Microorganisms Morphology and Physiology

Morphological and Physiological
Characteristic of Microorganisms
Morphological
Microbes can be classified into four major groups:
1- Protozoa 2- Bacteria.
3- Fungi. 4- Viruses.
1- The Protozoa: These are unicellular organisms with protoplasm
differentiated into nucleus and cytoplasm.
Diameters in the range of 2-100 μm.
The most important groups of medical protozoa are:
A-Amoeba: Entamoeba species. Mode of Motility: pseudopodia.
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B- Mastigophora: Mode of Motility: the Flagella.

Gastrointestinal flagellates: Giardia intestinalis
Urogenital flagellates: Trichomonas vaginalis
Tissue and blood flagellates: Trypanosoma, Leishmania .

Trypanosoma, and Leishmania .
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C- Ciliophora: motile by cilia.
Example: Balantidium coli.

D- Sporozoa: intracellular infection.
Example: Plasmodium that cause Malaria.

2- The bacteria:
Bacteria are unicellular prokaryotic microorganisms that multiply by
binary fission.
Bacteria can be classified according to morphology, arrangement, and

staining reaction into the following groups:
1- Filamentous bacteria: Streptomyces: antibiotic producers.
2- True bacteria:
Cocci: Gram positive: Staphylococcus, Streptococcus.
Gram negative: Neisseria.
Bacilli: Gram positive: Bacillus, Clostridum, Corynebacterium.
Gram negative: Enterobacteriaceae, Brucella.
3- Spirochetes: Slender flexuous spiral bacteria.
Borrelia, Treponema, Leptospira.
4- Mycoplasma: The Smallest bacteria that lack of a rigid cell wall.
5- Rickettsiae and Chlamydiae: intracellular parasites.
Structure of bacterial cells:
Size, Shape, and Arrangement of bacterial cells:
Morphology and arrangement of bacterial cells are criteria used for
classification of bacteria into following groups:
1. Cocci (Singular: coccus).
2. Rods (bacilli), (Singular: rod, bacillus).
3. Vibrios (Singular: vibrio).
4. Spirilla (singular :Spirillum)
5. Spirochetes. (Singular: Spirochaete).
1. Cocci:
These are round or oval bacteria measuring about 0.5-1.0 micrometer in
diameter. When they multiplying, cocci may form pairs, chains, or

irregular groups.
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Cocci in pairs are called diplococci, for example, meningococci

and gonococci.
Cocci in chains are called streptococci, for example Streptococcus pyogens.
Cocci in irregular groups are called Staphytococci, for example, Staphylococcus aureus.
2. Rods (bacilli):
These are stick-like bacteria with rounded, square, or swollen ends. They
measure 1-10 micrometer in length by 0.3-1.0 micrometer in width.
It may arranged in:
A- Chains, for example, Streptobacillus species.
B- Branching chains, for example, lactobacilli .
C- Mass together, for example, Mycobacterium leprae.
D- Remain attached at various angles resembling Chinese letters, for
example, Corynebacterium diphtheria.
3-Vibrios:
These are small slightly curved rods measuring 3-4 micrometer
in length by 0.5 micrometers in width.
Most vibrios are motile with a single flagellum at one end.
They show a rapid darting motility.
For example:
vibrio cholerae.
4-Spirochetes:
These are flexible, coiled, motile organism, 6-20 micrometer in length.
They progress by rapid body movements.
Spirochetes are divided into three main groups:
A- Treponemes. B- Borreliae. C- Leptospires.
3- The Fungi:
These are saprophytic or parasitic organisms possessing relatively rigid cell
walls.
Medical fungi can be divided into:

1- Mould: Branching filaments; hyphae, mycelium. Usually 2 to 10 μm in width.
Example: Epidermophyton, Trichophyton,
Microsporum, Aspergillus.
2- True Yeasts: these are ovoid or spherical cells that reproduce asexually by
budding and sexually with formation of spores.
Example : Cryptococcus spp.
3- Dimorphic fungi:
Produce a vegetative mycelium in artificial
media, but are yeast like in infected lesions.
Example: Histoplasma.
4- Yeast- like fungi: Example: Candida ( Pseudomycelium).

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4- The viruses:
Viruses consist of DNA or RNA enclosed in a simple protein shell known as
a capsid.
General properties of viruses

They are very small in size, from 20-300 m.
They contain one kind of nucleic acid (RNA or DNA) as their genome.
They are metabolically inert

They are obligate intracellular parasites.
They are only seen by electron microscope.
Depend on the parasitized cell for survival and multiplication

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Cell Structure
• Two structural types of cells are
recognized: the prokaryote and the
eukaryote. Prokaryotic cells have a
simpler internal structure than eukaryotic
cells, lacking membrane-enclosed
organelles.
Bacterial Morphology
• Some typical bacterial morphologies
include coccus, rod, spirillum, spirochete,
appendaged, and filamentous.
Cytoplasmic Membrane
• The cytoplasmic membrane is a
highly selective permeability barrier
constructed of lipids and proteins that
forms a bilayer with hydrophilic exteriors
and a hydrophobic interior.
• The major function of the cytoplasmic
membrane is to act as a permeability
barrier, preventing leakage of
cytoplasmic metabolites into the
environment.
Cell Wall
• Gram-negative Bacteria have only a
few layers of peptidoglycan , but gram-
positive Bacteria have several layers.
• In addition to peptidoglycan, gram-
negative Bacteria contain an outer
membrane consisting of
lipopolysaccharide (LPS), protein, and
lipoprotein.
Cell Growth
• Microbial growth involves an increase
in the number of cells. Growth of most
microorganisms occurs by the process of
binary fission.
• Microbial populations show a
characteristic type of growth pattern
called exponential growth.
The Growth Cycle
• Microorganisms show a characteristic
growth pattern when inoculated into a fresh
culture medium.
Environmental Effects on
Microbial Growth
Temperature
• Temperature is a major environmental
factor controlling microbial growth. The
cardinal temperatures are the
minimum, optimum, and maximum
temperatures at which each organism
grows.
• Microorganisms can be grouped by
the temperature ranges they
require.
Low or High pH
• The acidity or alkalinity of an
environment can greatly affect microbial
growth.
• Organisms that grow best at low

pH are called acidophiles; those
that grow best at high pH are called
alkaliphiles.
• Some organisms have evolved to grow
best at low or high pH, but most
organisms grow best between pH 6 and
8. The internal pH of a cell must stay
relatively close to neutral even though
the external pH is highly acidic or basic.
Salinity
• Some microorganisms (halophiles)
have evolved to grow best at reduced
water potential, and some (extreme
halophiles) even require high levels of
salts for growth.
Oxygen
• Aerobes require oxygen to live,
whereas anaerobes do not and may
even be killed by oxygen.
• Facultative organisms can live
with or without oxygen.
Aerotolerant anaerobes can
tolerate oxygen and grow in its
presence even though they cannot
use it.
• Microaerophiles are aerobes that can
use oxygen only when it is present at
levels reduced from that in air.
• Special
techniques
are needed to
grow aerobic
and anaerobic
microorganis
ms.
Toxic Forms of Oxygen
• Several toxic forms of oxygen can be
formed in the cell as the result of
respiration, but enzymes are present that
can neutralize most of them. Hydrogen
peroxide is one of those forms that can
be neutralized by catalase.
• Several toxic forms of oxygen can be
formed in the cell as the result of
respiration, but enzymes are present
that can neutralize most of them.
Hydrogen peroxide is one of those
forms that can be neutralized by
catalase.

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Morphological and Physiological

B- Mastigophora: Mode of Motility: the Flagella.

Tissue and blood flagellates: Trypanosoma, Leishmania .

Example: Balantidium coli.

Example: Plasmodium that cause Malaria.

Bacteria can be classified according to morphology, arrangement, and

diameter. When they multiplying, cocci may form pairs, chains, or

Cocci in pairs are called diplococci, for example, meningococci

Medical fungi can be divided into:

4- Yeast- like fungi: Example: Candida ( Pseudomycelium).

General properties of viruses

They are metabolically inert

They are only seen by electron microscope.

Depend on the parasitized cell for survival and multiplication

• Organisms that grow best at low

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