Laboratory 1:

Morphologic Types of
Bacteria
Objective  To study the different morphologic types of bacteria.
  Bacteria can be categorized based on:
 Gram stain reaction
Review 

Shape
Preferred atmosphere
 Presence and absence of spores
  Bacteria can be identified on the basis of:
 Key biochemical tests
Review  Antigenic components
 Molecular features
  Bacterial cell shape is determined primarily by a protein called
Introduction MreB. In a nutshell, MreB is present in bacilli but absent or
suppressed in cocci-shaped bacteria.
  Observing stained slide under the microscope:
 Initially examined using LPO and gradually move to higher
magnification until OIO.
 Organism observed should be evaluated for:
Introduction  Size
 Shape
 Gram reaction
 WBC or RBC should be quantified along with intracellular bacteria.
Clinical
Significance
  Did you know that the largest bacterium with a size of 0.1 to 0.3
Good to mm is found on ocean sediment? It is called, Thiomargarita

know 💡
namibiensis. 🤓
 Most bacteria range in size from 0.4 to 2 micrometers.
Cocci
  Staphylococcus aureus – (Abbrev. Staph. Aureus or S. aureus) a
gram-positive cocci that is usually observed in cluster described to
be “grape-like” or “bunches of grapes”.
 It is a normal resident of the skin but is implicated in a number of
Cocci opportunistic infections including: Scalded Skin Syndrome, TSS,
etc.
 Other medically significant species include: Staph. epidermidis,
Staph. lugdunensis, Staph. saprophyticus.
 They all belong to the genera Staphylococcaceae.
Staphylococcus
aureus
  Streptococcus pyogenes – (Abbrev. Strep. pyogenes or S. pyogenes)
a gram-positive cocci arranged in chains.
 Colonizes the throat and skin on humans and is associated with
Cocci pharyngitis, scarlet fever, skin or pyodermal infections, and other
septic infections.
 Other species under Streptococcaceae: Strep. agalcatiae, Strep.
pneumoniae, GCS, GGS, Viridans.
Streptococcus
pyogenes
Streptococcus
pneumoniae
Neisseria
gonorrhea
  Sarcina spp. – gram-positive cocci appearing in cuboidal packets of
eight or more.
 Usually found in gastric mucosa of patient having history of ulcer
and other inflammatory disorders or disease.
Cocci  Sarcina ventriculi – growth of S. ventriculi takes place in the human
stomach as a result of the development of certain pathological
conditions (pyloric ulceration or stenosis) that retard the flow of
food to the intestine.
Sarcina spp.
  Micrococcus spp. – gram-positive cocci in tetrads or in packets of
four.
Cocci  Must be differentiated from Staphylococcus spp. biochemically.
 Medically significant species belonging to Micrococcaceae:
Micrococcus kristinae, Micrococcus varians, Micrococcus luteus.
Micrococcus
spp.
Spore-forming, Gram-
Positive Bacilli
  Bacillus spp. – gram-positive or gram-variable spore-forming, non-
branching bacilli.
 Known to form endospores and are widely distributed in the soil
Bacilli and environment.
 Spore formation islinked to survival.
 Medically significant Bacillus: Bacillus anthracis, Bacillus cereus.
Bacillus
anthracis
Bacillus
anthracis
Bacillus subtilis
  All spore-forming anaerobic bacilli are classified in the genus
Clostridium.
 Endospore locations:
 Terminal – spore located at the end of the bacterial cell; typically
cause swelling of the cell (e.g., Clostridium tetani)
Bacilli  Subterminal – spore found at a location other than the end of the
cell (e.g., Clostridium sordellii)
 Central – spores located in the center of the cell.
 Clostridia cause classic diseases such as tetanus, gas gangrene,
botulism, food poisoning.
Clostridium
tetani
Clostridium
bifermentans
  Mycobacterium tuberculosis – obligate, aerobic weakly gram-
positive, straight or slightly curved bacilli, sometimes show
branching filamentous forms resembling fungal mycelium.
Bacilli  M. tuberculosis is the most common cause of tuberculosis in man.
 Other Mycobacteria: M. bovis, M. caprae, M. africanum, M. microti,
M. pinnipedii, M. cannetti
Mycoacterium
tuberculosis
Fungal hyphae
in sputum
Mycobacterium
tuberculosis
Mycobacterium
leprae
Coccobacilli
  Escherichia coli – (Abrrev. Esch. coli or E. coli) is a straight, motile,
gram-negative bacilli.
Escherichia coli  A normal flora of the bowel and is the most common cause of UTI
and gram-negative sepsis; a primary marker of fecal
contamination in water quality testing.
Escherichia coli
Haemophilus
ducreyi
Lactobacillus
acidophilus
Spirilla
Vibrio cholerae
  Spirillum minus – a small, gram-negative spirally coiled bacilli that
Spirilla is motile due to the presence of amphitrichous flagella.
 Causative agen of Rat Bite Fever or Sudoku (only if spirillary).
Spirillum
minus
Spirillum minus
Treponema
pallidum
Leptospira
interrogans
  There is a number of morphological differences among bacteria.
The three most common are:
 Cocci – singly, in pairs, in chains, in tetrads, packets of eight, in
Summary cluster.
 Bacilli – in chain, chinese letter arrangement, pallisade, branching.
 Spirochetes
THANK YOU!