MICROBIAL GROWTH

By: Delenila Charmaine M. and Paderanga, Celestino, Jr. V.

TOPICS FOR DISCUSSION

 Bacterial Reproduction
 Stages Bacterial Growth Curve
 Measurement of Microbial Growth
 Environmental Factors influencing Growth
MICROBIAL GROWTH

 When microbes are provided

with nutrients and required
environmental factors, they
become metabolically active and
grow.
 Involves the increase in the
number of cells rather than the
size of individual cells.
TWO LEVELS OF GROWTH
 Increase in Cell Size
 A cell synthesizes new components,
and increases its size.
 Ex. some microorganisms have
nuclear divisions that are not
accompanied by cell divisions
 Increase in Cell Number
 Increase number of cells in the
population
 Ex. when microorganisms reproduce
by budding or binary fission
BACTERIAL REPRODUCTION

 Bacteria normally reproduce by

a method called Binary Fission.
 Binary Fission is a form of
asexual reproduction in bacteria
and other prokaryotes that
involves the splitting of a parent
cell into two independent cells.
GENERATION TIME (DOUBLING TIME)

 The time required for a cell to divide or to double its population.

 Examples:

Microbe Generation Time

Escherichia Coli 20 minutes

Mycobacterium Tuberculosis 18 hours

Staphylococcus Aureus 30 minutes

STAGES IN BACTERIAL GROWTH CURVE

 When a few bacteria are

inoculated into a liquid growth
medium, it is possible to plot a
bacterial growth curve that shows
the growth of cells over time.
 Bacterial populations follow a
sequential series of growth phases:
the lag, log, stationary, and death
phases.
STAGES IN BACTERIAL GROWTH CURVE

A) Lag Phase
 Bacteria are first introduced into
an environment or media culture.
 Period of no or little cell division
 DNA and enzymes synthesis
 No change in cell number but
increase in mass
STAGES IN BACTERIAL GROWTH CURVE

B) Log (Exponential) Phase

 Period of growth known as
“logarithmic increase”
 Population number of cells
undergoing binary fission doubles
at a constant interval called
“generation time.”
STAGES IN BACTERIAL GROWTH CURVE

C) Stationary Phase
 Period of equilibrium
 Nutrients become limiting and
waste products become toxic
 Death Rate = Division Rate
STAGES IN BACTERIAL GROWTH CURVE

D) Death Phase
 Decline in the number of viable
phase.
 Cells dying usually at
exponential rate
 Loss of ability to reproduce
 Slower than log phase
MEASUREMENT OF MICROBIAL GROWTH

 Can measure changes in number of cells in a population

 Can measure changes in mass of population
 Types of Equipment used:
1. Direct cell counts
 Counting chambers
 Electronic counters
 Membrane Filters
2. Viable cell counts
 Plating Methods (spear, pour plate)
 Membrane Filtration Methods
MEASUREMENT OF MICROBIAL GROWTH

A) Counting Chambers
 Easy, inexpensive and quick
 Useful for counting both
eukaryotes and prokaryotes
 Cannot distinguish living from
dead cells
MEASUREMENT OF MICROBIAL GROWTH

B) Electronic Counters
 Such as Coulter counter
 Microbial suspension forced
through a small hole or orifice
 Movements of microbes
through the orifice impacts the
electric current
 Useful for large microorganisms
and blood cells but not
prokaryotes
MEASUREMENT OF MICROBIAL GROWTH

C) Membrane Filters
 Cells filtered through special  Useful for counting bacteria
membrane that provides dark  With certain dyes, can distinguish
background for observing cells living from dead cells
 Cells are stained with fluorescent
dyes
ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS INFLUENCING
GROWTH
 pH
 Temperature
 Gas Requirement
 Pressure
 Others
 ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS INFLUENCING
GROWTH
pH
 Negative logarithm of the  Acidophiles
hydrogen ion concentration  Growth optimum between pH 0 and
 Affect the activity and integrity of pH 5.5
enzymes & structural  Neutrophiles
components of a cell
 Growth optimum between pH 5.5 and
 Optimum pH for most microbes pH 7
ranges approximately from 6 to 8
 Alkalophiles
 Growth optimum between pH 8.5 and
pH 11.5
ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS INFLUENCING
GROWTH
Temperature
 Organisms exhibit distinct
cardinal growth temperatures
 Minimum
 Maximum
 Optimum
ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS INFLUENCING
GROWTH
Temperature

Type of Microbe Description

• Grow well at 0oC • Cold Loving Microbes

Pychrophiles • Optimum growth at 15oC or lower • Cannot grow above 20oC
• Can grow at 0-7oC • Max around 35oC
Psychrotrophs • Optimum between 20-30oC
• Growth optimum around 20-40oC
Mesophiles • Moderate temperature loving microbes
• Growth range is 45oC and 80oC • Heat Loving Microbes
Thermophiles • Optimum between 55-65oC
• Optimum growth between 80oC and • May grow to temperatures of 120oC
Hyperthermophiles
100oC
ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS INFLUENCING
GROWTH
Gas Requirements
 Depends on the kinds of
microorganism
 Some microorganisms need
oxygen while others do not need
oxygen to grow

Thioglycollate broth:
1.) Aerobic (pseudomonas aeruginosa)
2.) Facultative (Staphylococcus aureus)
3.) Facultative (Escherichia coli)
4.) Obligate Anaerobe (Clostridium butyricum)
ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS INFLUENCING
GROWTH
Pressure
 Microbes obtain almost all their nutrients in solution from surrounding
water
 Barophile organisms

 Adapted to life under high pressure

 require or grow more rapidly in the presence of increased pressure

 Example : bottom dwellers in the ocean