Lesson 3

Microbial Growth and Its Control

 Microbial Growth refers to an increase I number of cell rather increase in cell size.
 Microbes refers to any microorganisms, especially those causing disease or infection. The term
microbe was coined to refer to microscopic organisms including bacteria, fungi, protozoa and viruses

Ethmology: Greek mikro-(small)+bios (life)

Synonym: microorganism(Micro-organism)

 Bacteria are considered a type of microorganism are single –celled organism

 Bacteria a living things can be either pathogenic microorganism and cause disease or can be useful
like human microbes in the gastrointestinal or respiratory tract

Types of Bacteria

Spherical(cocci)

Rod(bacilli)

Comma Vibrios

Corkscrew (spirochaetes)

Two main types of bacteria

Gram – positive bacteria – they appear purple blue under microscope comes different shape spherical or
round shape, rod shape,

Gram – negative bacteri - these are oval or spherical bacteria are among the most types of bacteria
known

Most common bacteria

Norovirus – that can cause gastroenteritis, an inflammation of stomach and intestines

Salmonella Closridium perfringes - can be found on raw meat

Campylobacter - acquired by eating raw meat, drinking untreated water

Staphylococcus aureus - these bacteria are spread having direct contact or inhaling infected droplets
The importance of microorganism

 they help you digest food

 protect against infection
 maintain your reproductive health

Bacteria

Bacteria are found in every habitat on earth: soil ,rock, oceans and even arctic snow . Some live in or on
other organisms including plant and animals including human. There are approximately 10 times as many
bacterial cells found lining the digestive system. Some bacteria live in soil or on dead plants matter where
they play important role in the cycling in the nutrients. Some type cause spoilage and crop damage others
are useful in production of fermented as yoghurt and soy sauce.

Three Types of Bacteria

Spherical

Spiral

Rod

Spherical: Bacteria shapes like a ball are called cocci and single bacterium is coccus .Examples include
the streptococcus group responsible for strep throat

Rod shape: These are known as bacilli(singular Bacillus).Some rod shape are curved. These are known
are vibrio. Examples of rod shape bacteria include Bacillus anthrax

Spiral: These are known as spirilla (singular spirillus).If their coil is very tight they are known as
spirochetes. Leptospirosis, Lyme disease and syphilis are caused by bacteria of this shape

Five Characteristics of Bacteria

Unicellular

Having Plasma Membrane

Prokaryotic

Two Methods of Controlling Microbial Growth

Microscopic

Bacteria can live in hotter and colder temperatures than human but they best in warm, moist, protein rich
environment that ph or slightly acidic.

FATTOM

FATTOM is an acronym used to describe the condition necessary for bacterial growth:

 Food
 Acidity
 Time
 Temperature
 Oxygen
 Moisture

Foods provide a perfect environment for bacterial growth, due to their provision of nutrients, energy and
other components needed by bacteria.

Benefits of Bacteria

 Creating products, such as ethanol and enzyme

 Making drugs such as antibiotics and vaccines
 Making biogas such as methane
 Killing plant pest
 Fermenting foods


Five Requirements For Bacteria To Grow

To process their growth, microorganism need specific nutrients including metal:

 Ions
 Carbon
 Nitrogen
 Phosphorous
 Sulfur

Bacteria normally reproduce by binary fission. Under the proper conditions, some bacteria can divide
and multiply rapidly. They need the following condition to grow Warmth

Bacteria need warmth to grow. The temperature a food is stored, prepared and cooked at its crucial .If
this not followed correctly then the food will not be safe to eat.

Two men are credited today with discovery of microorganism using primitive microscope:

Robert Hooke who described the fruiting structures of molds in 1665

Anton van Leeuwenhoek who is credited with discovery of bacteria in 1676

Three Types of Bacterial Infections:

 Food poisoning(gastroenteritis)
 Sinus infection
 Sexually transmitted infection

Harmful bacteria are called pathogenic bacteria because they cause diseases and illnesses, such as:

 Strep throat
 Staph infection
 Cholera
 Tuberculosis food poisoning
Bacteria are transmitted to human through air, water, food or living vectors. The principal modes of
transmission of bacterial infection are contact, airborne, droplet, vectors and vehicular.

General symptoms of a Bacterial infection

Fever

Chills and sweats

Swollen lymph nodes

New or sudden worsenin of pain

Unexplained exhaustion

Headache

Skin flushing, swelling or soreness

Gastrointestinal symptoms such as nausea vomiting, diarrhea or rectal pain.

How Bacteria Diagnosed

A bacteria culture is a test to identify whether you have bacterial infection. It can can be performed on a
sample blood stool, urine, skin mucus or spinal fluid.

What happens when you have bacteria in your body?

Some bacteria multiply so rapidly they crowd out host tissue and disrupt normal function. Sometimes
they kill cells and tissue,Some times they make toxins that can paralyze

GROWTH CYCLE

Bacterial growth is regulated b nutritional environment. When suitable environment is there that the time
is incubated, its growth leads to increase in number of cells
Four Phase of GROWTH CYCLE

LAG PHASE

 Represents an initial period of no growth in terms of increase in cell number.

 LOG PHASE or EXPONENTIAL PHASE or GROWTH PHASE
 Period of rapid growth
 The bacterial population increases exponentially
 Continuous as long as cells have adequate nutrients and good environment

STATIONARY PHASE

 Period of equilibrium.
 Cell division decrease to the point that nes cells are produced at same rate as old cells die

* In this stage microbial death is equal to microbial growth

* i.e Death = Growth

DEATH PHASE

 Also known as Logarithmic Decline Phase

 Decline in number of viable cells
 Reverse of he log phase
 Nutrients consumed

WATER

 BACTERIA use water for following purposes

 TO Dissolve the food they use
 Water allows the food to get into the cells
 Used for many chemical reactions for life and growth
 Water allows waste products to escape

Control of Microorganism

Although many microorganism are beneficial and necessary for human beings, microbial activities may
have undesirable consequences as food spoilage and disease,
Therefore it is essential to be able to kill a wide variety of microorganism or inhibit their growth to
minimize their destructive effects

The goal is two fold

(1)To destroy pathogens and prevent their transmission

(2)To reduce or eliminate microorganism responsible for the contamination of water, food, and other
substance

Sterilization

 (Latin sterilis, unable to produce offspring or barren) is the process by which the living cells, viable
spores and viruses are either destroyed or removed from an object or habitat
 When sterilization is achieved by chemical agent,the chemical is called sterilant

Disinfection

 It is the process of killing, inhibition or removal of microorganism that may cause disease.
 The primary goal is to destroy potential pathogens ,used to carry out disinfection also substantially
reduces total microbial population
 Disinfectant are agents, usually chemical, used to carry out disinfection and are normally used only
on inanimate objects.

Sanitization

 Is closely related to disinfection

 In sanitization ,the microbial population is reduced to levels that are considered safe by public health
standards

Antisepsis

 (Greek: anti = against; sèpsis = putrefaction)is the prevention of infection and is accomplished with
antiseptics
 Antiseptics are chemical agents applied to the tissue to prevent infection by killing or inhabiting
pathogen growth, the also reduced the total microbial population

Lesson 4

Microorganisms and Human Diseases

MICROBES AND THE HUMAN BODY

 The surfaces of the body inside and out, for example the skin ,mouth and the intestines are covered in
millions of individual microorganism that that don t do us any harm. In fact they help us to protect us
from becoming infected with harmful microbes. They known as body flora.

 The number of normal bacterial cells that live on body is in the region of 100 million. This number is
10 times greater than the 10 million cells that make up human body

Types of Microorganism That Can Cause Disease

1.Bacteria

Bacteria are prokaryotic microbes with single cells and nucleus with out a membrane. They can
various shapes such as rods ,spheres, and spirals. People already have billions of harmless body
present in the body. However ,the ones that invade your body from the outside cause severe illness.

2.Fungi
It is eukaryotic microorganisms with DNA nucleus. Fungi can be can be in unicellular or extremely
complex multicellular forms. Not all fungi affect your body, but the harmful ones cause some acute
disease

 Viruses are majorly responsible for causing disease among human being. They are microscopic
agents that require living cell of another organism to produce. Viruses infect all life forms including
plants, animals, humans, bacteria and archaea.
 Protozoa a group of unicellular eukaryotes that can live independently or as parasites. They generally
feed on the other living matter such as debris microbes or organic tissue. One example of protozoa is
amoeba which can change shape

Important to Remember

 Pathogen a microorganism that has a potential cause of disease

 Infection is the invasion and multiplication of pathogenic microbes is an individual or

population.

 Disease when the infection causes damage to the individual vital function or system

 To cause infection, microbes must enter our bodies. The sites they enter is known as portal entry

Microbes can enter the body through four sites

 Respiratory tract (mouth and nose)

 Influenza virus which causes the flu

 Gastrointestinal tract(mouth oral cavity)

 Vibrio cholerae which causes cholera

 Urogenital tract ex. Escherichia coli which causes cystitis

 Breaks in the skin surface e.g Clostridium tetani which cause tetanus

To make us ill microbes have to

 reach their target site in the body

 Attach to the target site they are trying to infect so that they are dislodged

 Multiply rapidly

 Obtain their nutrients from host

 Avoid and survive by attack immune system

Immune system

 An infection can be seen as battle between the invading pathogens and the host. Our bodies are
equipped to fight of invading microbes that may cause disease these called our natural defenses.

First line of defense

 The first line of defense is non specific and aims to stop microbes from entering the body .The
skin and mucous membranes act as physical barrier preventing penetration by microbes.

 If the skin is cut then the blood produces a clot which seals the wound and prevents microbes
from entering

 The surfaces of he body-the skin, digestive system and the lining of the nose are covered by a
community of microbes called normal body flora. They help protect the host from becoming
infected with more harmful microorganism by acting physical barrier.

 The respiratory system –nose and passageways leading to the lungs is lined with cells that
produce sticky fluid called mucus that traps invading microbes and dust. Tiny hairs called cilia
move in a wave like motion and microbes and dust particles up to the throat, where they are either
coughed or sneezed out or swallowed and then passed out of the body in faces.

 The body produces several antimicrobial substances that kill or stop microbes from growing. For
example the enzymes in tears in saliva breakdown bacteria. The stomach produces acid which
destroys many microbes that enter the body in food and drink. Urine as it flows through the
urinary system flushes microbes out of bladder and urethra.

Second Line Defense

 It the microbes do manage to get inside the body then the second line of the body is activated.
This is also non specific as it stop any type of microbe.

 Phagocytes are type of white blood cells that move amoeboid action. They send out pseudopodia
which allows them to surround invading microbes and engulf them. Phagocytes release digestive
enzymes which break down the trapped microbes before they can do any harm. This is called
phagocytosis.
Third Line Defense

 The third line of final defense is the immune response. The invading microbes or pathogen is
called antigen. It is regarded as a threat by the immune system and is capable of stimulating an
immune system. Antigen are found on the surface of pathogen.

 The whooping cough bacterium, for example will have different antigen on its surface from the tb
bacterium.

 When the antigen enters the body, the immune system produces antibodies against it. Anti bodies
are always y shaped it is like a battle when the army (antibody) fighting the invader(antigen).A
type of white blood cell called lymphocyte recognizes the antigen as being foreign and produces
antibodies that are specific to that antigen. The antibodies destroy the antigen (pathogen) which is
engulfed and digested by macrophages.

 White bloods cells produce chemicals called antitoxins which destroy the toxins (poisons) some
bacteria produce when they have invaded the body, Tetanus, Diphtheria are diseases where
bacteria secretes toxins.

ROUTE OF TRANSMISSION

The spreading of microbes is called transmission.

 Different pathogens have different modes of transmission. For example respiratory pathogens are
usually airborne and intestinal pathogens are usually spread by water or food.

Transmission involves the following stages:

 Escape from the host or reservoir of infection (where the infectious agent normally lives and
multiplies)

 Transport to new host

  Entry to new host escape from new host 

The Main Routes of Transmission

 Person to person (touch) 

 ex. Colds

 Contaminated blood or other bodily fluids

 Ex. Hepatitis B and HIV can spread through sexual intercourse or sharing of used syringe needles
contaminated with infected blood.

 Saliva

 Ex. cold or flu can be caught from saliva of an infected person when you kiss them

 Air
 Ex. Measles ,mumps and tuberculosis can be spread by coughing or sneezing.

 Food 
 Microbes need nutrients for growth, and they like to consume the same foods as human. They can
get into our food as humans. Great care must be taken at every stage of food production to ensure
that harmful microbes are not allowed to survive and multiply.

 Water
 Some disease are caused by drinking water that is contaminated by human or animal feces, which
may contain disease-causing microbes.. Clean water ,good hygiene and sewerage systems prevent
the spread of water borne diseases such as typhoid and cholera.

 Insects 
 Insects are responsible for spreading many disease. They can also transmit pathogens to
food ;house flies are very good at spreading Salmonella and E.coli. They feed fecal waste and
transfer microbes  from their feet and other parts to food.

 Fomites 
  This is non living object such as bedding, towel, toys and barbed wire that can carry disease
causing organism. The fungus Trichophyton that causes athletes foot can be spread indirectly
through towels and changing room floors.

List of diseases caused by microorganism

List of Diseases Caused by Virus

List of Diseases Caused by Protozoa

10 Disease Caused by Bacteria

1.Tetanus

 Causative agent: Clostridium Tetani

 Tetanus is a life threatening bacterial disease that paralyze the nervous system and muscles of the
affected person. This condition Occurs when Clostridium tetani release toxins that disrupt nerves
responsible for movement. Standard modes of transmission include Contaminated fecal matter,
animal bites or contaminated saliva.

2.Tuberculosis

 Tuberculosis Commonly called T.B is a highly infectious disease of the lungs caused by
Mycobacterium tuberculosis. An air borne disease that can be transmitted when affected person
drops viable droplets of the bacteria while sneezing and coughing.

Sign and Symptoms

 Fever, nights sweats and weight loss.

Treatment

 Antibiotics(isoniazid and Rifampicin)

3.Pneumonia

Causative agent: Klebsiella pneumonia

 Pneumonia, residing in the respiratory tract. Pneumonia is an infection caused by Streptococcus

pneumonia. These bacteria predominantly attack the lungs, making it difficult to breathe. The
 active disease begins when you inhale the bacteria, leading to rapid production of bacteria in the
lungs. Symptoms of pneumonia include fever, chest pain

 Cough with phlegm, and night chills pneumococcal vaccine and antibiotics are effective in
preventing and treating Pneumonia infections.

4. Cholera

 Causative Agent: Vibrio cholerae

 Cholera is a bacterial disease caused by active Vibrio cholerae bacteria in food and water.
Consumption of contaminated food causes
 Dehydration which can be life threatening if not managed properly. Infection is common in
region with poor sanitation and unclean water. Symptoms of cholera include vomiting, diarrhea
and cramps.

5. Dysentery

 Causative Agent: Genus Shigella

 Dysentery is an irritation in the intestine caused by Genus shigella. Like cholera, contaminated
food and water are prevalent modes of transmitting the bacterium causing dysentery.
 The prevalent transmission mode is people who fail to adhere to proper hygiene after using the
toilet. Symptoms of dysentery include fever, and bloody diarrhea.

6. Pseudomonas Infection

 Causative Agent: Pseudomonas aeruginosa

 Pseudomonas infection is caused by Pseudomonas aeruginosa attacking the human respiratory
system. A disease occurs through food, surgical equipment, or physical contact with infected
infection
 Symptoms include skin rash, pains or inflammation. Antibiotics may be effective in an active
Pseudomonas infection.

7. Gonorrhea
  Causative Agent: Neisseria gonorrhoeae
 Also known as the clap is a commonly diagnosed sexually transmitted disease, making it the
second most predominant sexually transmitted disease in the U.S.
 If not treated early, gonorrhea can lead to complication in both men and women. The bacteria
may cause infection of the uterus and fallopian tube in women and epididymis in men. In severe
cases, this condition may lead to infertility.
 Symptoms include a painful burning sensation when pee, white or yellowish discharge from
vagina.

8. Syphilis

 Causative Agent: Treponema pallidum

 Syphilis is a bacteria disease prevalently transmitted by sexual activities. This disease is caused
by a bacterium called Treponema pallidum. Syphilis can cause damages to organs like brain,
joints and eyes and can be transmitted to an infant from infected mother during labor.

9. Meningitis

 Causative Agent: Neisseria meningitides coli, Listeria monocytogenes, and Streptococcus

pneumonia
 Meningitis is a bacterial disease-causing inflammation of the meninges around the brain and
spinal cord. The active bacterium causing this disease is transmitted through droplets dispersed
when an infected persons coughs or sneezes.
 Common symptoms of meningitis include vomiting, nausea and stiff neck.

10. Leptospirosis

 Causative Agent: Leptospira spp.

 This infection occurs when exposed organ such as eyes and nose contact contaminated water soil
containing bacteria, Animal urine is atypical habitat for leptospirosis bacteria’
 Severe cases of this infection can lead to organ failure, which may cause death if left untreated.
 It is important to observe good hygiene, eat healthily and avoid physical contact with people
showing noticeable symptoms.