absorption
Intake or retention of elektromagnetic waves via conversion to heat, here: 254 nm wavelength radiation.
A
adenine
Adenine (C5H5N5) is one of the four organic complementary bases in DNA and RNA. It forms two hydrogene bonds with thymine in the DNA-double helix.
aerobic
Organisms which need oxygen (O2) for their metabolic processes are described as aerobic. Most pathogens responsible for skin diseases and respiratory-tract infections belong to the group of aerobic bacteria. Viewed in chemical terms, an aerobic process is an oxidation.
amino acid
Amino acids are organic compounds which join together in long chains to form proteins, among other things. We distinguish approx. 20 different proteinogenic amino acids and a large number of non-proteinogenic amino acids. Amino acids are essential for metabolism and are thus the basis of life.
amorphous
Amorphous is the term used in physics and chemistry to describe material whose atoms form an irregular shape rather than a long-range ordered structure. An amorphous state is generated via rapid heating or cooling. The opposite of an amorphous structure is a chrystalline structure.
anaerobic
Organisms which do not require any oxygen for their metabolic processes are referred to as anaerobic. Enterobacteria (gut or intestinal bacteria), for example, are facultatively anaerobic.
anthrax
See B. anthracis
antibiotics
Antibiotics are drugs used to treat bakterial or parasitic infectious diseases. Antibiotics used to treat fungal infections are call antimycotics. Discovered in 1928, the first natural antibiotic was penicillin, a mould. Today, antibiotics are also manufactured synthetically. They work either by inhibiting cell-wall formation, preventing protein produktion, disrupting DNA transmission, or a combination of all three strategies.
aspergillus
Mikroorganisms of the Aspergillus genus belong to the thermotolerant moulds. Known members of this genus are Aspergillus niger (black mould), der Aspergillus amstelodami and Aspergillus fumigatus. These organisms grow best at high temperatures. A number of aspergillus species form methabolic products that are toxic for humans (mycotoxins), and which cause food poisoning. In addition, airborne spores can trigger allergies and even attack organs. Aspergillus spores are extremely UVC-resistant and very high doses are needed. See also: UVC effect – relationship between dose and effect.