Experiment No.

2 : Bacterial growth curve Nn= N02n

Example:
Predict how many cells are produce if a single cell divides
every 30 minutes for 24 hours?
 First, to know the generation, we must divide the
frequency to the total time. We can obtain
generation via ratio and proportion:

60 mins
24 hrs × = 1440 mins →convert hrs to mins
1 hour

1440 ��� � ���

= = 18 ���
30 ��� 1 ���

Next, we apply the formula: Nn= N02n

Nn= (1)248
Lag phase
 Little/ no division/ no growth
281,474,976,710,656
 Adjustment, synthesis of materials for cell
or
division
2.81 x 1014
Log phase
 Exponential logarithmic growth
Brain teaser:
 Cell division
With a doubling time of 30 minutes and a starting
 Cell begin to divide
population size of 1 × 105 cells, how many cells will be
Stationary phase
present after 2 hours, assuming no cell death?
 # new cells = # dying cells
Nn=1x105 (24)
 where the growth rate slows
Nn = 1x105 x (24)
Death Phase
Nn = 1,600,000
 logarithmic death/ logarithmic decline phase
Nn = 1.6 x 106
 limitation of nutrients leads to depletion
 the number of deaths exceeds the # of new
or
cells formed
 logarithmic death/ logarithmic decline phase
Nn=1x105 (24)
 limitation of nutrients leads to depletion
Nn = 1x105 x 1.6x10
 the number of deaths exceeds the # of new
Nn = 1.6 x 106
cells formed
24 = 16 if we convert this into scientific notation: 1.6x10
Generation time
 Doubling time of the population Multiplying SN:
 In ideal conditions, a bacterial population can Nn=1×105 ∙ 1.6×10
expand at an exponential rate. With an (1 x 1.6) • (105 x 10)
optimal generation time of roughly 20 = 1.6 x 106
minutes, a single E. coli bacteria can spawn a In multiplying scientific notation, we only add the
population over 1 billion strong in a 10-hour exponents
timeframe.
Colony forming units (cfu)
 Estimate the number of viable bacterial cell in a
sample
 A cell is only considered viable if it is able to multiply
through binary fission under controlled condition
Formula:
cfu/mL

Serial dilution
 Use to quantify a number of viable bacteria at
different stand points
 A cell is only considered viable if it is able to multiply
The number of cells increases exponentially and can be through binary fission under controlled condition
expressed as
 2n where n is the number of generations
 N0 initial number of cells
 Nn Number of cells at any generation
 Antibiotic resistance
These resistance mechanisms can be sorted into four
categories:
1. The modification of the primary target of the
antibiotic;
2. The inactivation of the antibiotic compound itself;
3. Preventing the antibiotic from reaching the target,
by reducing the permeability of the membrane or
using efflux pumps to keep the drug outside the
cell;
4. Using alternative metabolic pathways to
compensate for the action of the antibiotic and
ensure the survival of the organism.
 such as the transpeptidase for ampicillin resistance
 such as the production of B-lactamase enzymes to
degrade penicillin G inside the cell.
 As observed against ciprofloxacin for example
Brief history of antibiotic development as medicines
1928 Alexander Fleming discovered the first
antibiotic, penicillin. However, it took over a
decade before penicillin was introduced as a
treatment for bacterial infections
1930s The first commercially available antibacterial
was Prontosil, a sulfonamide developed by
the German biochemist Gerhard Domagk
1945 Penicillin was introduced on a large scale as
a treatment for bacterial infections. This was
possible through the work of Florey and
Chain who managed to efficiently purify the
antibiotic and scale-up production. The
introduction of penicillin marked the
beginning of the so-called “golden era” of
antibiotics
1940 – The golden era of antibiotics. Most of the
1962 antibiotic classes we use as medicines today
were discovered and introduced to the
market. Each class typically contains several
antibiotics that have been discovered over
time or are modified versions of previous
types. There are for example numerous β-
lactams (pronounced beta-lactams) such as
different penicillins and cephalosporins.