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In Medicine:
1-Diagnosis of most infectious diseases.
2-Selection of drug of choice ( antibiotics ) for treatment of
infection.
In other fields:
3-Preparation of Vaccine.
4-Research tool in molecular genetics.
Microbial growth requirements:
Chemical growth factors:
What are the chemical growth factors required for isolation of
microbes in vitro?
1-Carbon: Organic source: Glucose. Inorganic source: CO2
2-Nitrogen: Organic source: Protein.
Inorganic source : atmospheric nitrogen.
2- Salts concentration:
A specific concentration of NaCl is required for microbial growth
in vitro.
It is equal to normal saline salts concentration (0.9% NaCl).
Halophilic bacteria resist high salt concentration.
3- Temperature requirements:
Mesophiles : Grow at optimum of 37 ᵒC.
3- Facultative anaerobes:
Adaptable organisms that use oxygen when present but can switch to
anaerobic pathways in its absence. Example: Escherichia coli.
4- Microaerophilic:
Only use low concentrations of oxygen ( around 5%).
Example : Helicobacter pylori.
The Bacterial Growth Curve:
Bacterial growth is the division of one bacterium into two
daughter cells in a process called binary fission.
1-Aerobic Respiration:
-Molecular oxygen serves as the final electron acceptor.
glucose molecule.
3-Fermentation:
-Lactic acid ( produced by bacteria) or ethanol ( produced by
yeast) serves as final electron acceptor.
-Only 2 ATP molecules will be produced by fermentation of
one glucose molecule.
-Used by facultative anaerobic bacteria such as : E. coli.
Microbial Genetics:
Prokaryotic Genome:
-Most prokaryotic genes are carried on the bacterial chromosome,
a single circle of DNA.
-Many bacteria contain additional genes on plasmids.
-Plasmid is an extra-circular supercoiled DNA that carry some
important genes such as the antibiotics resistance genes.
1-Microbial capsule:
Microbe resist host acidic environment (stomach gastric acid).
Microbe resist host proteolytic enzyme,
2-Fimbriae or Pili:
-Microbial adhesion to the host cell surface.
interaction.
3-Microbial Enzymes:
Collagenase enzyme enhances microbial invasion; due
4-Bacterial Toxins:
A-Exotoxins:
- Well known poisonous substances.
- Chemical nature: Proteins (two polypeptide components).
- Almost all are Heat-labile at 60 ˚C.
B-Endotoxins:
-Chemical nature: Lipopolysaccharide, the component of
Gram’s negative bacterial outer membrane.
-Heat-Stable at 100 ˚C.
Some strains of
Staphylococci can
hydrolyze the Beta-
Lactam ring shown.