Topic 6.

Microbes: protozoa, fungi, bacteria, viruses

• What is Microbiology?
• Types of microorganisms
• Protozoa
• Fungi
• Bacteria
• Viruses
• Roles in human physiology
What is Microbiology?

Microbiology is the scientific study of organisms, most of which

are too small to be seen with the naked eye.

Microbes include;
• Unicellular microorganisms: bacteria, archaea, algae, fungi
and protozoa.
• Multicellular microorganisms: bacteria, algae and fungi.
• Acellular microorganisms: viruses, viroids and prions.
Types of Microorganisms

(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mZIT6GyUIWk)
Microorganisms and the Tree of Life

(https://www.boundl
ess.com/microbiolo
gy/textbooks/boundl
ess-microbiology-
textbook/introductio
n-to-microbiology-
1/microbes-and-the-
world-19/types-of-
microorganisms-
207-1066/)
Viruses
Viruses are very tiny microorganisms which by themselves are
not alive. They cannot grow or multiply on their own and need to
enter a cell to help them multiply. Viruses can infect all types of
life forms, from animals and plants to microorganisms, including
bacteria and archaea.

Outside infected cells viruses exist in the form of independent

particles known as virions, consist of two or three parts:
• Nucleic acid: this is the core of the virus with its DNA or
RNA. The DNA or RNA holds all of the information for the
virus and that makes it unique and helps it multiply.
• Protein coat (capsid): this surrounds and protects the nucleic
acid.
• Lipid membrane (envelope): this covers the capsid. Many
viruses do not have this envelope and are called naked
viruses.
(http://slideplayer.com/slide/6401462/)
Structures of Different Viruses

(http://pulpbits.net/5-viruses-dna-structure/)
Bacteria: Structure, Habitats and Functions
Bacteria are single celled microbes that constitute a large
domain of prokaryotic microorganisms. The cell structure is
simpler than that of other organisms as there is no nucleus or
membrane bound organelles. Instead their control centre
containing the genetic information is contained in a single loop of
DNA.

They are present in most of its habitats: soil, water, acidic hot
springs, radioactive waste, and the deep portions of Earth’s
crust. Bacteria are vital in recycling nutrients, with many of the
stages in nutrient cycles dependent on these organisms, such as
the fixation of nitrogen from the atmosphere, and putrefaction.
Structure of Bacteria

(http://leavingbio.net/bacteria%20page.htm)
Bacteria in the Body: Symbiotic Associations
Bacteria can form complex associations with other organisms.
These symbiotic associations are mutualism, commensalism and
parasitism. There are approximately as many bacterial cells as
there are human cells in the body, with the largest number being in
the gut flora, and a large number on the skin.

Most body bacteria are rendered harmless by the protective effects

of the immune system, and some are beneficial. However, several
species of bacteria are pathogenic and cause infectious diseases,
including cholera, syphilis, anthrax, leprosy, and bubonic plague
The most common fatal bacterial diseases are respiratory
infections.
Bacterial Associations
(http://www.saludymedicinas.com.mx/centros-de-
salud/diarrea-deshidratacion/temas-relacionados/flora-
intestinal.html)

(http://www.bioquicknews.com/node/644)
Fungi: Characteristics
Fungi are eukaryotic organisms either unicellular such as yeasts
and molds or multicellular fungi that produce familiar fruiting forms
known as mushrooms.
A characteristic unique to fungi is that their cell wall is composed
of glucans and chitin.

Similar to animals, fungi are heterotrophs; they acquire their food

by absorbing dissolved molecules, typically by secreting digestive
enzymes into their environment.

Abundant worldwide, most fungi are inconspicuous because of

their small size, and their cryptic lifestyles in soil or on dead matter.
Fungi include symbionts of plants, animals, or other fungi and also
parasites.
Morphologies of Fungi

(http://microbialfoods.org/using-microscopy-to-monitor-artisan-fermentations/)
Fungi: Importance
They are important organisms, both in terms of their ecological and
economic roles. By breaking down dead organic material, they
continue the cycle of nutrients through ecosystems.

In addition, most vascular plants could not grow without the

symbiotic fungi, or mycorrhizae, that inhabit their roots and supply
essential nutrients. Other fungi provide numerous drugs (penicillin,
other antibiotics), foodstuffs (mushrooms, truffles).

A number of fungi, in particular the yeasts, are important "model

organisms" for studying problems in genetics and molecular
biology.
Importance of Fungi

(http://pt.slideshare.net/jannatiftikhar/economically-important-higher-fungi/2)
Fungi: Diseases
Fungi parasites can cause a number of animal, plant and other
fungi diseases. Some fungi can cause serious diseases in humans,
several of which may be fatal if untreated. These include
aspergillosis, candidiasis, coccidioidomycosis, cryptococcosis,
histoplasmosis and mycetomas. Furthermore, immune-deficient
persons are particularly susceptible to fungal diseases.

Because fungi are more chemically and genetically similar to

animals than other organisms, this makes fungal diseases very
difficult to treat. Plant diseases caused by fungi include rusts,
smuts, and leaf, root, and stem rots, and may cause severe
damage to crops.
Parasitic Fungi

Candida
(http://www.suggest-
keywords.com/bXljZWxpYWwgY
2FuZGlkYQ/)

Aspergillus
(http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-
34056549)
Candida Infections

Nails Mouth

(http://owndoc.com/candida-albicans/candida-facts/) (https://www.ufoinsight.com/candida-fungus-cancer/)
Protozoa: Characteristics
Protozoa are unicellular, mostly aerobic, eukaryotic organisms;
sometimes also called protists. They are neither plants nor
animals. They make up the largest group of organisms in the world
in terms of numbers and biomass. Protozoa are abundant in
aqueous environments and soil.

Protozoans can be free-living or parasitic, unicellular or colonial.

They include flagellates which move with the help of whip-like
structures called flagella, ciliates which move by using hair-like
structures called cilia, and amoebae which move by the use of
foot-like structures called pseudopodia. Some protozoa are sessile,
and do not move at all.
 Protozoa Structure and Life Cycle

Toxoplasma
(http://www.aviva.co.uk/health-insurance/home-of-health/medical-
centre/medical-encyclopedia/entry/structure-protozoa/)
Giardia Life Cycle
(https://online.science.psu.edu/micrb106_wd/node/6106)
Protozoa: Nutrition and Disease
Some protozoans have chloroplasts like plants and make their own
food, which makes them autotrophs; others are heterotrophs.
Protozoa may take in food by osmotrophy, absorbing nutrients
through their cell membranes, or by phagocytosis, either by
engulfing particles of food with pseudopodia, or take in food
through a mouth-like aperture called a cytostome. All protozoa
digest their food in stomach-like compartments called vacuoles.

A number of protozoan pathogens are parasites and can cause

diseases in humans. Examples are malaria, amoebiasis, giardiasis,
toxoplasmosis, cryptosporidiosis, trichomoniasis, leishmaniasis,
trypasonomiasis, Chagas disease, etc.
Parasitic Protozoa

Trematode
(parasitic worm)
(https://meromicrobiology.blogspot.com.au/2011/08/i
ntroduction-and-classification-of.html)

(http://www.pathobio.sdu.edu.cn/sdjsc/engparabook/ch077.htm)
Role in Human Physiology
The human microbiota is the aggregate of microorganisms that
resides on or within a number of tissues and biofluids, including the
skin, mammary glands, placenta, seminal fluid, uterus, ovarian
follicles, lung, saliva, oral mucosa, conjunctiva, and gastrointestinal
tracts.

The microbial flora has a spatial and temporal complexity that

differs by individual, body niche, age, geographic location, health
status, diet and type of host. Even within the same individual, the
composition of the microbial flora can vary according to changes in
diet, stress, sexual behavior, medication, hormonal changes and
other host-related factors.
Role of Gut Microbiota
The gut microbiota maintains a symbiotic relationship with the gut
mucosa and imparts substantial support to the following functions:
• host nutrient metabolism by digesting and metabolizing some
substrates
• involved in the production of vitamins, e.g. B5, B6, B12, H, K2
• xenobiotic and drug metabolism,
• maintenance of structural integrity of the gut mucosal barrier by
maturation of intestinal cells
• stimulation of intestinal transit,
• immunomodulation by development of the immune system,
• protection against pathogens by resisting their colonisation
through various mechanisms.