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Pasteur, Louis

(Encyclopedia)Pasteur, Louis păstŭrˈ, Fr. lwē pästörˈ [key], 1822–95, French chemist. He taught at Dijon, Strasbourg, and Lille, and in Paris at the École normale supérieure and the Sorbonne (1867–89)....

amphotericin B

(Encyclopedia)amphotericin B ămˌfətĕrˈĭsĭn [key], antibiotic that halts the growth of several disease-causing fungi. Discovered in 1956, it is produced by bacteria of the genus Streptomyces. It is used in lo...

antitoxin

(Encyclopedia)antitoxin, any of a group of antibodies formed in the body as a response to the introduction of poisonous products, or toxins. By introducing small amounts of a specific toxin into the healthy body, i...

actinomycin

(Encyclopedia)actinomycin ăkˌtənōmīˈsən [key], any one of a group of antibiotics produced by bacteria of the genus Streptomyces. Actinomycin was the first antibiotic reported to be able to halt cancer; howev...

leaven

(Encyclopedia)leaven lĕvˈən [key], agent used to raise bread or other flour foods. Physical leavens include water vapor, which is released as steam at high temperatures (as in popovers), and air, which is incorp...

Cohn, Ferdinand

(Encyclopedia)Cohn, Ferdinand fĕrˈdĕnänt kōn [key], 1828–98, German botanist. He is considered a founder of the science of bacteriology. From his early studies of microscopic life he developed theories of th...

diphtheria

(Encyclopedia)diphtheria dĭfthērˈēə [key], acute contagious disease caused by Corynebacterium diphtheriae (Klebs-Loffler bacillus) bacteria that have been infected by a bacteriophage. It begins as a soreness o...

vinegar

(Encyclopedia)vinegar, sour liquid consisting mainly of acetic acid and water, produced by the action of bacteria on dilute solutions of ethyl alcohol derived from previous yeast fermentation. The coloring and flav...

virology

(Encyclopedia)virology, study of viruses and their role in disease. Many viruses, such as animal RNA viruses and viruses that infect bacteria, or bacteriophages, have become useful laboratory tools in genetic studi...

symbiosis

(Encyclopedia)symbiosis sĭmbēōˈsĭs [key], the habitual living together of organisms of different species. The term is usually restricted to a dependent relationship that is beneficial to both participants (als...

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