MICROBIOLOGY AND PARASITOLOGY
GOLDEN GATE COLLEGES | DR. SOLEDAD BABASA
PARASITISM
• Parasites with complex life cycles may have more
than one host.
• Definitive host: parasite infects in sexually mature
adult form that is capable of sexual reproduction.
• Intermediate host: parasite infects in developmental
form.
• A symbiotic relationship that is beneficial to one party
(parasite) and detrimental to the other (the host)
▪ Examples: Giardia intestinalis in human
intestines causing diarrheal disease.
YEAST (Unicellular)
• PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF YEASTS
➢ Single-celled
➢ Non-filamented but may attach to each
other with pseudo hyphae.
➢ Reproduce through budding.
• REPRODUCTION OF YEAST
➢ Most yeasts reproduce through budding.
(a) Bud is initiated on the parent cell.
(b) The parent cell's nucleus divides.
(c) One nucleus migrates into the growing
bud.
(d) Cell wall material is synthesized to
divide the bud from the parent.
(e) The bud breaks away from the parent.
MOLDS (multicellular)
• PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF MOLDS
▪ Vegetative or Submerged hyphae
▪ The vegetative hyphae are dedicated to
obtaining nutrients.
▪ The aerial hyphae are dedicated to
reproduction and can form spores.
▪ Composed of multicellular filaments called
hyphae.
▪ Hyphae may be:
➢ septate - divided into cellular
units.
➢ coenocytic - not divided by septa.
▪ Hyphae grow from the tip but every part of
a hypha can grow if separated.
▪ A mycelium is a filamentous mass, visible to
the naked eye, formed from the
accumulation of numerous hyphae.
• REPRODUCTION OF MOLDS
▪ Two types of reproduction
i) Fragmentation
➢ Piece of hyphae breaks off and
develops its own fungal colony.
➢ Always asexual
ii) Sporulation
➢ Spores formed at aerial hyphae.
➢ May be asexual or sexual.
CAPSULE
• Well organized and tightly attached to the cell wall.
MITOCHONDRIA
• The site of aerobic cellular respiration and the
majority of the cell’s ATP production.
• Eukaryotic organelles involved in cellular respiration
to produce energy.
• Energy factories of the cell.
FIMBRIAE
• Short, thin appendages that adhere to other cells and
surfaces, forming biofilms.
FLAGELLA
• Are long appendages that proper the cell by rotating.
• CHEMOTAXIS – movement toward/away from a
substance.
• PHOTOTAXIS - movement toward light source.
• ARRANGEMENTS OF FLAGELLA
▪ MONOTRICHOUS – a bacterium that
possesses only one flagellum.
▪ AMPHITRICHOUS – a bacterium that
possesses one or more flagella at each end
(pole) of the cell.
▪ LOPHOTRICHOUS – a bacterium that
possesses two or more flagella at the end (pole)
of the cell.
▪ PERITRICHOUS – a bacterium that possesses
flagella over its entire surface.
IGNAZ SEMMELWEIS (1847)
• He demonstrates support for germ theory of disease
with hand-washing theory.
LOUIS PASTEUR (1861)
• He definitively disproves spontaneous generation
with swan-necked flask experiment.
HIPPOCRATES (460-370 BC)
• He taught that diseases have natural causes.
FUNGI
• Unicellular or multicellular
• Eukaryotic (contain nucleus)
• Reproduce asexually or sexually.
• Cell walls contain chitin.
• Heterotrophic (cannot perform photosynthesis)
• Examples: molds and yeasts
• Chemoheterotrophic
• Decompose dead plant matter.
GRAM NEGATIVE ORGANISM
• THIN layer of peptidoglycan in their cell wall
• Lose the primary stain during washing.
• Take up the counterstain.
• Pink in color
STAINING
• Colors a specimen with a dye that emphasizes
certain structures.
SMEAR
• A specimen must be fixed (attached) to a slide in a
thin layer.
STAINS
• BASIC DYES – positive ion
• ACIDIC DYES – negative ion
HALOPHILES
• Such organisms are halophilic.
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MICROBIOLOGY AND PARASITOLOGY
GOLDEN GATE COLLEGES | DR. SOLEDAD BABASA
• Salt loving; live in extremely salty places
SPIRAL
• Corkscrew
BACTERIA
• Unicellular - single cell
• Prokaryotic
• Reproduce by binary fission (asexual)
• Cell walls contain peptidoglycan.
• Heterotrophic or autotrophic
• . Many swims with flagella
METABOLISM
• Describes the chemical reactions involved in the
buildup and breakdown of nutrients within the cell.
• CATABOLISM
▪ Breaks down complex molecules into simpler
ones.
▪ Usually releases energy.
• ANABOLISM
▪ Builds up complex molecules from simpler ones.
▪ Usually consumes energy.
PRIONS
• Prions are pathogenic proteins (no genetic material)
that corrupt other proteins and lead to formation of
plaques.
• All known prion diseases are neurodegenerative
diseases of the brain.
• "Spongiform encephalopathies"
• Prion diseases are both inheritable and
transmissible.
• Known Prion Diseases
▪ Kuru
▪ Bovine spongiform encephalopathy ("mad cow
disease")
▪ Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease
▪ Fatal familial insomnia
FLATWORMS: TAPEWORM
• Range from 1 mm – 10 m in length.
• Suckers and sometimes hooks on scolex (head) hold
the worm in place.
• Lack a complete digestive system – absorb nutrients
from surroundings.
• Body divided into segments called proglottids that
are produced a long as the scolex is alive.
EXCAVARTA (PROTISTS)
• FREE LIVING
▪ EUGLENA
➢ Move through use of flagella.
➢ Many are photosynthetic and
contain chloroplasts.
➢ Possess an eyespot for sensing
light.
• PARASITIC
▪ GIARDIA
➢ Intestinal parasite that attaches to
inner walls with sucker disk.
➢ Most common intestinal parasite
in the U.S.
▪ TRYPANOSAMA
➢ Transmitted through insect bites.
➢ T. brucei African sleeping sickness
and T. cruzi causes Chagas
Disease.
ACID FAST STAINING
• Binds only to bacteria that have waxy material in their
cell walls.
• This includes from the genus.
• Myo bacterium
▪ M. Tuberculosis (cause of tuberculosis)
▪ M. Leprae (cause of leprosy)
• Nocardia
1. Primary stain (carbolfuchsin) is applied to a fixed
smear and colors all cells pink.
2. Slide is gently heated (heat serves as a mordant)
3. Slide is cooled, washed with water and a decolorizer
(acid alcohol) applied to remove primary stain from
cells without a waxy cell wall.
4. Counterstain (methylene blue) applied to stain all
cells without a waxy cell wall.
BRIGHTFIELD MICROSCOPY
• Most common type of microscopy.
• Use visible light to illuminate a specimen.
• Specimen appears against a bright background.
RYBOSOMES
• synthesize proteins.
SYMBIOSIS
• The living together or close association of two
dissimilar organisms (usually two different species).
SIMPLE STAINING
• Consist of a single basic dye
• Highlight organisms cell wall/membrane and DNA.
• Used to visualize cell shape and some internal
structures.
FLOURESCENCE
• Used to visualize organisms stained with
fluorochromes (fluorescent dyes)
• Light source is ultraviolet or near ultraviolet.
• Samples appear in bright color against a dark
background.
• Can identify pathogens and distinguish live cells from
dead cells.
CELL WALL
• is a rigid layer located beneath the capsule (when
present) and on top of the plasma membrane.
• Maintains shape of the cell.
• Protects the fragile cell membrane.
• Prevents the cell from bursting due to excessive
water intake.
• Anchors flagella.
REFRACTIVE INDEX
• Describes how much light bends as it passes through
a particular material.
PHLEBOTOMY
• Proper collection of blood by venipuncture.
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MICROBIOLOGY AND PARASITOLOGY
GOLDEN GATE COLLEGES | DR. SOLEDAD BABASA

SPECIAL STAINING: CAPSULE

• Some microbes contain a protective coating called a
capsule, which:
▪ Indicate virulence: the degree to which a
pathogen is disease-causing.
▪ Do not take up most dyes and appear as an
unstained halo around the cell when stained
with India ink or nigrosin.

DIFFERENTIAL STAINING
• Relies on multiple dyes.
• Used to distinguish between different types of
bacteria.
• Most common types are Gram stain and Acid-fast
stain.

ENDOSPORES
• Are extremely robust ‘resting” cells formed inside
certain species during environmental stress.

OBJECTIVE LENSES
NAME MAGNIFICATION
SCANNING 4X
LOW-POWER 10X
HIGH-POWER 40X
OIL IMMERSION 100X

AMITOZOA
YOGURT

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