Microbes in Human Welfare Online Quiz

Glomus is a genus of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi that form symbiotic relationships with plant roots.

In sewage treatment, the bacterial flocs that settle at the bottom of the settling tank are referred to as activated sludge.

BOD stands for Biochemical Oxygen Demand, which measures the amount of dissolved oxygen required by aerobic microorganisms to decompose organic matter.

Cyclosporin A is an immunosuppressant drug produced by the fungus Trichoderma polysporum.

Cyanobacteria, such as Anabaena, are used as biofertilizers in paddy (rice) fields because they fix atmospheric nitrogen.

Azospirillum is a well-known free-living bacterium that fixes atmospheric nitrogen in the soil.

Ladybirds (ladybugs) are natural predators of aphids and are used in biological control to manage aphid populations.

Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) produces toxins that are lethal to specific insect larvae, including butterfly caterpillars. The other options are pathogenic bacteria or fungi not used for this purpose.

Organic farming relies on ecological balance and natural predation to manage pest populations rather than synthetic chemical pesticides. This approach promotes biodiversity in the farming ecosystem.

Methanogenic bacteria, such as Methanobacterium, reside in the anaerobic environment of the human colon, where they assist in the breakdown of certain carbohydrates. They are part of the normal human gut microbiome.

The development of biogas technology in India was spearheaded by the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) and the Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC).

Primary treatment of sewage is a physical process that involves the removal of large and small particles through filtration and sedimentation. Biological processes like floc formation occur during secondary treatment.

Statins, produced by the yeast Monascus purpureus, act as competitive inhibitors of the enzyme responsible for cholesterol synthesis in the liver.

Streptokinase, produced by the bacterium Streptococcus, is used as a clot buster to remove blood clots from the blood vessels of patients who have suffered myocardial infarction.

Aspergillus niger is an industrial fungus used for the commercial production of citric acid.

Wine and beer are produced by fermentation without distillation, whereas whisky, rum, and brandy are produced by distillation of fermented broths.

The large holes in Swiss cheese are caused by the production of a large amount of carbon dioxide by the bacterium Propionibacterium sharmanii during the ripening process.

Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin, while Howard Florey and Ernst Chain were instrumental in developing it into a usable medicine. All three shared the Nobel Prize in 1945.

Leuconostoc species are commonly involved in the fermentation of various food products, including those made from legumes like Bengal gram.

Lactic Acid Bacteria (LAB) improve the nutritional quality of milk by increasing the content of Vitamin B12 during the fermentation process to produce curd.