BACTERIAL GROWTH CURVE

Dr. R. Haritha
Lecturer in Biotechnology
Visakha Government Degree College for Women
Visakhapatnam
 an increase in bacterial numbers
 does not refer to an increase in size of the
individual cells
Binary Fission
- Most common method of reproduction
- Asexual reproduction
- Splitting of parent cell into two daughter cells

Budding
- Asexual reproduction
- Outgrowths (buds) of mature organisms
- Form of mitotic cell division
- Bud separates as it reaches the size of the parent cell
The population of bacterial cells divide at a
constant rate so that the total number of cells
doubles with each division
Calculating Population Size
A) Population growth is exponential
2  4  8  16  32  64  128…
B) Population size can be calculated
Nt = (No)2n
a) Nt = final number of cells
b) No = original number of cells
c) n = number of divisions
Example
N0 = 10 cells in original population
n = 12
 4 hours assuming 20 minute generation time
Nt = 10 x 212
Nt = 10 x 4,096
Nt = 40,960
 Mean Generation Time / Doubling Time
 The amount of time required for the concentration of cells
to double during the log stage.
 It is expressed in units of minutes.
Growth rate (min-1) = 1
mean generation time
 Depends on environmental conditions such as temperature
or pH level.
 Escherichia coli 20 mins
 Mycobacterium tuberculosis 18 hrs
 Mycobacterium leprae 14 days
 Lag
 Log (logarithmic)
 Stationary
 Death
 Period of little or no cell division
 Cells are not dormant
 Period of intense metabolic activity : DNA, RNA
and enzyme synthesis
 Depend on type of bacterial species, culture
medium, and environmental factors
 1-4 hour long
 Exponential or logarithmic phase

 Growth is Exponential i.e., shows

logarithmic increase

 Cellular respiration is most active during this period

 Metabolic activity is active and is most preferable for industrial

purposes

 Sensitive to adverse conditions

 8 hrs long
 Period of equilibrium
 Metabolic activity of

surviving cells slows down

which stabilizes the population

 Exhaustion of nutrients, accumulation of waste
products and harmful changes in Ph
 Few hours to days
 Also known as Logarithmic
Decline Phase.
 Exhaution of nutrients,
accumulation of toxic
products and autolytic enzymes.
 Some population dies out completely.
 Others retain surviving cells indefinitely while
others only retain for a few days.
 Amount of nutrients
 Temperature
 pH
 Other Environmental factors
 Bacteria grow non synchronously in culture medium
 Synchronous growth- When all bacterial cells in culture
medium divide simultaneously.
 Chemostat – Continuous culture used in industrial
fermentation
 Synchronous growth is for studies on

- DNA synthesis

- Susceptibility of cell to lethal agent

Generation time of E.coli is........

A 20 hours C 20 Mins

B 20 days D 200 hours

Starvation o Bacteria occurs during which
of the following phases of Growth?

A Lag Phase C Log Phase

B Stationary Phase D Death Phase

During Exponential growth, the Growth rate
is.......

No. of
A Generations per
unit time
C Both
Both A
A&&B
B

Reciprocal to
B Generation D None of these
Time
In which of the following Phases, the
Growth rate is equal to the Death rate?

A Stationary
Stationary Phase
Phase C Log Phase

B Lag Phase D Death Phase

If we begin with 4 cells & ended up with 128 cells.
How many Generations did the cell go through?

A 64 C 6

B 32 D 7