EXERCISE 5

• To set-up conditions to test the influence

on microbes of some factors like pH, light,
temperature, radiation, salts

• To describe effects of these factors on the

growth of microbes and explain the
physiology involved
 ENVIRONMENTAL
FACTORS AFFECTING
GROWTH
 EFFECT OF pH
• ACIDITY

• ALKALINITY

• MICROBIAL GROUPS
– ACIDOPHILES
• FUNGI, Thiobacillus

– ALKALIPHILES
• BACILLUS SPECIES
• MAY ALSO BE HALOPHILIC

– NEUTROPHILES
• OPTIMAL BETWEEN pH 6-8
EFFECT OF TEMPERATURE
• ONE OF THE MOST IMPROTANT
ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS

• MAY GROW FASTER OR CELL

COMPONENTS DAMAGED

• RANGES OR CARDINAL
TEMPERATURES
– MINIMUM
– MAXIMUM
– OPTIMUM
CLASSES OF ORGANISMS
BASED ON TEMPERATURE
• PSYCHROTOLERANT
– WIDE DISTRIBUTION

• PSYCHROPHILES
– Flavobacterium species

• MESOPHILES
– E. coli

• THERMOPHILES
– Bacillus strearothermophilus

• HYPERTHERMOPHILES
– Thermococcus celer
 PHYSIOLOGY
• PSYCHROPHILY
– HIGH CONTENT OF UNSATURATED FATTY ACIDS
– HELP MAINTAIN A SEMI-FLUID MEMBRANE STATE
AT LOW TEMPERATURE

• THERMOPHILY
– PROTEINS OR ENZYMES = INCREASED NUMBER
OF SALT BRIDGES (RESIST UNFOLDING IN THE
AQUEOUS MILIEU)

– MEMBRANES = RICH IN SATURATED FATTY ACIDS

(STABLE AT HIGH TEMPERATURES)
WATER AVAILABILITY

• WATER = SOLVENT OF LIFE

• WATER AVAILABILITY =
IMPORTANT FACTOR AFFECTING
GROWTH

• WATER ACTIVITY AND OSMOSIS

WATER ACTIVITY AND OSMOSIS
• MICROBIAL GROUPS BASED ON WATER ACTIVITY/OSMOTIC
EFFECTS
– HALOPHILES
• SPECIFIC REQUIREMENT FOR SODIUM ION (1-6%)
• Vibrio fischeri

– HALOTOLERANT
• CAN TOLERATE REDUCTION IN WATER ACTIVITY
• BUT GENERALLY GROW BEST IN THE ABSENCE OF THE ADDED
SOLUTE
• Staphylococcus aureus

– EXTREME HALOPHILES
• GROWTH IN VERY SALTY ENVIRONMENTS (15-20% NaCl)
• Halococcus, Halobacterium

– OSMOPHILES
• GROWTH IN ENVIRONMENTS OF HIGH SUGAR
• Gram positive cocci

– XEROPHILES
• GROW IN VERY DRY ENVIRONMENTS
• Xeromyces bisporus
 EFFECT OF OXYGEN
• MICROBIAL GROUPS BASED ON OXYGEN
REQUIREMENTS

• PHYSIOLOGY OF OXYGEN TOLERANCE

• TOXIC FORMS AND ENZYMES THAT

DESTROY TOXIC OXYGEN
– TRIPLET (Normal ground state) TO SINGLET (major
form of toxif oxygen) OXYGEN
– Carotenoids = convert singlet oxygen to non-toxic forms
– Catalase = for toc oxygen derivatives such as hydrogen
peroxide
 EFFECT OF ALCOHOL
• DISINFECTANTS
– DECONTAMINATE OR STERILIZE
INANIMATE OBJECTS

• ANTISEPTICS
– DECONTAMINATE LIVING TISSUES

• WHY 70% ALCOHOL?

EFFECT OF RADIATION
• IONIZING
– TARGETS DNA MOLECULES
– CHEMICAL CHANGES IN ORGANELLE
– GAMMA RAYS, X-RAYS, CATHODE RAYS

• NON-IONIZING
– EXCITES ATOM BY RAISING THEM TO A
HIGHER ENERGY STATE
– DOES NOT IONIZE
– LEADS TO ABNORMAL LINKAGES WITHIN
DNA MOLECULES
– MUTATION
– UV LIGHT
CELLULAR EFFECTS OF
RADIATION
• IONIZING
– CAN PENETRATE A SOLID BARRIER, BOMBARD A
CELL, ENTER IT AND DISLODGE ELECTRONS
FROM MOLECULES
– BEAKAGE OF DNA CREATES MASSIVE MUTATION

• NON-IONIZING
– ENTERS A CELL, STRIKES OLECULES AND
EXCITES THEM
– MUTATION ON DNA BY FORMATION OF ABNORMAL
BONDS
– A SOLID BARRIER CANNOT BE PENETRATED BY A
NON-IONIZING RADIATION