If you are a medical student, nursing student, or preparing for the USMLE Step 1, COMLEX, or even your medical school finals, you have likely heard of SketchyMicro. This popular video series uses vivid, interconnected visual mnemonics to help students memorize the vast, overwhelming world of microbiology—covering bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites, as well as the antibiotics used to treat them.
| Video Name | Key Organism / Topic | High-Yield Takeaway | | :--- | :--- | :--- | | Rhinovirus | Common cold | Acid labile; >100 serotypes. | | Polio | Poliomyelitis | Flaccid paralysis; Salk/Sabin vaccines. | | Coxsackie A & B | HFMD/Myocarditis | A: Herpangina; B: Pleurodynia. | | Hepatitis A & E | Enteric hepatitis | Fecal-oral; no chronic form. | | Rubella | German measles | Congenital: PDA, cataracts, deafness. | | Measles (Rubeola) | Measles | Koplik spots; 3 Cs (Cough, Coryza, Conjunctivitis). | | Mumps | Parotitis | Orchitis (risk of sterility). | | Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) | Bronchiolitis | Fusing cells (syncytia); palivizumab. | | Parainfluenza | Croup | "Barking cough" (Parainfluenza 1 & 2). | | Influenza | Flu | Antigenic drift/shift; Oseltamivir (neuraminidase inhibitor). | | Rotavirus | Pediatric diarrhea | "Wheel" shape; vaccine. | | Norovirus | Cruise ship virus | Winter vomiting disease. | | Coronavirus (SARS, MERS, COVID-19) | SARS/Severe respiratory | Enveloped; RNA dependent RNA polymerase. | Sketchy Micro Videos List-
Gram-Positive Bacilli: Listeria monocytogenes (Santa's List), Bacillus anthracis & cereus (King Anthra’s Axe), Clostridium species (tetani, , difficile, perfringens), and Corynebacterium diphtheriae. Gram-Negative Cocci: Neisseria meningitidis and Neisseria gonorrhoeae Gram-Negative Bacilli (Enterics): , Salmonella (Salmon Diner), , , Campylobacter , , and Gram-Negative Bacilli (Respiratory/Zoonotic): Haemophilus influenzae , Legionella , Bordetella pertussis, , Francisella , and Pasteurella Sketchy Micro Videos List: The Ultimate Guide to
Enter SketchyMicro. By turning Streptococcus pyogenes into a creepy burning man and E. coli into a sewer-dwelling wizard, Sketchy has revolutionized how students memorize bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites. RNA Viruses (Picornavirus, Togavirus, etc
Don't skip these. On Step 1, these questions are "free points" if you know the Sketchy.