CELLULAR

MICROORGANISMS: BACTERIA

Diana Verano, M.S. Microbiology

Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila
College of Nursing
CELLULAR MICROORGANISMS

 Ubiquitous:everywhere

Location:
 Air

 Bodies of water
Sea: marine organisms

 Drinking water
 Soil
 Plants
 Animals
 Humans
PROKARYOTES

 Single cell

 Asexual Reproduction:

Binary Fission:
progeny cell is
genetically identical
from the parent

 Average bacilli cell size:1 µm wide x 3 µm long

 Grow in number not in cell size

REVIEW ON PROKARYOTES

Cell Parts

1. Genetic Material

 Circular covalently closed DNA

(cccDNA)

 No nucleus
Nucleoid
 nucleoid: region of DNA
REVIEW ON PROKARYOTES

Cell Parts
1. Genetic Material

 Plasmid

- extrachromosomal DNA
-self-replicating
Nucleoid
-circular additional DNA
-carry antibiotic resistant
genes
REVIEW ON PROKARYOTES

Cell Parts

2.No membrane-bound
organelles

 Lacks mitochondria
 Lacks golgi bodies
 No endoplasmic reticulum (ER)

3.Ribosomes is on cytoplasm
 protein synthesis is on cytoplasm
CELL PARTS OF PROKARYOTES

4.Cell Membrane

In aerobic prokaryotes:

 Mesosomes: Cell membrane

infoldings, site of ATP
production

 Aerobic: organism that

utilizes oxygen during
respiration to produce ATP
CELL PARTS OF PROKARYOTES

4.Cell Wall

 determines the cell shapes

 Made up of peptidoglycans
N-acetylglucosamine (NAG)
N-acetyl muramic acid (NAM)

 Gram-positive bacteria has

thicker layer of peptidoglycan

 Gram-positive bacteria: thicker cell wall

CELL PARTS OF PROKARYOTES
4.Cell Wall

Additional function

 Osmotic protection

 Endotoxin activity:
Gram-negative bacteria

 Nonselective

 Exception: in Gram-negative,
outer membrane hinders passage
of bigger molecules
REVIEW ON CELL WALL
Cell shapes:

- Some exist as single cells or cluster together

1.Coccus: single circular cell

2.Bacillus: rod-like

3.Spirillum: spiral
REVIEW ON CELL WALL
Cell shapes:

 pleomorphic:

-no cell wall

-has no distinct shape

- -under microscopic
- examination: cell Mycoplasma shown covering human
- has various shapes cell

-- antibiotic resistant

Example: Mycoplasma pneumoniae

disease caused: pneumonia
PROKARYOTES

Pairs or tetrads of Bacillus shape

Cocci Lactobacillus bulgaricus
Pediococcus sp. production of yogurt
for fermention
meat Bacillus shape
Lactobacillus casei
Location: human intestines and
mouth
Function: improve digestion
PROKARYOTES

Spirilla shape staphyloccoci Spirilla shape

shape Campylobacter jejuni
Treponema pallidum Staphylococcus aureus
Diseases: enteritis
Disease: syphilis Diseases: impetigo diarrhea
Food poisoning Water-borne
Wound infection
 EXAMPLES OF COCCI

Causative Agent Habitat Classification Disease

Staphylococcus Normal Flora Gram-positive Impetigo, skin

aureus and wound
Human skin: infection, food
sweat glands poisoning
Streptococcus Not considered Gram-positive Sore
pyogenes normal flora throat,scarlet
fever, rheumatic
fever
 EXAMPLES OF BACILLI
Causative Agent Habitat Classification Disease

Escherichia coli Normal Flora: Gram-negative Indicator of fecal

enteric contamination of
Human intestines drinking water

Salmonella Normal Flora Gram-negative Food poisoning

typhimurium Human intestines Indicator for
And even poultry fecal
animals like contamination
chicken products
(chicken, milk
etc.)
Clostridium soil Gram-positive Tetanus, muscle
tetani spasm
Neisseria gonorrhoeae

Gram stained urethral discharge. The image shows many

polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNs) and gram-negative extra- and
intra-cellular diplococci. (1,000X oil)
UNUSUAL BACTERIA

Mycoplasma
 E.g. Mycoplasma pneumoniae (pneumonia)
 lack peptidoglycan - resistant to penicillins

Chlamydiae
 E.g. Chlamydia trachomatis (trachoma)
 obligate intracellular parasite
 needs host ATP
 survive only within cells of animals
 - Some cause STD
Chlamydia trachomatis
BACTERIAL CELL WALLS
Lipoteichoic acid

Polysaccharide
(O antigen)

Porin Lipid A

Peptidoglycan
Periplasmic space

Lipid bilayer with proteins

Gram positive Gram negative

PEPTIDOGLYCAN COMPOSITION
1.backbone:
NAM and NAG
(cross-linked)

2.identical
tetrapeptide side
chains attached to
NAM

3.identical peptide
cross-bridges
TETRAPEPTIDE COMPOSITION
Position 1.L-Alanine

Position 2.D-glutamate

Position 3.variable
Gram-positive: DAP or L-lysine
Gram negative: DAP - diaminopimelic acid

Position 4: D-alanine

DAP:unique in prokaryotes, precursor of lysine

(amino acid)
GRAM-POSITIVE BACTERIAL CELL WALL
 simple and thicker peptidoglycan

Some may have capsule or S-layer: outer layer

Teichoic acid: major surface antigen,

Made up of water-soluble glycerol or ribitol
phosphate polymers+sugars

Streptococcus pneumoniae: teichoic acids bear

antigenic determinants called Forssman antigen

Mycolic acid: waxy substances

GRAM-POSITIVE BACTERIAL CELL WALL
Function of teichoic Acid:

binding of Magnesium

External permeability barrier (Example: Bacillus

subtilis) like in outer membrane of Gram-negative
bacteria
GRAM-NEGATIVE BACTERIAL CELL WALL
 complex
Thinner peptidoglycan

Layers
1.Lipopolysaccharide (LPS): gives bacterial surface net
negative charge, released upon cell lysis

2.Outer membrane: hinders passage of bigger

molecules

3.Periplasm or periplasmic space

4.inner membrane: cell membrane

Made up of phospolipids+proteins
1.LPS: NEGATIVELY CHARGED
Parts of LPS
A. Lipid A
B.Core polysaccharide
C. Polysaccharide O-Antigens
1.LPS IS ALSO CALLED ENDOTOXIN
A.lipid A
attached to core polysaccharide
 Only Lipid A is extremely toxic to animals
1.LPS: NEGATIVELY CHARGED
B.Core polysaccharide of LPS
Inner core: made up of KDO+ heptose
KDO means: Keto-deoxy-octulonate
Outer core:made up of
Glucose
Galactose
N-acetylglucosamine
CELL WALL COMPONENTS: LPS
ENDOTOXIN
C. Polysaccharide O-antigen: major surface antigen,
O-antigen.
 Antigenic specificity conferred by the terminal repeat
units, and many types possible, e.g. Salmonella >1000
 GRAM-NEGATIVE CELL WALL

2.Outer membrane

 Unique feature: Excludes

hydrophobic molecules

 In enteric bacteria:
protection from bile salts

 Enteric bacteria: found in

intestines
 GRAM-NEGATIVE CELL WALL
2.Outer membrane

 Has lipids and excludes

hydrophilic substances as
well

 Porins: protein channels

 Porins permit diffusion of

low molecular weight
hydrophilic compounds

 Porins: attachment site of

bacteriophage
 GRAM-NEGATIVE CELL WALL
2.Outer membrane

Molecules that pass thru

porins:

 Sugars
 Amino acids
 Certain ions

 Vitamin B 12

 Large antibiotic molecules

penetrate slowly, accounting
for antibiotic resistance
 GRAM-NEGATIVE CELL WALL
2.Outer membrane

 Permeability of outer
membrane varies among
gram-negative bacteria

 Pseudomonas
aeruginosa:antibiotic
resistant
 100 times less permeability

of outer membrane than

E.coli
Most pathogens cause disease by producing poisons,
these are either:

- Exotoxins: proteins secreted by the pathogen that

cause illness.

Exotoxins: secreted by Gram positive bacteria E.g. C.

tetani
active immunity - toxoid
passive immunity – antitoxin

- Endotoxins: poisons that are part of the pathogen that

causes illness. (e.g. bacterium’s outer membrane)
 GRAM-NEGATIVE CELL WALL
2.Periplasmic space

 Contains peptidoglycan+ gel-like

solution of proteins

Contains
 binding proteins
 Hydrolytic enzymes
 Detoxyfying enzymes: inactivate

certain antibiotics

 Has oligosaccharides:
Polymer of D-glucose units
(8-10)
 LYSOZYME EFFECTS ON
EUBACTERIA
Lysozymes:
 found in tears, saliva, nasal secretions,egg white
 Attacks β1-4 linkage of peptidoglycan linkage

 On gram-postive bacteria: effective

 In gram-positive cells: cells will be free spherical bodies: protoplasts

 Gram-negative: Outer membrane prevents access to cell wall

 If EDTA (chelating agent) applied: lyzozyme will work on Gram-
negative cells (laboratory set-up)

 Spheroplasts: cells with remnants of cell wall degraded with lyzozyme

CELL WALL OF ARCHAEA

S- layer: 2-D paracrystalline layer lattice of protein or glycoprotein

molecules

 S-layer: outermost component

 S-layer is found even in some eubacteria,gram-positve or even in

gram-negative.It is still the outermost layer even in eubacteria

S-layer function:
• protection from cell-wall degrading enzymes
• Cell shape maintenance
• Cell adhesion to host surfaces
CYTOPLASMIC STRUCTURES IN
BACTERIA

Other structures include:

1.PHB :poly- β-hydroxybutyric acid

 Function: storage of reserve materials in form of insoluble

granules, inert polymers

 Excess carbon in medium is converted to PHB when

nutritional source of nitrogen,sulfur, phosphorus is low and
even when pH: low

 Other function of PHB: granules are used as carbon source

CYTOPLASMIC STRUCTURES IN
BACTERIA

Other structures include:

2.Metachromatic granules: reserves of inorganic phosphate

OTHER STRUCTURES OUTSIDE CELL
WALL
1.CAPSULE
 condensed, well defined layer closely surrounding the
cell
 contributes to invasiveness of pathogenic bacteria by
reducing opsonisation and protecting from
phagocytosis.
 Encapsulated cells evade immune system cells,
unless coated with anticapsular antibody

 E.g. Streptococcus pneumoniae in Respiratory tract

infections (RTI)
OTHER STRUCTURES OUTSIDE CELL
WALL
2.GLYCOCALYX
 loose meshwork of fibrils extending outward from the cell
 major role in bacterial adherence to surfaces
 Streptococcus mutans and dental caries

 3.Flagella:
 Thread-like appendages, made up of protein sub-nits called
flagellin
 can be removed but is rapidly replaced
 Involved in motility
 impart spinning movement
 Chemotaxis: flagella move bacteria towards or away from
chemical attractant/repellent e.g. Vibrio cholerae
Capsules
ARRANGEMENT OF FLAGELLA
3.Flagella:
Monotrichous- single polar flagellum
Peritrichous- flagella distributed all over the
cell
Lophotrichous-multiple polar flagella
Flagella

peritrichous
monotrichous
OTHER STRUCTURES OUTSIDE
CELL WALL
4. Pili

 Found on Gram negative bacteria

 shorter and finer than flagella
 rigid
 Two classes:
A.ordinary pili
 colonization antigens’
 Protein, attachment to host cells.
 Can be involved in host cell invasion
ex:Neisseria meningitidis

B. sex pili
 role in conjugation
(transfer of plasmid DNA)
 EXAMPLES OF EXTREMOPHILES

Type of Environment Example of extremophiles

Extremely acidic acidophiles

Extremely alkaline alkaliphiles

Extremely hot Thermophiles

Extremely cold Psychrophiles

Extremely salty Halophiles

Extremely high pressure piezophiles

 EXAMPLES OF BACTERIA AND DISEASES
Classification Morphology Bacterium
Gram-positve Cocci in Staphylococcus Wound infection,
clusters aureus septicemia
Cocci in chains Streptococcus Strep throat,
pyogenes necrotizing
fascitis, scarlet
fever
diplococci Streptococcus Pneumonia,
pneumoniae meningitis, ear
and sinus infection
bacillus Corynebacterium diptheria
diptheriae
 EXAMPLES OF BACTERIA AND DISEASES
Classification Morphology Bacterium
Gram-positve Spore- Bacillus anthracis Anthrax
forming
bacillus
Clostridium botilinum botulism

Clostridium Wound infection,

perfringens gas gangrene, food
poisoning
Clostridium tetani tetanus
 EXAMPLES OF BACTERIA AND DISEASES
Classification Morphology Bacterium
Gram-negative diplococci Neisseria gonorrhea
gonorrhoeae
Neisseria meningitis Meningitis, respiratory
infection
bacillus Bordetella pertussis Whooping cough

Chlamydia genital infection,

trachomatis trachomatis
Escherichia coli Urinary tract
infection,septicemia
Francisella tularemia
tularensis
Haemophilus Meningitis, respiratory,
influenzae ear, and sinus infection
 EXAMPLES OF BACTERIA AND DISEASES
Classification Morphology Bacterium
Gram-negative bacillus Klebsiella Urinary tract and
pneumoniae respiratory infection
Proteus vulgaris Urinary tract infection

Pseudomonas Respiratory, urinary

aeruginosa and wound infection
Rickettsia rickettsii Rocky mountain
spotted fever
Salmonella typhi Typhoid fever

Salmonella spp. and Gastroentiritis

Shigella spp.
Yersinia pestis plague
 EXAMPLES OF BACTERIA AND DISEASES
Classification Morphology Bacterium
Gram-negative Curved bacillus Vibrio choerae cholera

spirochete Treponema pallidum Syphilis

Acid-fast Gram- Branching Bacilli Mycobacterium Leprosy (Hansen

variable leprae disease)
Mycobacterium tuberculosis
tuberculosis