Areobic and Anaerobic bacteria and their living system

Bacteria are small single-celled organisms. Bacteria are found almost everywhere on Earth
and are vital to the planet's ecosystems. Some species can live under extreme conditions of
temperature and pressure. The human body is full of bacteria, and in fact is estimated to
contain more bacterial cells than human cells. Most bacteria in the body are harmless, and
some are even helpful. A relatively small number of species cause disease.Based on whether
oxygen is required for survival or not,bacteria are classified as two types:

1.Areobic Bacteria and

2.Anaerobic Bacteria.

1.Areobic Bacteria:

The bacteria that grow in the presence of oxygen are called aerobic bacteria. They have the
ability to detoxify oxygen with the help of enzymes. The final electron acceptor is molecular
oxygen. Water is produced from the final electron acceptor. When in liquid medium they are
seen on the surface of the medium.Thic type of bacteria lives in soil,water, different
surfaces.They produce more energy than anaerobic bacteria.There are two main type of
areobic bacteria:

1.Obligate areobic bacteria:

The obligate aerobes that compulsorily require oxygen for deriving energy, growth,
reproduction, and cellular respiration. These organisms do not survive in the absence of
oxygen or flooding.

Obligate aerobes need oxygen to oxidize substrates (for example sugars and fats) in order to
obtain energy. They use oxygen as the terminal electron acceptor during aerobic respiration.
They have the advantage of yielding more energy than the obligate anaerobes. However, they
also have to face high levels oxidative stress.

Almost all animals, most fungi, and several bacteria are obligate aerobes. Examples of
obligate aerobic bacteria are: Nocardia , Pseudomonas aeruginosa (, Mycobacterium
tuberculosis (acid-fast) .
2. Facultative and Microaerophile aerobes:

Facultative bacteria behave both aerobically and anaerobically, according to the prevailing
conditions. In reduced environments, they acquire energy via anaerobic pathways, whereas in
oxidative environments, they develop aerobic pathways. The microaerophilic bacteria require
oxygen but in very low concentrations.

Some examples of areobic bacteria:

Studying the characteristic features and importance of bacteria is a major part of bacteriology.
Mentioned below are some examples of aerobic bacteria and their characteristic features:

Bacillus
The genus Bacillus encompasses both obligate and facultative types of bacterial species. They
include free living or pathogenic strains. For example, B. subtilis is a free-living soil
bacterium, while B. anthrax infection causes anthrax disease. Ubiquitous in habit and having
a large-sized genome, various species of Bacillus are commercially used for enzyme
production and genetic researches.

Mycobacterium tuberculosis
As the name suggests, it is a species of pathogenic bacteria that cause tuberculosis. It is a rod
shaped, obligate aerobic bacteria, characterized by the presence of a waxy layer on the wall.
Being an oxygen-needing species, M. tuberculosis infects the lungs of mammalians, where
oxygen is present in very high amounts. It divides at a very slow rate, after about 15 hours of
infection.

Nocardia
Rod-shaped and gram positive type, the genus nocardia comprises more than 80 species. Out
of these, some are capable of causing health conditions, while others are non-pathogenic. The
disease caused by infection of nocardia is called nocardiosis, affecting only the lungs or the
whole body. Usually, nocardia thrives in the oral cavity, mostly in the gums and periodontal
pockets.
Lactobacillus
Lactobacillus is not a true aerobic bacteria, but it is included in the facultative type. You
might have already heard about the application of this bacterium in curdling and fermentation
of food items. It is normally found in the oral cavity and intestines without causing any
symptoms. Rather, some Lactobacillus species are beneficial for health and classified as
probiotic flora.

Pseudomonas Aeruginosa
Pseudomonas Aeruginosa is an gram-negative, rod shaped, obligate bacterium that causes
diseases in humans and animals. It attacks people with a weak immune system. It is found
everywhere in the environment. Infections caused by this bacterium are characterized by
inflammations. If this infection occurs in the lungs or other vital organs, it can prove to be
fatal. Diseases caused by it are pneumonia, urinary tract infections, and gastrointestinal
infections. In addition to the above-mentioned strains, the list of aerobic bacteria includes
Staphylococcus (facultative) and Enterobacteriacae species (facultative) among others. The
major roles of aerobic bacteria include recycling of nutrients, decomposing waste products,
and assisting in plant nutrient absorption. As they play a crucial role in the efficient working
of septic systems, aerobic bacteria generators used in tanks. Bacteria from the generator aid in
digesting harmful gases, foul odor, and help with other waste digesting problem.

Living style of Areobic bacteria:

Areobic bacteria require oxygen for survival.Anareobic organism or areob is an organism that
can survive and grow in an oxygenated environment.They are present in aerated moist soil
containing organic sources.Areobic bacteria consume oxygen during decomposition of the
excess carbon that sinks from the upper water column to the seabed.

Aerobic bacteria are easily grown at a small scale in tubes and flasks by incubating the media
under normal atmospheric conditions. In large-scale operations, the media has to be exposed
to air, and sufficient air must be present for respiration of all living microorganisms . The
indication of availability of oxygen in the liquid phase is to measure the amount of dissolved
oxygen. DO probes are available on the market, and most fermenters are equipped with a DO
meter. For areobic fermentation, the bioreactor must be equipped with a DO meter. The level
of DO in the media is a function of temperature. Higher operating temperatures decrease the
level of DO. To have sufficient oxygen, an air sparger is required to purge compressed air or
pressured air to be bubbled into the media. The availability of oxygen is a major parameter to
be considered for effective microbial cell growth rate

The obligate areobes that compulsory require for the deriving energy,
growth,reproduction,and cellular respiration.Theseorganisms do not survive in the absence of
oxygen or flooding.

2. Anaerobic bacteria:

The word anaerobic indicates without oxygen. The bacteria that grow in the absence of
oxygen are called anaerobic bacteria. It does not have the ability to detoxify oxygen. The
final electron acceptor is carbon dioxide, sulfur, fumarate or ferric. Acetate like substances,
methane, nitrate and sulfide are produced by these bacteria. When in liquid medium they are
seen at the bottom of the medium.Anaerobic bacteria produce less energy than areobic
bacteria.Anaerobic bacteria are germs that can survive and grow where there is no oxygen.
For example, it can thrive in human tissue that is injured and does not have oxygen-rich
blood flowing to it. Infections like tetanus and gangrene are caused by anaerobic bacteria.
Anaerobic infections typically cause abscesses (buildups of pus), and death of tissue. Many
anaerobic bacteria produce enzymes that destroy tissue or sometimes release potent toxins.In
humans, these bacteria are most commonly found in gastrointestinal tract. They play a role in
conditions such as appendictis, diveticulitis and performation of bowelFor practical purpose
there are three catagories of anaerobes:

1.Obligate anaerobic bacteria:

Obligate anaerobes are organism which can only live in environments which lack oxygen.
Unlike the majority of organisms in the world, these organisms are poisoned by oxygen.
Obligate anaerobes are typically bacteria, and live in a variety of places naturally. Many
obligate anaerobes live in the human body, in places like the mouth and gastrointestinal tract
where oxygen levels are very low. Sometimes, these bacteria can accidentally be deposited
where they are not supposed to be, causing serious infection. Some obligate anaerobes
include the bacteria which cause gangreneand a number of other infections. Below is a
microscope slide showing the Clostridium genus of bacteria, responsible for gangrene,
tetanus, botulism, colitis, and other serious infections.

2.Facultative anaerobic bacteria:

A facultative anaerobes is an organism that makes ATP by aerobic respiration if oxygen is

present but if capable of switching to fermentation if oxygen is absent.Facultativeanarobes
can change their metabolic process depending on the presence of oxygen, using the more
efficient process of respiration in the presence of oxygen and the less efficient process of
fermentation in the absence of oxygen.Some examples of facultatively anaerobic bacteria are
Staphylococus ,E.coli.

3.Aerotolerant anaerobic bacteria:

aerotolerant anaerobe is also called facultative anaerobe,it can grow and reproduce in the
exsitence of oxygen,which carry out aerobic respiration. Because the process of aerobic
respiration can emerge a lot of energy,using for its growth and reproduction.however,when
no oxygen exsists in the surrounding environment,aerotolerant anaerobe can only maintance
its exsit through anaerobic respiration,in the mean time,the process of anaerobic respiration
can produce a lot of production,such as ethanol or lactose etc,we call the process
fermentation.

There are many example of aerotolerantanaerobe,such as Saccharomyces cerevisiae , E .

coli and Enterobacteraerogenes and etc.
Some examples of anaerobic bacteria:

1.Escherichia Coli:

Escherichila coli also khown as E.coli, is a gram negative, facultative anaerbicbacteria.E.coli

is a bacteria bacteria found in the environment, foods, and intestines of people and animals.
E. coli are a large and diverse group of bacteria. Although most strains of E. coli are
harmless, others can make you sick. Some kinds of E. coli can cause diarrhea, while others
cause urinary tract infections, respiratory illness and pneumonia, and other illnesses.

2. Clostridium :

Clostridium species are anaerobic,fermentative,spore forming bacteria.This type of bacteria

found in many environmental sources as well as in the intestines of humans and animals.
Clostridium commonly found on raw meat and poultry. It prefers to grow in conditions with
very little or no oxygen, and under ideal conditions can multiply very rapidly. Some strains
of Clostridium produce a toxin in the intestine that causes illness.

3. Bacteroids:

Bacteroids is a genus ofcgram negative, obligate, anaerobic bacteria.Bacteroides species are

anaerobic bacteria that are predominant components of the bacterial florae of mucous
membranes and are therefore a common cause of endogenous infections. Bacteroides
infections can develop in all body sites, including the CNS, the head, the neck, the chest, the
abdomen, the pelvis, the skin, and the soft tissues. Inadequate therapy against these anaerobic
bacteria may lead to clinical failure.
4.Prevotella:

Prevotella spp. are obligate anaerobic, Gram-negative rod-shaped bacteria belonging to the
Prevotellaceae family. The genus comprises approximately 30 species. Prevotella spp. often
colonise the human oral, intestinal and urogenital floras. When the mucous membrane is
stressed or injured, the facultative pathogens can enter the body and thus trigger infections.

Prevotella spp. may cause lung, abdomen or brain abscesses. Furthermore, the bacteria can
elicit dental, lower abdomen and wound infections.

5.Actinomyces :

Actinomyces are anaerobic, no virulent organisms that are usually present in the oropharynx,
gastrointestinal tract and female genitalia as part of the resident microbial flora.Many species
of actinomycetes occur in soil and are harmless to animals and higher plants,and many others
are benefical sources of antibiotics. There are more than a dozen od suborders of
actinomycetes. However, the heterogeneous nature of those organisms a source of taxonomic
instability , and await more a certain classification of the specific types of
actinomycetes,Nocardiaasteroides,an aerobic species is the primary cause of nocardiosis, an
infection of lungs, brain or skin in humans.Several species of Actinomyces cause the disease
actinomytosis in humans and cattle.Manyof the actinomycetes are sources of antibiotics and
streptomycin.

6.Fusobacterium:

Fusobacterium is a genus of anaerobic gram negetive, non-sporeforming bacteria, similar to

Bacteroids. Individual cells are slender, rod-shaped bacilli with pointed ends.Strains of
Fusobacterium cause several human diseases, including peridontal diseases, Lemierre's
syndrome, and topical skin ulcers. Although older sources state that Fusobacterium is part of
the normal flora of the human oropharynx, the current consensus is that Fusobacterium
should always be treated as a pathogen F. prausnitzii, a gut commensal associated with
healthy patients, was completely reclassified as Faecalibacterium.
Livingstyle of anaeribic bacteria

An anaerobic organism or anaerobe is any organusm that does not require oxygen for growth.
It may react negetively or even if free oxygen is present. Anaerobic bacteria do not require
oxygen for respiration. Rather various organic and enen inorganic materials may be used as
electron acceptors duringvthus process.Anaerobes are bacteria that grow and metabolize only
in an environment with a relative lack of oxygen. More specifically, anaerobes will not grow
on the surface of agar plates in room air or in room air that has been augmented with as much
as 10% C02. Most anaerobes grow well only in an atmosphere containing as little as 3 to 6
ppm 02, although several species of Actinomycesand Clostridium are more aerotolerant, a
characteristic that can, in fact, be used to help identify them. Establishing an anaerobic
atmosphere will also generally lower the oxidation-reduction potential (Eh) of the medium
used for growth of anaerobes. Although most anaerobes grow adequately at E h levels around
—10 mV, commonly employed anaerobic incubation methods reduce the media to much
lower levels. Obligate anaerobes, which will not grow in air or C02, must be differentiated
from facultatively anaerobic bacteria (most of the commonly recognized “aerobes”) which
grow well under anaerobic conditions, as well as in air or C02. Capnophilic (or

“microaerophilic”) bacteria (primarily streptococci) require room air enhanced with at least 4
to 5% C02 but also grow well in anaerobic incubation systems, which usually include excess
C02. They can be differentiated from anaerobes by demonstrating their growth in
environments that contain C02 (candle jar, C02 incubator) but are not anaerobic.Anaerobic
bacteria are germs that can survive and grow where there is no oxygen. For example, it can
thrive in human tissue that is injured and does not have oxygen-rich blood flowing to it.
Infections like tetanus and gangrene are caused by anaerobic bacteria. Anaerobic infections
typically cause abscesses (buildups of pus), and death of tissue. Many anaerobic bacteria
produce enzymes that destroy tissue or sometimes release potent toxins.

Besides bacteria, some protozoans and worms are also anaerobic.

Illnesses that create a lack of oxygen in the body can force the body into anaerobic activity.
This can cause harmful chemicals to form. It can happen in all types of shocks.
Like other anaerobic organisms anaerobic bacteria do not require oxygen for respiration
Rather various organic and even inorganic materials may be used as electron acceptor during
this process.Here, its worth nothing that sone of the anaerobes can tolerate oxygen and even
use it fir respiration. For others however oxygen can not be tolerated and is even poisonous to
the bacteria.