Dr. Taghreed Khudhur Mohammed Dr. Mohammed Abed J. K.

Bacterial growth curve

 Growth: an increasing in size and volume of organism (in higher organism) but
in bacteria growth refers as an increase in number.
 When fresh liquid medium is inoculated with a given number of bacteria and
incubated for sufficient period of time, it gives a characteristic growth pattern
of bacteria.
 If the bacterial population is measured periodically and log of number of viable
bacteria is plotted in a graph against time, it gives a characteristic growth curve
which is known as growth curve or growth cycle.

Population growth of bacteria:

 The growth is defined as an increase in number of microbial cell in a population

which can be measured as an increased cell mass.
 Growth rate is the change in cell number or cell mass per unit time. So during
cell division all the cellular constituent doubles.
 The pattern of population increase is referred to as exponential growth.

Generation time:

 The time interval for the formation of two daughter cell from one is called
generation time or doubling time.
 Generation time vary widely among organism.

Growth curve:
 The growth curve is hyperbolic due to exponential bacterial growth pattern.

Bacterial growth curve

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 Dr. Taghreed Khudhur Mohammed Dr. Mohammed Abed J. K.

The growth curve has following phases

1. Lag phase
2. Log phase or exponential phase
3. Stationary phase
4. Death phase or decline phase

1. Lag phase:

 When bacteria is inoculated into new fresh media, it do not divide immediately.
Bacteria takes some time to adjust to the new environment. The time period in
which bacteria is metabolically active but do not divide is called as lag phase.
 Lag phase is characterized by the period during which there is no increase in
number of cell.
 Size of bacteria increase continuously so the bacteria have largest size at the
end of lag phase.
 The bacteria adopt in new environment.
 It is the phase of adjustment necessary for the synthesis of enzymes and co-
enzymes for physiological activities.
 Duration of lag phase varies according to conditions and species of bacteria.
 If the culture organism is taken from old culture, the duration will be
longer but if the culture is fresh, duration is short.
 If the culture media is different from the previous culture then duration is
long because bacteria takes some more time to adjust in the new media.
 At the end of lag phase, bacteria become fully prepared for cell division.

2. Log phase or exponential phase: During this phase bacteria

 Divides continuously at constant rate and the number of bacteria increase

exponentially.
 Rapid stage of cell division. So, bacteria have smallest size in this phase.
 Bacterial population is nearly uniform in their metabolic activities, chemical
composition of cell and other physiological characteristics.
 Biochemical and physiological characteristics are commonly used for
identification of bacteria are manifested during log phase of growth.
 Generation time of bacteria is usually determined during log phase. However
it is not same for all bacteria in culture.

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 Dr. Taghreed Khudhur Mohammed Dr. Mohammed Abed J. K.

 Generation time is shortest during log phase and is strongly dependent upon
growth factors present in the medium.
 This phase lasts for several hour depending on the type of organism, conditions
of growth and density of organism.

3. Stationary phase:

 The bacteria growth reaches a state during which there is no net increase in
bacterial population. This is called as stationary phase.
 Bacterial population is maintained by balance between cell division and cell
death (cell division = cell death) because the depletion of nutrition in media
and accumulation of toxic secondary metabolic wastes.
 Production of antibiotics such as Penicillin, streptomycin etc. and enzymes by
certain bacteria occur during stationary phase of their growth.

4. Death phase or decline phase: In this phase

 The number of bacteria decrease continuously and exponentially as a result of

depletion of nutrition and accumulation of toxic wastes.
 Total count of bacteria may remain constant but the viable count decreases.
 It is just inverse of log phase. But the death rate is slower than growth rate.
 Not all bacteria die at same rate, some die faster and some are more resistant
and remain viable for longer time. e.g. Spore forming bacteria.

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Dr. Taghreed Khudhur Mohammed Dr. Mohammed Abed J. K.

Bacterial physiology and metabolism

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Dr. Taghreed Khudhur Mohammed Dr. Mohammed Abed J. K.

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Dr. Taghreed Khudhur Mohammed Dr. Mohammed Abed J. K.