PHYSIOLOGY OF

MICROORGANISM
 NUTRITIONAL
REQUIREMENTS

     Source of Energy

- Phototrophs---light
- Chemotrophs– inorganic or organic
compounds

     Source of Carbon

- Autotrophs---CO2
- Litotrophs—inorganic compound except
CO2
- Heterotrophs (Organotrophs)
 Organic compounds
Energy Source and Carbon Source

 --Photoautotrophs---Light + CO2
ex. Plants, algae, cyanobacteria,
purple and green sulfur bacteria

 --Photoheterotrophs
(Photoorganotrophs)
--- Light + organic
compounds
—ex. Green and purple non-
sulfur bacteria

 --Chemoautotrophs– Chemical + CO2

--ex. Nitrifying, hydrogen, iron
and sulfur bacteria
 --Chemolitotrophs--- Chemical + inorganic
compound except CO2

 -- Chemoheterotrophs– Chemical +
organic compound
ex. All animals, protozoa,
fungi, most bacteria
 -- Photolithotrophs – Light + inorganic
compound except CO2
ex. Plants and algae: producers
of food and O2 for chemoheterotrophs
II. ENVIRONMENTAL REQUIREMENTS

A. TEMPERATURE
 1. Psychrophilescold loving microbes

 2. Mesophiles

--moderate-temperature loving
organism
-- most pathogens and indigenous flora
 3. Thermophiles

-- heat loving microbes

-- ex. Thermophilic cyanobacteria found
in
hot springs
-- Thermodurics: organisms that can
survive or endure boiling--- ex. Endospores
 GROWTH
TEMPERATURES:
1. Minimum Growth temperature
- lowest temperature which the species
will grow

2. Optimum Growth temperature

- temperature which the species grows
best

3. Maximum Growth temperature

- highest temperature at which growth is
possible
B. PH
-- acidity or alkalinity of a solution
1. Neutrophiles
-- neutral growth medium (pH 7)
-- most microorganisms
2. Acidophiles
--prefer a pH of 2-5
--microbes that live in the
stomach
3. Alkaliphiles (Basophiles)
--prefer pH greater 8.5
-- found in intestine
C. OXYGEN REQUIREMENTS
-Based on relationship to O2

1. Aerobes---use molecular O2 for life

and reproduction
a. Obligate aerobes
- require an atmosphere that
contains O2 similar to room air (20-21%
O2),
Ex. Mycobacteria
b. Microaerophiles
- require O2 lower than room
air (=5% O2)
Ex. Neisseria, Campylobacter
2. Anaerobes
- do not require O2 for life and reproduction
- vary based on sensitivity to O2
a. Obligate anaerobe
- unable to grow in O2
ex. Clostridium
b. Facultative anaerobe
- capable of surviving in the presence
or absence of O2 (0% to 20-21% O2)
ex. Enterobacteria, streptococci,
staphylococci
c. Aerotolerant anaerobe
- does not require O2
- grows better in the absence of
oxygen but can survive in atmosphere containing
O2
ex. Lactobacilli
Based on relationship to CO2

- Capnophiles– grow better in the presence

of
increased concentrations of CO2

- Anaerobes– Bacteroides, Fusobacterium

- Aerobes– Neisseria,Campylobacter,
Hemophilus
BACTERIAL GROWTH CURVE
- Obtained from growing the organism in
pure culture (in vitro)
- growth of cells over time

1.       LAG Phase

- period of little or no cell division
-bacteria absorbs nutrients,
synthesize enzymes and prepare for
reproduction
- period of intense metabolic activity
involving DNA and enzyme synthesis
2. LOG Phase
-exponential growth phase or
logarithmic growth phase
- cells begin to divide and enter a
period of growth or logarithmic increase
- cellular reproduction is most active
- growth rate is at its greatest
- microorganisms sensitive to adverse
conditions
ex. Penicillin
3. Stationary Phase
- period of equilibrium
- during this phase that the culture
is at its greatest population density
- # of cells produced = # of cell
deaths
4. Death Phase
- Logarithmic decline phase
- # of deaths > # of cells formed
- toxic waste products increase and
nutrient supply decrease
12

10

8
curve
6 Area 2
Area 1
4

2
0
1st 3rd
Qtr Qtr
III. MICROBIAL GROWTH
- An increase in the number of
organisms

 Culture Media

Requirements:
1. Contain the right nutrients
2. Must be initially sterile
3. Incubated at proper
temperature
Forms:
1. Liquid (broth)- infusion media
2. Agar– addition of a solidifying
agent poured into tubes or Petri
Broth
Types of culture media:

1. Synthetic Media
- chemically defined medium
- exact chemical composition is known
- used for growth of chemoautotrophs
and
photoautotrophs and microbiological
assays.

2. Complex Media
- natural medium
- contains digested extracts from
animals, meats, fish, yeast and
plants
-used for growth of most heterotrophic
3. Enriched Media
- broth or solid medium
- containing a rich supply of special
nutrients - promote the growth of
Fastidious organisms
(ex. Complex nutritional requirements)
- add nutrients to the basic medium
(nutrient agar)
ex. Blood Agar
--nutrient agar + 5% sheep RBC
Chocolate agar
--nutrient agar + powdered Hgb
- increase numbers of desired microbes to
detectable levels
Blood agar
Chocolate agar
4. Selective media
- suppress growth of unwanted
bacteria - encourage growth of
desired microbes

Examples:
Bismuth sulfite agar--- Salmonella typhi
Mac Conkey’s agar– Gram- negative
bacteria
Thayer-Martin agar --- Neisseria
Saboraud dextrose agar--- fungi
5. Differential media
- permits the differentiation of
organisms that grow in the medium

Examples:
Mac Conkey’s Agar --- gram negative
organisms
Lactose fermenters----pink colonies
Non-lactose fermenters-- colorless
Mc Conkey agar
 Quiz time
Please prepare ¼ paper
1. Culture media for Gram (-) organisms
Chocolate agar
Sabaraud agar
Mc Conkey agar

2. Used for Fastidious organisms

Selective media
enriched media
3. Identify the culture media
agar
broth

4. Exponential growth
Lag phase
Log phase
stationary phase
5. Require O2 as in room air
microaerophile
obligate aerobe

6. Unable to grow in O2
facultative anaerobe
obligate anaerobe
7. Microbes that live in stomach
neutrophiles
alkalinophiles
acidophiles

8. Light + organic compounds

photolithotrophs
photoheterotrophs
9. Gram (-) cocci EXCEPT
streptococcus
neisseria
veilonella

10. Gram (+) bacilli EXCEPT

Mycobacterium
Hemophilus
Corynebacterium