Evaron High School/Biology Yr 10/Mr. Victor A. Olofu (BSc., MSc.

WEEK THREE

MICRO-ORGANISMS AROUND US

DESCRIPTION AND GROUPS OF MICROORGANISMS

Micro-organisms otherwise called microbes or germs can be defined as living things

which cannot be seen with unaided eye but by the use of microscopes.

They exist almost everywhere, in water, air, soil, surface of objects, as well as on

and within living organisms. They are carried by air currents from the earth’s surface

to the upper atmosphere.

It was the invention of microscope that opened the gateway to the world of these

minute living organisms. The first person to discover microbes was a Dutch man

called Anthony Leeuwenhoek (1632-1723). Using a simple microscope, he was

astonished to discover that rain water that had been collected from pools was full of

little organisms which he called animacules.

GROUPS OF MICRO-ORGANISMS

Micro-organisms include all viruses, bacteria and the protists. Others are the

cyanobacteria, certain fungi and algae.

1. BACTERIA: These are minute unicellular organisms or simple association

of similar cells which multiply by binary fission. Most bacteria cells range

between 0.2 µ-2µ in diameter and 0.0005mm-0.002mm long. Each bacterium

cell has a cell wall with cytoplasm. There is no well-defined nucleus.

Consequently, they are prokaryotic organisms.

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Evaron High School/Biology Yr 10/Mr. Victor A. Olofu (BSc., MSc.)

Bacteria are grouped based on their shape:

a. Cocci: They have round shape. They are include:

i. Streplococci- These are arranged in chains. They cause sore

throat.

ii. Staphylococci- These stick together to form irregular bunches.

They cause boils.

iii. Diplococci- They occurs in pairs. e.g. pneumococci which

causes pneumonia.

b. Bacilli- They are rod-shaped. They cause typhoid fever.

c. Spirilla (singular = spirillum)- These are rod-shaped bacteria twisted

into a spiral shape.

d. Spirochaetes- These are also spiral in shape but are more flexible and

slender with helically coiled structure [Link] which

causes syphilis.

e. Vibrios- These are comma-shaped bacteria e.g Vibriocholera which

causes cholera.

Shapes of bacteria

2. VIRUSES: Viruses are a large group of pathogens whose presence is felt only

when they are in contact with living cells. They are very small and vary

between 0.1µ-0.25 µ in diameter. The largest virus is less than one-fourth the

size of typhoid bacterium. A virus consists of a nuclear material either DNA

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Evaron High School/Biology Yr 10/Mr. Victor A. Olofu (BSc., MSc.)

or RNA, enclosed within a protein coat. Outside living organisms, they are

like complex chemicals.

3. PROTISTS: These are single-celled animals, most of which are only visible

by means of microscope. They are common in fresh water and moist soils.

Examples include Euglena, Paramecium, Trypanosoma, Plasmodium, etc.

4. FUNGI: They are diversified in form. The blue and green growth on oranges,

lemons, cheese and the white/grey growth on bread are usually signs of fungal

infections. Fungi feed saprophytically. Examples of fungi include Mucor,

Rhizopus, Penicillium, Aspergillus, etc.

5. ALGAE: Most algae are unicellular and very small. They have chlorophyll.

They occur abundantly in water, moist soils, bark of trees, stones, etc. Free

floating microscopic algae are referred to as phytoplanktons and they form

the major food of aquatic animals. Examples of unicellular algae include

Chlamydomonas and Protococcus.

CONCEPT OF CULTURING

A pre-requisite to studying microbes is their cultivation under laboratory conditions.

Hence, it is important to know the nutrients and physical conditions needed by the

organisms.

It is easier to grow bacteria, fungi, and algae in appropriate media. The material on

or in which microbes grow in the laboratory is called culture medium. Some media

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Evaron High School/Biology Yr 10/Mr. Victor A. Olofu (BSc., MSc.)

are prepared from complex extracts of plant or animal tissues. A culture is the

population of organisms cultivated in a medium.

If a culture contains only one living species of organism regardless of the number of

individuals, it is said to be a pure or axenic culture. A culture which contains two

or more species growing together is called a mixed culture.

An important medium used for growing microbes is agar. It is a dried

polysaccharide extract of red algae which is used as a solidifying agent. It is not

broken down by microbes.

IDENTIFICATION OF MICRO-ORGANISMS

There are many ways of identifying micro-organisms around us. These include the

use of microscopes stains of different types, types of colonies formed by the

microbes, their food requirement and oxygen requirement of the organisms.

CARRIERS OF MICROORGANISM

Any agent that carries microbes from one place to another is called a carrier. Carriers

can be living or non-living things. Non-living carriers include air, water, and food

while animals (e.g. houseflies, mosquitoes, rats, cats, etc) are the living carriers.

Animal vectors carry pathogens either mechanically or biologically. In mechanical

method, animals carry the pathogens on their bodies where they cannot grow or

multiply. In biological method, the vector becomes infected by feeding on the body

fluid of infected persons or animals.

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Evaron High School/Biology Yr 10/Mr. Victor A. Olofu (BSc., MSc.)

Vector or Carrier Micro-organisms Disease caused

(i) Anopheles (female) Plasmodium Malaria fever

mosquito

(ii) Tse-tse fly Trypanosome Sleeping sickness

(iii) Housefly Vibro cholera Cholera and typhoid

fever

(iv) Aedes mosquito Virus Yellow fever

WEEKEND ASSIGNMENT

1. Differentiate between pathogens and vectors

2. Write short notes on SARS-CoV-2.