i) Define antibiotic.
ii) Name the fungus which produces Penicillin.
iii) Name two diseases which are treated by antibiotics.
iv) Draw a labelled diagram of a bacteriophage.
[1+1+1+1=4]

**OR**

i) What is a fermentor?
ii) Which microbe is used for the commercial production of la

Question

i) Define antibiotic.
ii) Name the fungus which produces Penicillin.
iii) Name two diseases which are treated by antibiotics.
iv) Draw a labelled diagram of a bacteriophage.
[1+1+1+1=4]

**OR**

i) What is a fermentor?
ii) Which microbe is used for the commercial production of lactic acid?
iii) Name two bacteria which are used as biofertilizers.
iv) Draw a labelled diagram of a typical biogas plant.

Accepted Answer

![Figure — Part iv says draw a labelled diagram of a bacteriophage; the Microbes figure explicitly labels a bacteriophage](/figures/microbes-in-human-welfare/viruses-bacteriophage-adenovirus-causes-respiratory-fig-8-2.svg)

>

> [!TLDR]
> Antibiotics are microbially-produced (or semi-synthetic) chemicals that kill or inhibit other microorganisms; penicillin, one of the earliest antibiotics, is produced by the fungus Penicillium, and is used to treat bacterial diseases such as typhoid and pneumonia.
>
> **i) Antibiotic**: An antibiotic is a chemical substance, produced by one microorganism (or made semi-synthetically), that can kill or inhibit the growth of other disease-causing microorganisms, generally at very low concentrations, and is used as a medicine to treat bacterial infections.
>
> **ii) Fungus producing Penicillin**: The fungus **Penicillium notatum** (from which Alexander Fleming first observed the antibacterial effect; commercially, Penicillium chrysogenum is also used) produces the antibiotic penicillin.
>
> **iii) Two diseases treated with antibiotics**: **Typhoid** and **Pneumonia** are bacterial diseases commonly treated using antibiotics. (Other accepted examples: tuberculosis, whooping cough.)
>
> **iv) Bacteriophage (labelled diagram, described)**: A typical (T-even) bacteriophage has:
> ```
>         Head (polyhedral capsid, encloses viral DNA)
>               |
>            Collar
>               |
>          Tail sheath (contractile)
>               |
>           Base plate
>          /    |    \
>    Tail fibres (attach to the host bacterial cell wall)
> ```
> The head contains the phage's genetic material (DNA); the tail sheath connects the head to the base plate, and the tail fibres help the phage attach to a specific receptor on the surface of the host bacterium before injecting its DNA.
> …

Q.i) Define antibiotic.

Concept understanding — Antibiotic Producing Fungi

Q.i) Define antibiotic.

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