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Microbiology · Chapter 1

Name That Microbe

Every microbe carries a two-part Latin name. Read it right and you already know something about the cell. In Read a name the drawing follows the genus, so the shape and the grouping appear as you pick. In Repair a name you fix names that were typed wrong.

What the genus name draws the cells follow the name

Cell shape and arrangement

Pick a microbe and the drawing will match the name.

The name, decoded

Pick a microbe
1
Genus gets a capital letter. Species stays lowercase.
2
The whole name goes in italics, or gets underlined by hand.
3
After the first use, cut the genus to one letter: S. aureus.
Binomial nomenclatureGenus species, in italics