries seem to vary between a sleepy kind of ho-hum to somebody having a seizure on the ground. Maybe somewhere in-between would be sensible. Maybe not. I'm not sure."

I IMAGINE CLEAN-UP AFTER THESE JOBS IS PRETTY IMPORTANT TO YOU. TO WHAT EXTENT DO YOU GO THROUGH TO MAKE SURE YOU CAN USE YOUR HANDS TO EAT WITH AND NOT WORRY ABOUT GOING TO THE HOSPITAL? "First of all, thank you. I'm touched by the level of your concern. It's good to hear that (laughter). Of course it's important, but it's also relative and it's a concept that evolved over the last five years. After that shoot at Bracken Cave, that was very, very early in season one and I had stupidly worn into the cave my favorite pair of khaki's -- super-thick, army-issued khaki's -- and one of my favorite t-shirts. Now they were completely soaked in all the fluids I've already mentioned, but I was determined to salvage them, so I rolled them up and I put them into my carry-on and I got to Dallas and I got toward the plane. My bag was going through security and apparently it triggers something. They wipe that wand on it and they had trace elements of gun powder, so, of course, they stop me. Now it's not gun powder it's fertilizer, but there's a link. I don't know what they're thinking, but they open up this bag and my khaki's that had been soaked in all that bat crap and all the other stuff, it kind of exploded. It wasn't a flame, but the stink on it filled the whole terminal. The FBI came over and the cops came over and everybody was looking at the bag like it was full of bat crap and it was, but I realized then that I could no longer travel the way that I used to and I would either have to embrace the idea of disposable clothes or find a cleaner that could take care of it. There are no cleaners, so I don't wear the same thing twice anymore -- ever. I just leave them behind."

Lakewood Police Shooting

The Lakewood police shooting left four officers dead today around 8am at a coffeehouse this morning in Washington, near McChord AIr Force Base. According to sources, the man walked into the restaurant and shot 3 male officers and one female officer execution-style, leaving the rest of the patrons and workers untouched.
Officers at the scene of the crime today. (timeslive.co.za)
The suspect is currently still at large, and sources have not revealed if the suspect purposefully targeted the officers. According to Associated Content, the suspect is described as an African-American male, between 5 foot 7 and 5 foot 10. He was said to have been wearing blue jeans and a black coat.
It is possible that one of the officers shot him before he fled the scene on foot, so authorities are searching local hospitals for the suspect. Witnesses are being interviewed and surveillance tapes are being reviewed in hopes of finding more clues to the murders.
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Colts Patriots Highlights

Colts Patriots highlights can be summed up as the Bill Belichick mistake at the 2 minute mark. Colts Patriots highlights with 2 minutes left in the 4th looked like a 34-21 win for New England Sunday.

That was until Bill Belichick’s decision - go for it on 4th down on your 26 yard line. Bill Belichick took a gamble and lost it - final score 34-35.

Patriots Colts numbers Sunday lined up as follows. Total yards 477 vs 407, total passing yards 364 vs 316, and total rushing yards 113 vs, 91.
Manning was 28 for 44 with 327 yards and 2 TDs. Brady was 29 for 42 with 375 yards, 3 TDs and 1 interception. Manning went to Wayne who had 126 yards, 10 receptions, and 2 TDs. Moss gave Brady 179 yards, 9 receptions, and 2 TDs.

Colts rushing was led by Addai with 41 yards, 10 carries, and 1 TD. New England’s Maroney had 1 TD, and Faulk had 79 yards on 12 carries.

But the numbers don’t you what happened at that 2 minute mark. Belichick went for it on 4th down on his own 26 yard line. Addai would score for theColts, Stover’s kick good. Suddenly the game went from 34-21 to 34-28 and still 2 minutes on the clock.

That’s all Manning needed. He would connect to Wayne, and a subsequent Stover kick, giving the Colts a 34-38 win with 13 seconds left.

Brady said “I don’t ever second guess Coach Belichick.” USA Today’s Peter King says he didn’t go to bed after he saw the horror. “I’m still rolling Bill Belichick’s call around in my head. I wonder how many people inNew England aren’t asleep yet … and how many won’t be able to sleep all night … ‘My God’ I thought. ‘he’s going for it!’”

ESPN’s Trent Dilfer said of the paly “it breaks every rule in the book. NBC’s Rodney Harrison (a former Patriots safety) said it was “the worse decision ever” by Bill Belichick.

Glossary

Glossary

A

Abiogenesis The belief in spontaneous generation as a source of life.

Abiotic Nonliving factors such as soil, water, temperature, and light that

 are studied when looking at an ecosystem.

Acid-Fast   A term referring to the property of mycobacteria to retain carbol fuchsin even in the presence of acid alcohol. The staining procedure is used to diagnose tuberculosis

Actinomycetes   A Group of filamentous, fungus like bacteria.

Active Immunity   Immunity acquired through direct stimulation of the  

                                 immune system by antigen.

Acute   Characterized by rapid onset and short duration

Adhesion The process by which microbes gain a more stable foothold at the portal of entry; often involves a specific interaction between the molecules on the microbial surface and the receptors on the host cell.

Aerobe A microorganism that lives and grows in the presence of free gaseous oxygen (O₂)

Agar A polysaccharide found in seaweed and commonly used to prepare solid culture media.

Agglutination The aggregation by antibodies of suspended cells or similar-sized particles (agglutinogens) into clumps that settle.

Agranulocytes one form of leukocytes

Allergen  a substance that Provokes an allergic response

Allergy the altered , usually exaggerated , immunie response to an allergen. Also called hypersensitivity

Anaerobe A microorganism that grows best , or exclusively , In the absence of oxygen

Anaphylaxis  the unusual or exaggerated allergic reaction to antigen that leads to severe respiratory and cardiac complication.

Antigen any cell , particle , or chemical that induces a specific immune response by B cells or T cells and can stimulate resistance to an infection or a toxin. See immunogen.

Antigen Binding site  specific region at the ends of antibody molecule that recognize specific antigens. These site have numerous shapes to fit a wide variety of antigens.

Antihistamine a drug that counters the action of histamine and is useful in allergy treatment

Antimicrobic a special class of compounds capable of destroying or inhibiting microorganisms.

Antiseptic A growth-inhibiting agent used on tissues to prevent infection.

Antitoxin Globulin fraction of serum that neutralizes a specific toxin. Also refers to the specific antitoxin antibody itself.

B

Bacillus Bacterial cell shape that is cylindrical ( longer than it is wide )

Bacteremia the presence of viable bacteria in circulating blood.

Bacterial Chromosome a circular body in bacteria that contains the primary genetic material. Also called nucleoid.

Bactericide an agent that kills bacteria

Biotic living factors such as parasites , food substrates , or other living or once-living organisms that are studied when looking at an ecosystem.

B Lymphocyte ( B Cell ) a white blood cell that gives rise to plasma cell and antibodies.

Booster the additional doses of vaccine antigen administered to increase an immune response and extend protection.

Broad spectrum a word to denote drugs that affect many different types of bacteria , both gram-positive and gram-negative

C

Capsule in bacteria , the loose , gel-like covering or slime made chiefly of simple polysaccharides. This layer is protective and can be associated with virulence.

Carrier a person who harbors infections and inconspicuously spreads them to others. Also a chemical agent that can accept an atom , chemical radical , or subatomic particle from one compound and pass it on to another.

Cell-Mediated tye type of immune responses brought about by T Cells. Such as cytotoxic suppressor and helper effects.

Chemotaxis the tendency of organisms to move in response to a chemical gradient ( toward an attractant or to avoid adverse stimuli ).

Chemotroph organisms that oxidizes compounds to feed nutrients.

Chromosome the tightly coiled bodies in cells that are the primary sites of genes.

Class in the levels of classification , the division of organism that follows phylum.

Colony a macroscopic cluster of cells appearing on a solid medium , each arising from the multiplication of a single cell.

Colostrum the clear yellow early product of brest milk that is very high in secretory antibodies provides passive intestinal protection

Commensalism an unequal relationship in which one species derives benefit without harming the other.

Communicable infection capable of being transmitted from one individual to another.

Community the interacting mixture of populations in a given habitat.

Complement in immunology , serum protein components that act in a definte sequence when set in motion either by an antigen-antibody complex or by factors of the alternative ( properdin ) pathway.

Conjugation in bacteria , the contact between donor and recipient cells associated with the transfer of genetic material such as plasmids. Can involve special ( SEX ) pili. Also a form of sexual recombination in ciliated protozoans.

Contagious communicable : transmissible by direct contact with infected people and their fresh secretions or excretions.

Contaminant an impurity : any undersirable material or organism.

Convalescence recovery : the period between the end of a disease and the complete restoration of health in a patient.

D

Definitive host the organism in which a parasite develops into its adult or sexually mature stage , also called final host.

Dimorphic in mycology , the tendency of some pathogens to alter their growth form from mold to yeast in response to rising temperature.

Diplococcus spherical or oval-shaped bacteria typically found in pairs.

Droplet nuclei the dried residue of fine droplets produced by mucus and saliv sprayed while sneezing and coughing. Droplet nuclei are less than 5 u,m in diameter ( large enough to bear a single bacterium and small enough to remain currents. Droplets nuclei are drawn deep into the air passages

Dysentery diarrheal illness caused by exotoxins.

Dyspnea Difficulty in breathing.

E

Endospore a small , dormant , resistant derivative of a bacterial cell that germinates under favorable growth conditions into a vegetative cell. The bacterial genera Bacillus and Clostridium are typical sporeformers.

Endotoxin a bacterial intracellular toxin that is not ordinarily released ( as is exotoxin ). Endotoxin is composed of a phospholipids-polysaccharide complex that is an integral part of gram-negative bacterial cell walls. Endotoxins can cause severe shock and fever.

Etiologic agent the microbial cause of disease : the pathogen.

Eucaryotic cell a cell that differs from a prokaryotic cell chiefly by having a nuclear memebrane ) a well-defined nucleus ), membrane bounded subcellular organelles , and mitotic cell division.

Exogenous originating outside the body.

Exotoxin a toxin ( usually protein ) that is secreted and act upon a specific cellular target. Examples: botulin , tetanospasmin , diphtheria toxin and erythrogenic toxin  

Extremophiles organisms capable of living in harsh environment , such as extreme heat or cold.

F

Facultative pertaining to the capacity of microbes to adapt or adjust to variation : not obligate example : presence of oxygen is not obligatory for a facultative anaerobe to grow. See obligate.

Family in the levels of classification, a mid-level division of organisms than previous levels. An order is divided into families

Fermentation the extraction of energy through anaerobic degradation of substrates into simpler , reduced metabolities. In large inductrial processes, fermentation can mean any use of microbial metabolism to manufacture organic chemical or other products.

Flagellum a structure that is used to propel the organism through a fluid environment.

Flora beneficial or harmless resident bacteria commonly found on and / or in the human body.

Fomite virtually ani inanimate object an infected individual has contact with that can serve as a vehicle for the spread of disease.

G

Gene a site on a chromosome that provides information for certain cell function. A specific segment of DNA that contains the necessary code to make a protein or RNA molecule.

Generation time time required for a complete fission cycle --- from parent cell to two new daughter cells. Also called doubling time.

Genetics the science of heredity

Genus in the levels of classification, the second most specific level. A family is divided into several genera.

Germicide an agent lethal to non-endospore forming pathogens.

Giardiasis infection by the giardia flagellate.most common mode of transmission is contaminated food and water. Symptoms include diarrhea , abdomenial pain, and flatulence.

Gram stain a differential stain for bacteria useful in indentification and taxonomy. Gram-positive organisms appear purple from crystal violet and absorbance of the safranin counterstain.

H

Habitat the environment to which an organism is adapted.

Halophile  a microbe whose growth is either stimulated by salt or requires a high concentration of salt for growth.

Herd immunity the status of collective acquired immunity in a population that reduces the likelihood that nonimmune individuals will contract and spread infection. One aim of vaccination is to induce herd immunity.

Heterotrph an organism that relies upon organic compound for its carbon and energy needs.

Histamine a cytokine released when mast cells and basophiles release their granules. An important mediator of allergy. Its effects include smooth muscle contraction, increased vascular permeability and increased mucus secretion.

Host organism in which smaller organisms or viruses live , feed and reproduce.

Human immunodeficiency virus ( HIV ) a retro virus that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome ( AIDS )

Humoral immunity protective molecules ( mostly B. lymphocytes ) carried in the fluids of the body.

Hyphae the tubular threads that make up filamentous fungi (molds). This web of branched and interwining fibers is called a mycelium.

I

Immunity an acquired resistance to an infectious agent due to prior contact with that agent.

Immunoglobulin the chemical class of proteins to which antibodies belong.

Immunology the study of the system of body defenses that protect against infection.

Immunopathology the study of disease states associated with overractivity or underreactivity of the immune response.

Infection the entry , establishment , and multiplication of pathogenic organisms within a host.

Infectious disease the state of damage or toxicity in the body caused by an infectious agent.

Inflammation a natural , nonspecific response to tissue injury that protects the host from further damage. It stimulates immune reactivity and blocks the spread of an infectious agent.

Inoculation the implantation of microorganisms into or upon culture media.

Interferon naturally occurring polypeptides produced by fibroblasts and lymphocytes that can block viral replication and regulate a variety of immune reactions.

Intoxication poisoning that results from the introduction of a toxin into the body tissues through ingestion or injection.

Isotonic two solutions having the same osmotic pressure such that , when separated by a semipermeable membrane, there is no net movement of solvent either direction.

Killer T Cells A t lymphocyte programmed to directly affix cells and kill them. See cytotoxic.

Kingdom in the levels of classification. The second division from more general to more specific. Each domain is divided into kingdoms.

Koch's Postulates a procedure to establish the specific cause of disease. In all cases infection : (1) the agent must be found : ( 2) inoculations of a pure culture must reproduce the same disease in animals ( 3) the agent must again be present in the experimental animals and ( 4 ) a pure culture must again be obtained.

L

Latency the state of being inactive. Example : a latent virus or latent infection.

Leukocytes white blood cells . the primary infection fighting blood cells.

Lymphatic system a system of vessels and organs that serve as sites for development  of immune cells and immune reactions. It includes the spleen thymus , lymph nodes , and GALT.

Lymphocyte the second most common form of white blood cells.

Lymphokine a soluble substance secreted by sensitized T lymphocytes upon contact with specific antigen. About 50 types exist. And they stimulate inflammatory cells : macrophages granulocytes, and lymphocytes. Example : migration inhibitory factos , macrophage activating factos , chemotactic factor.

Lyse to burst

Lysis the physical rupture or deterioration of a cell.

Lysogeny the indefinite persistence of bacteriophage DNA in a host without bringing about the production  of virions. A lysogenic cell can revert to a lytic cycle. The process that ends in lysis.

Lysosome a cytoplasmic organelle containing lysozyme and other hydrolytic enzymes

Lysozyme an enzyme that attacks the bond on bacterial peptidoglycan.  It is natural defense found in tears and saliva.

M

Macrophage a white blood cell derived from a monocyte that leaves the circulation and enters tissues. These cells are important in nonspecific phagocytosis and in regulating , stimulating and cleaning up after immune responses.

Mast cell a nonmotile connective tissue cel implanted along capillaries, especially in the lungs , skin , gastrointestinal tract , and genitourinary tract. Like a basophile its granules store mediators of allergy.

Medium ( plural: media ) a nutrient used to grow organisms outside of their natural habitats

Memory cell the long-lived progeny of a sensitized lymphocyte that remains in circulation and its genetically programmed to react rapidly with its antigen.

Mesophile microorganisms that grow at intermediate temperature

Mesosome the irregular invagination of a bacterial cell membrane that is more prominent in gram-positive than in gram-negative bacteria. Although its function is not definitely known, it appears to participate in DNA replication and cell division: in certain cells. It appear to play a role in secretion.

Metabolism a general term for the totality of chemical and physical processes occurring in a cell.

Microaerophile an aerobic bacterium that requires oxygen at a concentration less than that in the atmosphere.

Microscopic invisible to the naked eye.

Mitochondrion a double-membrane organelle of eukaryotes that is the main site for aerobic respiration

Mixed culture a container growing two or more different known species of microbes

Monocyte a large mononuclear leukocyte normally found in the lymph nodes , spleen , bone marrow , and loose connective tissue. This type of cell makes up 3 % to 7 % of circulating leukocytes.

Morphology the study of organismic structure.

Mortality rate total number of death in a population attributable to a particular disease.

Motility self-propulsion.

Mycelium the filamentous mass that makes up a mold. Composed of hyphae.

Noncommunicable an infectious disease that does not arrive through transmission of an infectious agent from host to host.

Normal flora the native microbial forms that an individuals harbors.

Nosocomial infection an infection not present upon admission to a hospital but incurred while being treated there.

Nucleocapsid in viruses the close physical combination of the nucleic acid with its protective covering.

Nucleoid the basophilic nuclear region or nuclear body that contains the bacterial chromosome.

Nucleolus a granular mass containing RNA that is contained within the nucleus of a eukaryotic cells.

Nucleosome structure in the packaging of DNA. Formed by the DNA strands wrapping around the histone protein to form nucleus bodies arranged like beads on a chain.

Nucleus the central core of an atom, composed of protons and neutrons.

Nutrient any chemical substance that must be provided to a cell for normal metabolism and growth. Macronutrients are required in large amounts , and micronutrients in small amounts.

O

Obligate without alternative : restricted to a particular characteristic. Example : an obligate parasite survives and grows only in a host : an obligate aerobe must have oxygen to grow : an obligate anaerobe is destroyed by oxygen.

Opportunistic In infection , ordinarily nonpathogenic or weakly pathogenic microbes that cause disease primarily in an immunologically compromised host.

Order in the levels of classification, division of organisms that follows class. Increasing similarity may be noticed among organisms assigned to the same order.

Organelle a small component of eukaryotic cells that is bounded by a membrane and specialized in function.

Osmophile a microorganism that thrives in a medium having high osmotic pressure.

Osmosis the diffusion of water across a selectively permeable membrane in the direction of lower water concentration.

P

Palisades the characteristic arrangement of Corynebacterium cells resembling a row of fence posts and created by snapping.

Parasite an organism that lives on or within another organism ( the host ). From which it obtains nutrients and enjoys protection. The parasite produce some degree of harm in the host.

Passive immunity specific resistance that is acquired indirectly by donation of perfomed immune substances ( antibodies ) produced in the body of another individual.

Pasteurization heat treatment of perishable fluids such as milk. Fruit or wine to destroy heat-sensitive vegetable cells. Followed by rapid chilling to inhibit growth of survivors and germination of spores. It prevents infection and spoilage.

Pathogen any agent , usually a viruses , bacterium , fungus , protozoa , or helminth , that causes disease.

Pathogenicity the capacity of microbes to cause disease.

Pathology the structural and physiological effects of disease on the body.

Peptidoglycan a network of polysaccharide chains cross-liked by short peptides that forms the rigid part of bacterial cell calls. Gram-negative  bacteria have a smaller amount of this rigid  structure than do gram-positive bacteria.

Periplasmic space the egion between the cell wall and cell membrane of the cell envelopes of gram-negative bacteria.

Peritrichous in bacterial morphology , having flagella distributed over the entire cell.

pH the symbol for the negative logarithm of the H ion concentration : p ( power ) or [ H+ ] 10. a system for rating acidity and alkalinity.

Phage a bacteriophage : a virus that specifically parasitizes bacteria.

Phagocytosis a type of endocytosis in which the cell membrane actively engulfs large particles or cell into vesicles.

Phlebotomine Pertains to a genus of very small midges or blood-sucking ( phlebotomous ) sand  flies and to disease associated with those vectors such as kala-azar , oroya-fever , and cutaneous leishmaniasis.

Photosynthesis a process occurring in plants , algae , and some bacteria that traps the sun's energy and converts it to ATP in the cell. This energy is used to fix Co2 into organic compounds.

Phototrophs microbes that use photosynthesis to feed.

Phylum in the levels of classification , the third level of classification from general to more specific . each kingdom is divided into numerous phyla sometimes referred to a division.

Physiology the study of the function of an organism

Pili small , stiff filamentous appendages in gram-negative bacteria that function in DNA exchange during bacterial conjugation.

Plasmids Extrachromosomal genetic units characterized  by several features. A plasmid is a double-stranded DNA that is smaller than and replicates independently of the cell chromosome : it bears  gene that are not essential for cell growth : it can bear genes that code for adaptive trails : and it is transmissible to other bacteria.

Pleomorphism normal variability of cell shapes in a single species.

Procaryotic cell small cells, lacking special structures such as nucleus and organelles . all prokaryotes are microorganisms.

Prophylactic any device , method or substance used to prevent disease.

Protozoa a group of single-celled , eukaryotic organisms.

Psychrophile a microorganism that thrives at low temperature ( O – 20 C ) with a temperature optimum of 0 – 15 C.

Pure culture a container of microbial cells whose identity is known.

Pus the viscous , opaque usually yellowish matter formed by an inflammatory infection. It consists of serum exudates , tissue debris , leukocytes and microorganisms.

R

Resident flora the deeper , more stable microflora that inhabit the skin and exposed mucous membranes , as opposed to the superficial variable , transient population.

Resolving power the capacity of a microscope lens system to accurately distinguish between two separate entities that lie close to each other. Also called resolution.

Ribosome a bilobed macromolecular complex of ribonucleoprotein that coordinates the codons of mRNA and tRNA anticodons and , in so doing constitutes the peptide assembly site.

Ringworm a superificial mycosis caused by various dermatophytic fungi. This common name is actually a misnomer.

S

Saccharide scientific term for sugar, refer to a simple carbhodrates with a sweet taste.

Sarcina A cubical packet of 8 , 16 or more cells: the cellular arrangement of the genus Sarcina in the family mircococcaceae.

Scientific method principles and procedures for the systematic pursuit of knowledge , involving the recognition and formulation of a problem , the collection of data through observation and experimentation, the formulation and testing of a hypothesis.

Selective media nutrient media designed to favor the growth certain microbes and to inhibit undersirable competitors.

Sepsis the state of putrefaction : the presence of pathogenic organisms or their toxins in tissue or blood.

Septic Shock blood infection resulting in a pathological state of low blood pressure accompanied by a reduced amount of blood circulating to vital organs , endotoxins of all gram-negative enteric rods.

Septicemia systemic infection associated with microorganisms multiplying in circulating blood.

Septum a partition of cellular cross wall , as in certain fungal hyphae.

Serum the clear fluid expressed from clotted blood that contains dissolved nutrients , antibodies and hormone but not cells or clotting factors.

Sex pilus a conjugation pilus

Solvent a dissolving medium

Spirillum a type of bacterial cell with a rigid spiral shape and external flagella.

Spirochete a coiled ,spiral shaped bacterium that has endoflagella and flexes as it moves.

Sporangium a fungal cell in which asexual spores are formed by multiple cell cleavage.

Spore a differentiated , specialized cell form that can be used for dissemination , for survival in times of adverse condition . and or / for reproduction. Spores are usually unicellular and may develop into gametes or vegetative organisms.

Sporozoite one of many minute elongated bodies generated by multiple division of the oocyst . it is the infectious form the malarial parasite that is harbored in the salivary gland of the mostquito and inoculated into the victim during feeding.

Sporulation the process of spore formation..

Sterile completely free of all life forms , including spores and viruses.

Sterilization any process that completely removes or destroys all viable microorganisms , including viruses , from an object or habitat. Material so treated is sterile.

Subacute indicates an intermediate status between acute and chronic disease.

Subclinical a period of inapparent manifestations that occurs before symptoms and signs of disease appear.

Subcutaneous the deepest level of the skin structure.

Substrate the specific molecule upon which an enzyme acts.

Suppressor  T Cell a class of T cells that inhibits the actions of b cells and other t cells.

Symbiosis an intimate association between individuals from two species used as a synonym for mutualism.

Symptom the subjevtive evidence of infection and disease as perceived by the patient.

Systemic occuring throughout the body : said of infections that invades many compartments and organs via the circulation.

T

Tetanus a neuromuscular disease caused by infection with clostridium tetani. Usual portals of entry include puncture wounds , burns umbilical stumps , frostbite sites and crushed body parts vaccination repeated at the recommended time scan prevent infection . also called lockjaw.

Tetrads groups of four.

Theory a collection of statements , propositions or concepts that explains or account for a natural event.

Thermophile a microorganism that thrives at a temperature of 50 C or higher.

Tinea Ringworm , a fungal infection of hair , skin or nails.

T lymphocyte ( T cell ) a white blood cell that is processed in the thymus gland and is involved in cell-mediated immunity.

Toxemia an abnormality associated with certain infectious disease. . toxemia is caused by toxins or other noxious substances released by microorganism circulating in the blood.

Toxingencity the tendency for a pathogen to produce toxins it is an important factor in bacterial virulence .

Toxin a specific chemical product of microbes plants. And some animals that is poisonous to other organisms.

Toxoid a toxin that has been rendered nontixc but is still capable of eliciting the formation of protective antitoxin antibodies used in vaccines.

Trace Elements microbnutrients ( zinc , nickel , and manganese that occur in small amount and are involved in enzymes  function and maintenance of protein structure.

Transients in normal flora , the assortment of superficial microbes whose numbers and types vary depending upon recent exposure. The deeper=lying residents constitute a more stable population.

Tyndallization fractional ( discontinuous , intermittent ) sterilization designed to destroy spores indirectly . a preparation is exposed to flowing steam for an hour, and then the mineral is allowed to incubate to permit spore germination. The resultant vegetative cells are destroyed by repeated steaming and incubation.

V

Vaccine originally used in reference to inoculation with the cowpox or vaccinia virus to protect against smallpox , in general the term now pertains to injfection of whole microbes ( killed or attenuated ) toxoids , or part of microbes as a prevention or cure disease.

Vacuoles in the cell , membrane-bounded sacs cointaining fluids or solid particles to be digested , excrete or stored.

Vector an animal that transmit infectious agents from one host to another , usually a biting or piercing arthropod like the thick , mosquito or fly infectious agents can be conveyed mechanically by simple contact or biologically whereby the parasite develops

Vegetative in describing microbial developmental stages , a metaboilically active feeding and dividing form as opposed to a dormant, seemingly inert, nondividing form examples: a bqcterial cell versus its spore : a protozoan trophozoite versus its cyst.

Vesicle a blister characterized by a thin-skinned elevated , superficial pocket inflated with serum.

Vibrio a curved rod-shaped bacterial cell.

Viremia the presence of a virus in the bloodstream.

Virion an elementary virus particle in its complete morphological and thus infectious form , a virion consists of the nucleic acid  core surrounded by a capsid which can be enclosed in an envelop.

Virus microscopic acellular agent composed of nucleic acid surrounded by a protein coat.

Virulence in infection , relative capacity of a pathogen to invade and harm host cells.

Z

Zoonosis an infectious disease indigenous to animals that humans can acuire through direct or indirect contact with infected animals.

Zygospore a thick – walled sexual spore produced by the zygomycete fungi , it develops from the union of two hyphae. Each bring nuclei of opposite mating types.