bacteria are prokaryotic cells, that play an important role in human disease and health.

They
can cause disease but are also part of the human microbiota. And live on our skin body and
on everyday objects in our environment. When compared to eukaryotic cells the structure of
bacteria is less complex due to a lack of nucleus and membrane-bound organelles such as
mitochondria, endoplasmic reticulum and Golgi complexes . now bacterial cells are often
surrounded by several layers, which are collectively called the cell envelope let's start with
the

cell wall which is found on the outer surface of the cell membrane and its most important
role is to protect the bacteria. it consists of peptidoglycan which usually helps differentiate
whether bacteria are gram positive or gram negative. gram positive bacteria have a single
thick layer of peptidoglycan above the plasma membrane which allows them to retain the
staining dye. and gram-negative bacteria have a thinner layer of peptidoglycan sandwiched
between the surface membrane and the plasma membrane so they can't retain the dye.
additionally the cell wall helps maintain their shape the round shaped bacteria are called
Cocci the rod shaped ones are called bacilli, spiral shaped ones are spiral and sometimes the
same bacteria can have multip le forms in which case they're called pleomorphic .

some bacteria are covered by a capsule which acts as a shield that protects the bacteria
against phagocytosis and also helps the bacteria adhere to surfaces. the capsule is considered
an important virulence factor since the strains that Lakha capsule are less virulent.

underneath the bacterial cell wall there's the plasma membrane which is the most important
layer because it encloses the cytoplasm. which is a gel-like substance composed mainly of
water that also contains cell components enzymes and various organic molecules. if the
plasma membrane is removed the cell's contents spill into the environment and the cell no
longer exists. now the plasma membrane is responsible for most of the cells relationship with
the outside world by acquiring nutrients and eliminating waste and also maintains the interior
of the bacteria in a constant highly organized state. usually all plasma membranes are
selectively permeable barriers which allow certain ions and molecules to pass in and out of
the cell. while preventing the movement of others however in bacteria the plasma membrane
has other important roles such as respiration, photosynthesis and the synthesis of lipids and
cell wall components .

now in the bacterial cytoplasm there are scattered cell components such as ribosomes which
are the sites of protein synthesis . these ribosomes can be found spread all over the cytoplasm
where they produce proteins that are destined to remain inside the cell or they can be
attached to the plasma membrane and they are called plasma membrane associated
ribosomes and in this case they make proteins that will reside in the cell envelope or get
transported outside the cell.

another structure found in the cytoplasm is the nucleoid which is an irregularly shaped
region that contains the cell's chromosome .the chromosomes of most bacteria are a single
circle of double-stranded DNA but some bacteria can have a linear chromosome while others
can have more than one chromosome and these chromosomes contain the genes needed to
provide instructions for protein synthesis in the cell. additionally to the genetic material
contained within the nucleoid many bacteria contain extra chromosomal DNA molecules
called plasmids these plasmids are small double-stranded DNA molecules that can exist
independently of the chromosome and they can be circular or linear. plasmids have relatively
few genes and their genetic information is not essential to the bacterium and cells that lack
them usually function normally. however plasmids often contain genes that confer a selective
advantage to the bacterium such as resistance to antibiotics .

finally the bacteria can move or attach to other cells and surfaces with the help of structures
that can be found on their external surface so they have pili or pilus which are hair like
structures that allow them to attach to other cells and when these are shorter they're called
fimbriae and help the bacteria attach to surfaces they can also have flagella or
flagelumwhich are long whip-like protrusions that allow the bacteria to move.

as a quick recap the bacteria are prokaryotic cells that play an important role in human
disease and health. and can be found almost anywhere in the environment. bacterial cells are
often surrounded by several layers which are collectively called the cell envelope they have
a cell wall which protects the bacteria determines whether they are gram positive or gram
negative bacteria and also helps maintain their shape some bacteria can also have another
extra layer on top of the cell wall called a capsule which is a major virulence factor.
underneath the cell wall there's the plasma membrane which is the most important layer
because it encloses the cytoplasm and defines the cell having important roles such as
respiration, photosynthesis and the synthesis of lipids and cell wall constituents the
cytoplasm contains ribosomes which are the site of protein synthesis the nucleoid which
contains the genetic material and plasmids which contain genes that confer a selective
advantage to the bacterium.