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BASIC MICROBIOLOGY
MUSAME GERALD
INTODUCTION
Also includes viruses, which are microscopic but not cellular and
infectious agents like prions.
Characteristic Features Of Microbes
Microorganisms are ubiquitous.
Found virtually everywhere.
Most microorganisms are free-living and perform useful activities that benefit
animal and plant life.
Some are parasitic, saprophytic and some are commensals, where they form
normal microbiota in man and other mammals.
Microorganisms that have the ability to cause disease are called pathogens.
DISCOVERY OF MICROORGANISMS
Over the past 400 years, many individuals contributed to our present
understanding of microorganisms. Contributions of some early microbiologists
are discussed below:
Proposed tyndallization;
An accidental observation that chicken cholera bacillus cultures left on the bench for
several weeks lost their pathogenic property but retained their ability to protect the birds
against subsequent infection
Postulate 1:
The microorganism should be found in abundance in all organisms suffering
from the disease.
Postulate 2:
It should be possible to isolate the microorganism from the diseased
organism and grown in pure culture.
Postulate 3:
The cultured microorganism should cause the disease when Inoculated into a
healthy organism.
Postulate 4:
It should be possible to re-isolate the microorganism from the inoculated
diseased experimental host/animal and be identified as being identical to the
original specific causative agent.
Limitations of Koch’s postulates
Hence can only be grown in cell cultures (Human or animal cells , embryonated chicken eggs, or
certain animals referred to as laboratory animals e.g, Mycobacterium leprae is propagated in
armadillos, Treponema pallidum grows well in the testes of rabbits and chimpanzees..
Another difficulty that is sometimes encountered while attempting to
fulfill Koch’s Postulates is that certain pathogens become altered
when grown in vitro.
Some become less pathogenic, while others become nonpathogenic. Thus, they will no longer
infect animals after being cultured on artificial media.
5. JOSEPH LISTER (1827–1912)
•Called the ‘Father of Modern Surgery’.
Immunology
Public health microbiology and epidemiology .
Aim to monitor and control the spread of diseases in communities.
Biotechnology.
Includes any process in which humans use the metabolism of living things to arrive at a
desired product, ranging from bread making to gene therapy
Industrial microbiology.
Concerned with the uses of microbes to produce or harvest large quantities of
substances such as beer, vitamins, amino acids, drugs, and enzymes
2. Foundations in Microbiology
4th Edition
Kathleen Park Talaro and Arthur Talaro
Bacterial structure
STRUCTURE OF BACTERIA
Bacteria have a simple cell structure consisting of:
Ribosomes:
These are sites of protein production distributed in the cytoplasm.
Inclusion granules:
Composed of volutin, lipid and polysaccharide.
MESOSOMES:
• They are sites of respiratory enzyme activity and assist with cell
reproduction.
CELL WALL:
This provides the bacterial cell with rigidity and protects
against osmotic damage.
N-acetylglucosamine (NAG)
Fimbriae/pili
They enable organisms to adhere to host cells and to one another.
Capsule
Possessed by some bacteria. It is protective and usually increases
the virulence of an organism.
Bacterial structure…
Spores:
formed by bacteria of the genera Bacillus and Clostridium.
6. Pleomorphic:
Lacking a distinct shape e.g. mycoplasma.
Classification of bacteria…
Shape
Coccus – spherical, round
or ovoid
Bacillus – rod-shaped
Spirillum – spiral-shaped
Vibrio – comma-shaped
2. Classification of bacteria based on gram staining
Gram positive bacteria stain purple while gram negative bacteria stain
red (see gram technique).
The different stains are due to differences in the cell walls of gram-
positive and gram-negative bacteria.
Gram staining
Materials
Crystal Violet (Primary Stain)
Lugols Iodine (Mordant)
50% Acetone Alcohol (dicolouriser)
Dilute Carbol Fuchsin/ safranin (counter stain)
Specimen
Clean slide
Heat source
Water
Applicator stick
Gram staining…..
Protocol;
Prepare a smear on a glass slide.
Add primary stain (crystal violet) & incubate for 1 minute. Rinse with clean
water.
Gm +s have a thick cell wall made of peptidoglycan, which stain purple and Gm
-s have a thinner layer which stain pink/red.
Gm -s also have an outer membrane made up of lipids & separated from the
cell wall by a periplasmic space.
These ions penetrate through the cell wall & cell membrane of the cells. The CV+ ion
interacts with -vely charged components of bacterial cells and stains the cells purple.
Lugol’s Iodine (I– or I3–) interacts with CV+ and forms large CV–I complexes within the inner &
outer cell layers
Gram staining…..
Gm -s cell loses its outer membrane plus the CV–I complex leaving the
peptidoglycan layer exposed.
Gm +s get dehydrated & the large CV–I complexes become trapped
within the cell due to the multilayered peptidoglycan.
Energy source
Nutrient source
PH; acidophiles,Alkalophile
Energy Source
Chemotroph – chemical compounds as an energy source (most
pathogenic bacteria are chemotrophs.)
Nutrient Source
Heterotroph – derive carbon from preformed organic nutrients such as
sugar (most pathogenic bacteria are heterotrophs.)
Production of gas