Bacterial Structure and Morphology

BY
Dr. Wafa Ibrahim Elhag
9/05/2023
LECTURE SYNOPSIS

1. Learning Outcomes

2. Levels of Classification

3. Definition of “Species”

4. Nomenclature

5. Useful Properties in Classification

6. Bacterial Identification and Classification

7. Gram-positive vs. Gram-negative

8. Shapes of Bacteria
 Learning Outcomes

Tuseday Date: 09/05/2023

Lecture Dr. Wafa
Title Bacterial Structure and morphology
SLOs 1. State the practical clinical importance of
Gram’s and AFB stains.
2. Outline the essential and non-essential
structures in the bacterial cell, their chemical
composition, antigenicity and role in causation of
disease.
3. Demonstrate the importance of recognizing the
morphologic features of the bacterial species
Resources 1. Microbiology Fundamentals, A Clinical Approach by
Marjorie Kelly Cowan. Chapter 1; pp 3-31.
2. Review of Microbiology and Immunology 6th edition.
Pages 19-30.
LEVELS OF CLASSIFICATION
q A group or “level” of
classification
q Hierarchical; broad divisions
are divided up into smaller
divisions:
Ð Kingdom (Not used by most
bacteriologists)
Ð Phylum (Called “Division” by
botanists)
Ð Class
Ð Order
Ð Family
Ð Genus (plural: Genera)
Ð Species (Both singular & plural)
DEFINITION OF “SPECIES”

Ò Definition of “species” in microbiology:

É Classic definition: A collection of bacterial cells that
shares an overall similar pattern of traits different
from other groups of bacteria and that shares at least
70%–80% of its genes.
É Species are identified by comparison with known “type
strains”: well-characterized pure cultures;
references for the identification of unknowns
É There are several collections of type strains e.g.
American Type Culture Collection (ATCC)
NOMENCLATURE

Ò Scientific name (Systematic Name)

Binomial System of Nomenclature
É Genus name + species name
Ð Italicized or underlined
Ð Genus name is capitalized and may be abbreviated

Ð Species name is never abbreviated

Ð A genus name may be used alone to indicate a genus

group; a species name is never used alone
Ð eg: Bacillus subtilis
B. subtilis
NOMENCLATURE

Ò Common or descriptive names

Names for organisms that may be in
common usage, but are not taxonomic
names
Ð eg:tubercle bacillus
(Mycobacterium tuberculosis)
Ð meningococcus
(Neisseria meningitides)
Ð Group A streptococcus
(Streptococcus pyogenes)
BACTERIAL IDENTIFICATION AND
CLASSIFICATION

Ò Gram-positive vs. Gram-negative

Ò Shape: cocci, bacilli, spiral

Ò Arrangement: single, pairs, chains, clusters

Ò Size

Ò Aerobic vs. anaerobic

Ò Biochemical characteristics

Ò DNA analysis
STRUCTURE OF BACTERIA

Essential structures
cell wall
cell membrane
Cytoplasm
nuclear material

Non essential
structures
capsule
flagella
pili
spore
BACTERIAL CELL STRUCTURE

Ò Appendages - flagella, pili or fimbriae

Ò Surface layers - capsule, cell wall, cell
membrane
Ò Cytoplasm - nuclear material, ribosome,
mesosome, inclusions etc.
Ò Special structure - endospore
Bacterial Cell Wall

v Tough and rigid structure, surrounding the bacterium.

v Providing protection and conferring rigidity,
v Certain parts e.g. LPS are immunogenic and act as a virulence factor.
v Peptidoglycan is main component of the cell wall which makes it rigid.
v Gram +ve bacteria has a thick peptidoglycan + teichoic acid (TA)
v Gram-ve bacteria peptidoglycan layer is thin + additional parts
such as
Outer membrane
Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) which in turn consists of
(i) Lipid A or endotoxin,
(ii) Core polysaccharide,
(iii) O side chain
ATYPICAL CELL WALLS

Ò Some bacterial groups lack typical cell wall structure i.e.

Ò Mycobacterium and Nocardia

Ð Gram-positive cell wall structure with lipid mycolic acid (cord
factor)

Ð pathogenicity and a high degree of resistance to certain chemicals

and dyes

Ð basis for acid-fast stain used for diagnosis of infections caused

by these microorganisms

Ò Some have no cell wall i.e. Mycoplasma

Ð cell wall is stabilized by sterols 12

Ð pleomorphic
 FLAGELLA

Ò Motility – movement
Ò Arrangement basis for
classification
É Monotrichous; 1 flagella
É Lophotrichous; tuft at
one end
É Amphitrichous; both
ends
É Peritrichous; all around
bacteria
2. Fimbriae and Pili
Fimbriae: Shorter than flagella and straighter ,
smaller, hair-like appendages
Function:
q Adhere (associated with bacterial adhesion
and related to bacterial colonization and
infection).
q Not involve in motility.
CAPSULE AND SLIME LAYER
Ò Capsule: is well organized and not easily washed off

Ò Slime layer: unorganized material that is easily removed.

Ò They give mucoid growth on agar plate

É B. anthracis has a capsule of poly-D-glutamic

acid, while

É S. pyogenes made of Hyaluronic acid.

É Function: Resistant phagocytosis, Protect against desiccation,
Attachment to the surface of solid objects.
Endospores (Spore formers)

- Spores are a highly resistant resting (or

dormant) stage of the bacteria formed in

unfavorable environmental conditions as a

result of the depletion of exogenous nutrients

- Bacillus and Clostridium ( Gram +ve Rods) have

medical importance. Coxiella ( Gram –ve Rods)

cause Q fever

- Position: median, sub-terminal and terminal

- Extremely resistant to heat, UV, chemicals etc.

Gram-positive vs. Gram-negative

Christian Gram (1884) (Danish)

Principle
-Various theories have been suggested:

Ø Gram +ve have more acidic protoplasm that help

retaining the basic dye more strongly than Gram –
ve.

Ø Gram +ve has a thick peptidoglycan layer that is

able to retain the dye iodine complex.

Ø Gram –ve has a high lipid content that makes them

permeable to secondary dye after decolourization
with organic solvents e.g. acetone
Uses
q Remains the universal basis for bacterial classification and
identification (gram +ve and gram -ve).
q Practical aid in diagnosing infection and in guiding drug
treatment.
q Performed on body fluid or biopsy when an infection is
suspected.
q Gram stains yield results much more quickly than culturing.
q Even in this day of elaborate and expensive medical
technology, the Gram stain remains an important first tool in
diagnosis
ZIEHL-NEELSEN (ZN) STAINING
Ò Ziehl-Neelsen staining is a type of acid-fast
stain, first introduced by Paul Ehrlich.
Ò Ziehl–Neelsen staining is a bacteriological
stain used to identify acid-fast organisms,
mainly Mycobacteria.
Ò The acid-fast stain is a laboratory test that
determines if a sample of tissue, blood or other
body substance is infected with the bacteria
that causes tuberculosis (TB) and other
illnesses.