Bacterial classification and

morphology
Lydia A.
 Intended learning outcomes
By the end of this lecture you should;

• Understand the fundamental differences

between Gram positive and Gram negative
bacteria

• Understand how bacterial morphology is used

in the identification/classification of bacteria
 Bacterial ancestry

“Universal Phylogenetic Tree”

 Why classify bacteria?
• Estimated 10^30 individual bacteria
worldwide
• Estimated 10^7 to 10^9 bacterial species
• Classification brings order to chaos
• Permits the rapid identification of pathogens
 Classification Kingdom
Phylum
Class
Bacterial classification is achieved Order
Family
using multiple approaches Genus
Species
1. Phenotypic analysis
– Cultural characteristics
– Morphological features
– Biochemical reactions
– Antigenic structures
2. Genotypic /Molecular analysis
– Analysis of 16S rRNA gene
> 98% match=species level
> 95% match=genus level
 Nomenclature
• Linnaeus introduced the binomial system of
scientific nomenclature
• Each organism has two names: the genus and
species epithet
• Italicized or underline
• Genus name is capitalized and species in lower
case.
Examples Scientific names
• Staphylococcus aureus
describes clustered arrangement of cells and
golden yellow color of colonies
• Escherichia coli
Honors the discoverer, Theodor Escherich and
describes its habitat, the colon.

After the first use, scientific names may be

abbreviated with the first letter of the genus
and full species epithet. (Ex: E. coli)
 Bacterial morphology
Generalized structure of a bacterial cell
 The cytoplasmic/plasma membrane
• A selectively permeable barrier that
surrounds the bacterial cell
• General structure is a phospholipid bilayer
Bacterial cell wall
• Present around most bacteria

• Polysaccharide component, predominantly

peptidoglycan
(a thin sheet containing sugar derivatives and
amino acids)

• Nature of bacterial cell wall determines

classification of bacteria as either Gram positive
or Gram negative based on variable cell wall
structures
Gram positive Vs. Gram negative cell wall
Gram positive cell wall
• Up to 90% peptidoglycan
• Often contains acidic
polysaccharides
 Gram negative cell wall
• Cell wall comprises about 10% peptidoglycan
• Contains additional layer of Lipopolysaccharide (LPS)
 Cell wall structure vs. Gram stain
• The Gram stain is the most widely employed
staining method in bacteriology
• It is a differential staining procedure that
divides bacteria into two classes—Gram
negative and Gram positive.
• The difference in staining properties is due to
the physical nature of their cell walls.
Cell wall structure vs. Gram stain
 Using morphology to identify bacteria
Colony morphology
 Colony morphology

Note;
– Size
– Colour
– Haemolysis
– Distinctive smell
– Elevation
– Shape of colonies
Colony morphology- whole colonies
Elevation
 Colony morphology-Haemolysis
Useful for differentiating streptococci
• α-haemolytic
 e.g. Strep pneumoniae

• β-haemolytic
 e.g. Strep pyogenes

• Non haemolytic
 Now called the enterococci
Cell morphology(i.e.) cell shape
Cell morphology(i.e.) cell shape
Other differential staining methods
(After Gram stain)
1. Acid-fast staining
– Waxy cells do not
readily Gram stain
– Mycobacteria and Ziehl
Neelsen(ZN) stain
2. Fluorescent stains
 Other differential staining methods

3. Structural stains
• Spores
• Flagella
• Capsules
Questions?