Glossary of Terms - Columns-Mold - September 2003

The following terms are found throughout this issue of COLUMNS-Mold. The definitions are from the 1995 edition of Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary unless otherwise stated.

agar: 1. a gelatinous colloidal extractive of a red alga (as of the genera Gelidium, Gracilaria, and Eucheuma) used esp. in culture media or as a gelling and stabilizing agent in foods 2. a culture medium containing agar

antibody: any of a large number of proteins produced normally after stimulation by an antigen and act specifically against the antigen in an immune response

antigen: a substance capable of stimulating an immune response