Bacteria

Bacteria are one-celled organisms

visible only through a microscope.
Bacteria live all around us and within us.
They are in the air ,water ,soil and food, the deepest parts
of the ocean and deep within Earth. and on plants and
animals.
Our lives are closely intertwined with theirs,
The health of our planet depends very much on their
activities
Bacteria inhabited Earth long before human beings or
other living things appeared

The study of bacteria is called bacteriology, a branch of
microbiology.

CHARACTERISTICS OF BACTERIA

An average bacterium is about 1 to 2 micrometer long
(1m =10^6 micrometer). Hundreds of thousands of
bacteria would fit on a rounded dot made by a pencil.

Bacteria are procaryotes .They lack a true nucleus .Thier
nucleus is made up of single circular DNA

They occur in diverse shapes and types. As a group they
carry out a broad range of activities and have different
nutritional needs. They thrive in a variety of environments.
Structure of bacterial cell
The cell wall :
generally determines the shape of the bacterial cell and gives protection
Some bacteria do not have much of a cell wall, while others have quite thick
structures.
Flagella :
Many species of bacteria move about by means of flagella, hairlike structures that
project through the cell wall. The flagellums rotating motion propels the bacterial
cell toward nutrients and away from harmful substances.
DNA is acting as Nucleus
Most bacteria have a single coil of DNA, although some bacteria have multiple
pieces. Bacterial cells often have extra pieces of DNA called plasmids, which the cell
may gain or lose without dying.
cytoplasm : Surrounding the DNA in a bacterial cell is, a watery fluid that is rich in
proteins and other chemicals.
cell membrane inside the wall holds together the DNA and the constituents of the
cytoplasm.
Structure
Flagella
Function(s)
Swimming movement
Predominant chemical composition
Protein
Pili
Sex pilus
Stabilizes mating bacteria during DNA transfer
by conjugation
Protein
Common pili or fimbriae
Attachment to surfaces; protection against
phagotrophic engulfment
Protein
Capsules (includes "slime layers" and
glycocalyx)
Attachment to surfaces; protection against
phagocytic engulfment, occasionally killing or
digestion; reserve of nutrients or protection
against desiccation
Usually polysaccharide; occasionally
polypeptide
characteristics of typical bacterial cell structures
Cell wall
Gram-positive bacteria
Prevents osmotic lysis of cell protoplast and
confers rigidity and shape on cells
Peptidoglycan (murein) complexed with
teichoic acids
Gram-negative bacteria
Peptidoglycan prevents osmotic lysis and
confers rigidity and shape; outer membrane
is permeability barrier; associated LPS and
proteins have various functions
Peptidoglycan (murein) surrounded by
phospholipid protein-lipopolysaccharide
"outer membrane"
Plasma membrane
Permeability barrier; transport of solutes;
energy generation; location of numerous
enzyme systems
Phospholipid and protein
Ribosomes Sites of translation (protein synthesis) RNA and protein
Inclusions
Often reserves of nutrients; additional
specialized functions
Highly variable; carbohydrate, lipid,
protein or inorganic
Chromosome Genetic material of cell DNA
Plasmid Extrachromosomal genetic material DNA
Classification
Scientists classify bacteria into different types
on the basis of.

1 shape.
2. oxygen use,
3. source of carbon,
4 .and response to a particular dye.
Etc .
shape
Most bacteria come in one of three shapes:
rod, sphere, or spiral.
Rod-shaped bacteria are called bacilli.
Spherical bacteria are called cocci,
and spiral or corkscrew-shaped bacteria
are called spirilla.

Some bacteria come in more complex shapes.
A hairlike form of spiral bacteria is called
spirochete (see Spirochetes).

Aerobic and Anaerobic Bacteria

.
Aerobic bacteria require oxygen to support reproduction.
Camplylobacter jejuni
Escherichia coli
Anaerobic bacteria reproduce in the absence of oxygen.
Listeria (reduced oxygen levels)
Clostridium perfringens
Clostridium botulinum
Facultative bacteria reproduce either in the presence or in the
absence of oxygen.
Salmonella
Shigella
Staphylococcus aureus
Bacillus cereus
Autotrophic and Heterotrophic
Bacteria

All bacteria require carbon for growth and reproduction.

Autotrophs (self-feeders) get their carbon from CO2.
Heterotrophs (other feeders) get carbon from organic nutrients

chemotrophs obtain energy by the oxidation of either inorganic or organic compounds
lithotrophs : obtain electrons from inorganic compounds
organotrophs : obtain their electrons from organic compounds

Some heterotrophic bacteria survive as parasites, growing within another living cell
and using the nutrients and cell machinery of their host cells.
Photo Autotrophs : Some autotrophic bacteria, such as cyanobacteria, use sunlight to
produce sugars from CO2.
Chemo autotrophs : depend on the breakdown of inorganic chemical compounds,
such as nitrates and forms of sulfur for energy
Nutritional Type Energy Source Carbon Source Electron Source Examples
Photoautotrophi
c lithotrophs
Light CO
2
Inorganic (H
2
O or
H
2
S)
Cyanobacteria,
some purple and
green bacteria
Photoheterotrop
hic organotrophs
Light Organic
compounds
Organic
compounds
Some purple and
green bacteria
Chemoautotroph
ic lithotrophs
Chemicals
(H
2
, NH
3
, H
2
S)
CO
2
Inorganic
compounds
Bacteria and
many archaea
Chemoheterotro
phic
organotrophs
Organic
compounds
Organic
compounds
Organic
compounds
Most bacteria,
some archaea
Gram-Positive and Gram-Negative
Bacteria
Grams stain identifies bacteria as either
Gram-positive
OR
Gram-negative.
After staining,
gram-positive bacteria hold the dye and appear purple,
while gram-negative bacteria release the dye and appear red.

Gram-positive bacteria have thicker cell walls than gram-
negative bacteria.
Knowing whether a disease-causing bacterium is gram-
positive or gram-negative helps a physician to prescribe the
appropriate antibiotic.
Endospores --Resistant survival forms produced in poor growth conditions.
This process is known as sporulation.
Bacterial spores are endospores in contrast to fungal spores
Unlike the spores of fungi, bacterial spores do not serve reproductive
function.
They are resistant to extreme environmental conditions such as high
temperatures, dryness, toxic chemicals (disinfectants, antibiotics), and UV
radiation.

The endospore is able to survive for long periods of time until environmental
conditions again become favorable for growth.
The endospore then germinates, producing a single vegetative bacterium.
Spores can be killed by sterilization methods such as autoclave and hot air
oven.
Some chemical disinfectants such as formaldehyde and ethylene oxide can
also kill spores.
Examples of sporulating bacteria Bacillus ,Clostridium
Endospores
Are all bacteria harmful?
Much of our experience with bacteria involves disease.
Although some bacteria do cause disease, many kinds of
bacteria live on or in the human body and prevent disease.
Bacteria associated with the human body outnumber body
cells by ten to one.
In addition, bacteria play important roles in the
environment and in industry.
Disease causing bacteria
opportunistic bacteria : they cause
disease only when an opportunity is presented.

For example, cuts or injuries to the skin and protective
layers of the body enable normally friendly bacteria to
enter the bloodstream or other sterile parts of the
body and cause infection especially when the immune
system is weak


Opportunistic infections became more important in
the late 20th century because of diseases such as
acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS),

Cholera,
one of the worlds deadliest diseases caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae.

After entering the body, the cholera bacteria grow in the intestines, often along the
surface of the intestinal wall, where they secrete a toxin (poison).

This toxin causes massive loss of fluid from the gut, and an infected person can die of
dehydration (fluid loss) unless the lost fluids, and the salts they contain, are replaced.

Tuberculosis
is caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis, which causes a disease of the
lungs. Tuberculosis is responsible for more than 2 million deaths per year worldwide.
TB bacterium is highly resistant to most antibiotics. In addition, the TB-causing
bacteria readily spread from person to person.
New Bacterial Diseases
Legionnaires disease, a severe form of pneumonia, was first recognized in USA
. It is caused by a previously unknown bacterium, Legionella pneumophila, which is
most often transmitted through infected water

Lyme disease, a form of arthritis caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi, was
first recognized in Lyme, Connecticut, in 1975. A bite from a deer tick that carries the
bacteria transmits the disease to human beings.


Although E. coli is normally present in the human intestines, the variant E. coli
O157:H7 produces toxins that cause bloody diarrhea and, in some cases, far more
severe problems, including kidney failure and death. A person can become infected by
eating contaminated meat. Thorough cooking kills the bacteria

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a highly opportunistic, drug-
resistant bacteria that originated in hospital settings and then spread widely.