gy

riolo
acte
Introduction of Medical Bacteriology

Bacterial
mm
u no
log
y

ycology Structure & Classification

gy
itolo
aras

gy
irolo
Bacteria
acte
riolo
gy
• Single cell.
• Prokaryotes.
• Small.
mm
u no
log
y
• Reproduce by binary
fission.
ycology
Characteristics Prokaryotes Eukaryotes
DNA+ Nuclear membrane Not present Present
Mitotic division Not present Present
aras
itolo
gy DNA + Histones Not present Present
Chromosome One More than one
Ribosome 70s 80s
Cell wall Peptidoglycan Present. Not Present
gy
irolo

Organelles (mitochondria) Not present Present

Bacterial Shape
acte
riolo
gy
• Spherical (coccus - cocci).
• Rod shape (bacillus - bacilli).
• Long.
mm
u no
log
y
• Short.
• Clubbed shape.
ycology

• Curved.
• Comma shaped.
aras
itolo
gy
• Gull wings
• Fusiform.
• Spiral (spirochetes).
• Filamentous (actinomycetes)
gy
irolo
Bacterial Arrangement
gy
riolo
acte

• Chain (streptococcus - streptobacillus).

mm
u

• Double (diplococcus, parallel).

no
log
y

ycology

• Tetrad.

• Cluster (staphylococcus).
gy
itolo
aras

gy
irolo
Typical bacterial cell
gy
riolo
acte

mm
u no
log
y

ycology

gy
itolo
aras

gy
irolo
Bacterial structures
gy
riolo
acte

• Essential structures: • Non essential structures:

• Cell wall. • Flagellae.
mm
u no
log
• Cell membrane. • Pili.
y

• Ribosome. • Capsule and slime layer.

ycology • Cytoplasm. • Plasmid.
• Nucleoid. • Spores.
• Others.
gy
itolo
aras

gy
irolo
Bacterial Cell wall
gy
riolo
acte

• Categorize the bacteria into

Gram positive & Gram
mm
negative:
u no

• Cell wall Structure.

log
y

ycology • Cell wall Chemical

composition.
• Cell wall Thickness.
gy
itolo
aras

Hans Christian Gram

gy
irolo
Gram Positive Bacterial cell wall
acte
riolo
gy
• Multi layer Peptidoglycan
(murein).
• Repeated Sugar backbone
mm
(NAG – NAM).
u no
log
y

• Cross linked with Transpeptide

ycology

bonds (tetrapeptide of amino

acid alanine).

aras
itolo
gy • Peptides Cross-links are
synthesized via enzyme
Transpeptidase.

gy
irolo
• Teichoic acids and lipoteichoic
acid.
Gram negative Bacterial cell wall
gy
riolo
acte

• One layer
Peptidoglycan
mm
u no
log
y
(murein).
• Periplasm (contains β-
ycology lactamase).
• Braun’s lipoprotein
• Outer membrane (LPS;
aras
itolo
gy
lipopolysaccharide –
endotoxin).

gy
irolo
Cell wall functions
gy
riolo
acte

• Maintain bacterial shapes.

• Gives rigid support.
mm
u no
log
y
• Protects against osmotic pressure.
ycology

gy
itolo
aras

gy
irolo
Cell wall comparison
gy
riolo
acte
Components Gram positive Gram negative
Peptidoplycans. Thick - multilayer Thin unilayer
Teichoic acid Present Not present
mm
u no
Lipopolysaccharide LPS Not present present
log
y

Colour with Gram Blue (violet) Red

ycology

gy
itolo
aras

gy
irolo
Exceptional cell walls
gy
riolo
acte

• Mycobacteria:
• Thick, Rich in lipid (Mycolic acid).
mm
u no
• Can not be stained by Gram’s method (stained
by ZN stain).
log
y

ycology

• Mycoplasma:
• Cell wall free.
aras
itolo
gy
• Pleomorphic.
• Cannot be stained with Gram method.

gy
irolo
Bacterial Cell membrane
gy
riolo
acte

• phospoholipid bilayer.
• Does not contain sterol (except Mycoplasma).
mm
u no
log
y 1. Active transport of molecules into the
cytoplasm.
ycology

2. Energy generation by oxidative phosphorylation.

3. Synthesis of precursors of the cell wall.
aras
itolo
gy
4. Secretion of enzymes and toxins.

gy
irolo
Ribosomes
gy
riolo
acte

• 70S (50S + 30S subunits).

mm
u no
log
y
• Protein synthesis.

ycology
• site of action of group of antibiotics

gy
itolo
aras

gy
irolo
The Capsule and glycocalyx
gy
riolo
acte

• gelatinous Polysaccharide in nature. (except

bacillus contain polymers of (Glutamic acid).
mm
u no
log
y

• Prevent Antibodies opsonization (prevent phagocytosis).

ycology
• Used for bacterial identification and grouping
(serogrouping).

gy
itolo
aras

• The glycocalyx (slime layer) is a polysaccharide

coating used for firm attachment to tissue surfaces
gy
irolo
The Flagella
gy
riolo
acte

• Whip-like appendage Composed A. Monotrichous

of:
mm
• Basal body. B. Lophotrichous
u no
log
y
• Hook.
ycology
• filament (protein; Flagellin).
C. Amphitrichous
• Energy dependent motility.
• Chemotaxis.
gy
itolo
aras

D. Peritrichous
gy
irolo
The Pili (fimbriae)
gy
riolo
acte

• Short Hair-like surface structure

formed from single protein Pilin.
mm
u no
log
y

• Common pili: adherence and

ycology

attachment to the surface.

aras
itolo
gy • Sex pili: exchange of genetic
materials in the process of
conjugation
gy
irolo
Plasmid
gy
riolo
acte

• Extra chromosomal, small,

circular double stranded
mm
u no
log
y
DNA.
• Can be transmitted from
ycology
donor cell to recipient cell in
a process of conjugation.
• Encode genes for:
gy
itolo
aras
• Bacterial virulence.
• Antimicrobial resistance.
gy
• Bacterial components (pili)
irolo
Spores
acte
riolo
gy • Highly resistant, metabolically inert non
replicating structures formed only by Bacillus
and clostridium species.
• Spore formation (sporulation):
mm
u no
log
• Adverse effects.
y

• forms inside the cell

• Contains:
ycology

• bacterial DNA .
• small amount of cytoplasm, cell
membrane, peptidoglycan, water.
aras
itolo
gy • thick, keratin-like coat, Calcium
Dipicolinate.
• Survive for many years.

gy
irolo
• Resistance to heat, dehydration, radiation, and
chemicals.
Other structures.
gy
riolo
acte

• Secretion systems.
• Mostly Type III and Type IV.
mm
u no
log
y
• Needle like structures used by some
bacteria to secrete proteins into host
ycology

cells.

aras
itolo
gy
• Enterochelin:
• Ion transport system ( siderophore).
gy
irolo
classifications of Medically important
Bacterial
gy
riolo
acte

• Cell wall and Gram stain

mm
u no
log
y
• Shape

• Oxygen requirement
ycology

• Others:

gy
• Intracellular vs extracellular.
itolo
aras

• System involved.
• Spore formation
gy
irolo

• Molecular.
gy
acte
riolo
Gram +ve Gram -ve

mm
u
Cocci Bacilli Cocci Bacilli
no
log
y

ycology

Aerobes Aerobes Aerobes Aerobes

gy
itolo
aras

Anaerobes Anaerobes Anaerobes Anaerobes

gy
irolo
Gram +ve

gy
riolo
acte

Cocci

mm
u no
log
y

Aerobes Anaerobes
ycology

Streptococcus Peptococcus
gy
itolo
aras

Staphylococcus
gy
irolo
Gram +ve

gy
riolo
acte

Bacilli

mm
u no
log
y
Aerobes
Anaerobes
ycology

Corynebacterium Clostridium

gy
itolo
aras
Bacillus

gy
Listeria
irolo
Gram -ve

gy
riolo
acte

Cocci

mm
u no

Aerobes
log
y

ycology

Neisseria

gy
itolo
aras

gy
irolo
Gram -ve

acte
riolo
gy Bacilli

Aerobes
mm
u no
log
y

Enterobacteriacae
ycology

Escherichia coli

aras
itolo
gy
Proteus Salmonella

Klebsiella Shigella
gy
irolo

Yersinia
Gram -ve

acte
riolo
gy Bacilli

Aerobes
mm
u

Parvobacteria
no
log
y

ycology

Haemophilus

gy
Brucella Bordetella
itolo
aras

Francisella Pasteurella

gy
irolo
Legionella
Gram -ve

acte
riolo
gy Bacilli

Aerobes
mm
u no
log
y

Curved bacilli
ycology

Vibrio

aras
itolo
gy
Helicobacter

Campylobacter
gy
irolo
Gram -ve

acte
riolo
gy Bacilli

Strict Aerobes
mm
u no
log
y

Pseudomonas
ycology

gy
itolo
aras

gy
irolo
acte
riolo
gy
Gram -ve

Bacilli
mm
u no
log
y

Anaerobes
ycology

Bacteroides Fusobacterium
gy
itolo
aras

gy
irolo
Atypical bacteria
gy
riolo
acte

Cell wall structure

!
mm
u no
log
y

Cell wall free

ycology

Shape
gy
itolo
aras

Arrangements

irolo
gy
obligate intracellular
A typical bacteria
gy
riolo
acte

Cell wall structure

mm
u no
log
y

ycology

Mycobacteria

gy
itolo
aras

gy
irolo
A typical bacteria
gy
riolo
acte

Cell wall free

mm
u no
log
y

ycology
Mycoplasma

gy
Ureaplasma
itolo
aras

gy
irolo
A typical bacteria
gy
riolo
acte

Shape
mm
u no
log
y

Spirochetes
ycology

Treponema

aras
itolo
gy
Borrelia

Leptospira
gy
irolo
A typical bacteria
gy
riolo
acte

Cells arrangement (like fungal Hyphae)

mm
u no
log
y

Actinomycetes
ycology

Aerobes Anaerobes
gy
itolo
aras

Streptomyces Actinomyces

Nocardia Propionobacterium
gy
irolo
A typical bacteria
gy
riolo
acte

Virus like (obligate intracellular)

mm
u no
log
y

ycology

Chlamydia

Rickettsia
gy
itolo
aras

Coxiella

gy
irolo
Summary
gy
riolo
acte

• bacteria are prokaryotes have distinct structural

components.
mm
u
• Cell wall structure categorizes the bacteria into two big
no
log

groups .
y

ycology
• The presence of additional non essential structures will
increase the chance of the bacterium to cause
pathology.
gy
• Gram staining, oxygen requirement are the main tools
itolo
aras

for bacterial classification.

gy
irolo
gy
riolo
acte

mm
u no
log
y

ycology

gy
itolo
aras

gy
irolo

07.09.08 Dr Ekta Chourasia