Microbiology

Chapter 1
 Microorganisms are very small creatures that are not directly visible with unaided
eye, with dramatical biologic diversity. E.g everything except plants and animals

 Classification of microorganism—based on structure and composition

o Eukaryotic microorganisms – Fungi
o Prokaryotic microorganisms – Bacteria
o Non-cellular microorganisms - Viruses

1. Eukaryotic microorganism – e.g. fungi

o Cell structures
1. Cell wall
2. Cell membrane
3. Cytoplasm
4. Nucleus

2. Prokaryotic microorganism – e.g. bacteria

o Cell structures
1. Cell wall
2. Cell membrane
3. Cytoplasm
4. Nucleoid
o 6 groups of prokaryotes:
1. Bacteria
2. Mycoplasmas
3. Rickettsiae
4. Chlamydiae
5. Spirochete
6. Antinomyces
Prokaryotic and Eukaryotic differences:

3. Non-cellular microorganisms – e.g. Virus, prions

o Has no cell structure
o Have nucleic acid such as DNA or RNA and capsid
o Obligate intracellular parasites—Means that they are too simple, they
can’t produce energy, and they have no enough enzymes for metabolisms,
so they can’t live alone. They must live inside cells.

 Distribution of Microorganism
o Air
o Soil
o Water
o Animals
o Human Body
 Beneficial Activity:
 Environment—nitrogen, carbon cycles, etc
 Medicine
 Food
 Industry
 Biotechnology
 Research
 Harmful Activity:
 Food and material spoilage
 Some microbes cause disease

 Medical microbiology is one of the essential basic science of medicine. It is the study
of biological characteristic of microorganism and their relationship with human host.
 History of Medical Microbiology:
o Experience phase
o Experimental phase
 Leuwenhoek
 built microscopes that magnified over 200 times
 in 1675 first saw microorganisms
 Edward Jenner
 In 1796 develop vaccines for small pox
 Pasteur
 In 1859 prove the absence of spontaneous generation of
microorganism
 Technique of “Pasteurization, research on fermentation
 Developed vaccines for preventing chicken cholera, anthrax, and
rabies.
 Joseph Lister
 In 1865 introduces antiseptic technique
 Robert Koch
 In 1876 prove that specific microorganism can cause specific
disease
 Method for isolating pure culture of bacteria
 New methods of staining bacteria
 Koch's postulates, means:
o The microbe must be found in the body in all cases of the
disease
o It must be isolated from a case and grown in a series of
pure culture in vitro
o It reproduce the disease on the inoculation of a late pure
culture into a susceptible animal
o The microbe must be isolated again into pure culture
from such experimentally caused infection
 Dimitry Iwanowski
 In 1892 Discover virus
 Paul Ehrlich
 In 1894 discover the principle of chemotheraphy
 Alexander Fleming
 In 1929 discover penicillin
 Lister

o Modern phase
Chapter 2—Bacterial Shape and Structure
 Bacteria is a part of prokaryotes.
 Size of Bacteria:
o Prokaryotic with single cell
o Small size
o the unit of measurement—micrometer (abbreviation μm)
μm＝10－3 mm ＝10－6 m
o Can be seen under microscope
 Basic shapes of bacteria:
o Spherical — cocci
 Diplococcus
 Streptococcus
 Tetrad
 Sarcina
 Staphylococcus
o Straight — bacilli
 Coccobacilli
 Streptobacilli
 Fusiform
o Curved or Spiral — spiral bacteria
 Vibrio
 Spirilla
 Spirochetes
 Structure of bacteria:
o Basic Structure
 Cell wall—Gram positive and Gram negative
 Cytoplasm membrane
 Cytoplasm
 Nucleoid
o Special Structure
 Capsule
 Flagellum
 Pilus
 Spore
o Basic Structure
 Cell wall—Gram positive and Gram negative
 outmost portion. 15-30 nm in thickness, 10%-25% of dry weight.
 Function:
o Gives the bacterial shape and prevents osmotic lysis
o Transports materials inside and outside of bacterium
o Possesses antigenic specificity
o Provides many pathogenic properties
 Cell Membrane Function:
o Site of biosynthesis of DNA, cell wall polymers and
membrane lipids.
o Selective permeability and transport of solutes into cells
o Electron transport and oxidative phosphorylation
o Excretion of hydrolytic exoenzymes
 In Gr+ bacteria:
o Peptidoglycan
 Carbohydrate Backbone
 Tetrapeptide side chains
 pentapeptide cross-bridges
 For protection: Drug sensitivity—
penicillin; lysozyme
o Teichoic acid
 Only found in G+ bacteria
 Two types: Wall teichoic acid & Lipoteichoic acid
 For antigen specificity and pathogenicity
 In Gr- bacteria:
o Peptidoglycan
 Thinner (1-2 layers)
 No cross bridges
o Outer membrane
 Only found in G- bacteria
 Compositions: Lipoprotein, Lipid bilayer, and LPS
 LPS (lipopolysaccharide)—endotoxin consist of:
 Lipid A—for endotoxic properties
 Core polysaccharide—as genus specificity
 O polysaccharide (O Ag) — as species
specificity
  Cytoplasm membrane
 Mesosome
o Is the specialized structures formed by convoluted
invaginations of cytoplasmic membrane
o Divided into 2 types:
1) septal mesosoma—for formation of cross-wall during
cell division
2) lateral mesosoma—as extension of cell membrane

 Cytoplasm
 Ribosome—for protein synthesize
o 70S in size (50S+30S)
 Streptomycin acts on 30S
 Erythromycin acts on 50S
 Plasmid— is an extrachromosomal genetic element that is
usually circular, covalently closed, double-stranded DNA not
essential for bacterial growth
 Inclusion granule—is the storage area for nutrients

 Nucleoid
 Is the prokaryotic nuclear body, usually composed of a single
molecule of circular, chromosomal DNA
 Nucleus: The eukaryotic nuclear body containing the
chromosomes of the cell. Enclosed by a nuclear membrane.

Note: L forms
L form is the bacteria that their peptidoglycan is destroyed or lost by various factors
but they can survive under highly osmotic environment.
Two types of L forms:
1) Protoplasts: L forms derived from G+ bacteria. Enclosed by cytoplasmic
membrane.
2) Spheroplasts: L forms derived from G- bacteria. Enclosed by partial cell
wall.
o Special Structure
 Capsule
 Capsule: is a well-organized layer of material firmly attached
to the outer surface of the bacterial cell wall.
 Microcapsule: capsule less than 0.2μm thick.
 Slime layer: an unorganized, loosely attached layer of material
surrounding a bacterial cell.
 Function:
1) Antigenicity
o polysaccharide or polypeptide
o e.g., Streptococcus pneumoniae
2) Pathogenicity
o Anti-phagocytosis
o Protection
o Adherence

 Flagellum
 A long, thin protein appendage external to a cell and
responsible for motility.
 Function
1) Motility: the bacteria move when flagella rotate
2) Pathogenicity
- e.g., Vibrio cholerae—aid in the penetration of
bacteria through the mucous layer covering the
intestinal epithelial surface.
3) Antigenicity
- protein
- Also called as H Ag

 Villus
 thin, hairlike appendages on the surface of many bacteria
 Properties: Shorter and thinner and consist of protein
 Types and functions
o ordinary pili—as Pathogenicity: adherence
o sex pili—as Variation: conjugation
 Spore
 Endospore(Spore)—is a resistant, thick-walled, dormant
survival cell produced by certain Gram-positive bacteria.
1. E.g Clostridium and Bacillus
2. Function:
a. Enhances the ability of
bacteria to resist to the
unfavorable environment.
b. Medical significance—the
criterion of sterilization
effect
3. Properties
1) Contains the whole life necessary materials
2) Possesses high resistance—because of:
a. Impermeability of the spore coat
b. Calcium-dipicolinate
c. Scarcity of water
3) Germinates under favorable conditions
a. Endospores Vegetative bacteria
b. involved in the transmission of some diseases to
humans