Bacterial Morphology

and Structure

Dr. Orass Madhi

 SIZE OF BACTERIA
• Unit for measurement :
Micron or micrometer,μm
• Size:
Varies with kinds of bacteria, and
also related to their age and
external environment.

 Cocci: sphere, 1μm

 Bacilli: rods , 0.5-1 μm in width -3 μm in length
 Spiral bacteria: 1~3 μm in length and 0.3-0.6 μm in width
 Bacterial Classification
1. phenotypic
2. genotypic
1) According to phenotypic characteristics:
Because many bacteria can appear very similar on microscopic and macroscopic
examination, morphologic characters are used to provide a tentative
identification and to select more discriminating classification methods.

a) Microscopic and macroscopic morphology:

1. Gram stain reaction (2 groups)
2. Cell morphology
3. Colonial morphology
Partial (incomplete
hemolysis)

Complete
hemolysis

Hemolytic colonies on sheep blood

agar
Gram negative
cocci
Gram negative bacilli
(rods)
Gram positive bacteria
b) Biochemical reactions:
• Sugars fermentation
• Amino acid consumption
• Presence of specific enzymes: protease, nuclease, lipase…etc.

c) Serologic classification:
• Bacteria are classified -and identified as well- according to their
specific outer shell (cell wall) antigens.
• Somatic antigen (O); Flagellar (H), and Capsular (K).

d) Antibiogram classification:
i.e.; according to patterns of susceptibility to various antibiotics.
Biochemical identification of 4 different bacterial strains
API 20E system
 2) Classification according to Genotypic characteristics:
The most precise method is to analyze the genetic material
of bacteria. This is achieved by the following ways:

• G+C base ratio of bacterial genome.

• DNA sequence analysis:
• Plasmid ( extra-chromosomal DNA) analysis.
• rDNA sequence (Ribotyping)
Comparing DNA segments from different bacterial strains
Structure of Bacteria

Essential structures
cell wall
cell membrane
Cytoplasm
nuclear material

Particular structures
capsule
flagella
pili
spore
 Cell Envelope
• The cell envelope is all the layers
from the cell membrane
outward, including the cell wall,
the periplasmic space, the outer
membrane, and the capsule.
• All free-living bacteria have a
cell wall
• periplasmic space and outer
membrane are found in
Gram-negatives
• the capsule is only found in
some strains
 Glycocalyx
• Coating of molecules external to the cell wall,
made of sugars and/or proteins
• Two types:
1. Slime layer - loosely organized and attached
2. Capsule - highly organized, tightly attached
• Functions:
• Protect cells from dehydration and nutrient loss
• Inhibit killing by white blood cells by phagocytosis,
contributing to pathogenicity
• Attachment - formation of biofilms

13
Figure 4.11 Biofilm on a catheter

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Capsules and slime layers  Attachment
 Protection from phagocytic
engulfment.
 Resistance to drying.
 Depot for waste products.
 Reservoir for certain
nutrients.
 protection

• These are structures surrounding the outside of the cell envelope. They
usually consist of polysaccharide; however, in certain bacilli they are
composed of a polypeptide (polyglutamic acid). They are not essential to
cell viability and some strains within a species will produce a capsule,
whilst others do not. Capsules are often lost during in vitro culture.
 Bacterial structure
The Bacterial Cell wall:
Gram –ve bacteria, it is composed of:

1) Outer membrane
2) Periplasmic space
3) Cytoplasmic membrane.

Gram +ve bacteria:

1) Thick compact peptidoglycan
layer
2) No Outer membrane layer
3) No periplasmic space,
4) Cytoplasmic membrane.
 1884: Christian Gram:
First publication for the Gram stain method)

Flagellum
Cell membrane Nucleoid Cell wall

Gram +

Pili
Gram -
Granule
Capsule
Cell (inner) membrane Outer membrane
Ribosomes Cell wall
 Cell wall
• Situation: outmost
portion. 15-30nm
in thickness, 10%-
25% of dry weight.
Special components of Gram
positive cell wall
Teichoic acid

It is a polymer of glycerol or ribitol joined by

phosphate groups, and cause septic shock .
Special components of
Gram negative cell wall
Periplasmic space (to store enzymes)

contains a thin layer of peptidoglycan molecules.

Functions of Cell Wall
• Maintaining the cell's characteristic shape- the rigid
wall compensates for the flexibility of the
phospholipid membrane and keeps the cell from
assuming a spherical shape
• Countering the effects of osmotic pressure
• Providing attachment sites for bacteriophages
• Providing a rigid platform for surface appendages-
flagella, fimbriae, and pili all emanate from the wall
and extend beyond it
• Play an essential role in cell division
• Be the sites of major antigenic determinants of the
cell surface。
• Resistance of Antibiotics
Wall-less forms of Bacteria.

• When bacteria are treated with

• 1) enzymes that are lytic for the cell wall e.g. lysozyme or
• 2) antibiotics that interfere with biosynthesis of peptidoglycan,
wall-less bacteria are often produced.
• Usually these treatments generate non-viable organisms. Wall-
less bacteria that can not replicate are referred to as
spheroplasts (when an outer membrane is present) or
protoplasts (if an outer membrane is not present).
• Occasionally wall-less bacteria that can replicate are generated
by these treatments (L forms).
 Cell Membrane
• The cell membrane (often called the plasma
membrane) is composed of 2 layers of
phospholipids.
• Phospholipids have polar heads and non-polar
tails.
• “Polar” implies that the heads are
hydrophilic: they like to stay in an aqueous
environment: facing the outside world and
the inside of the cell.
• “non-polar” means that the tails are
hydrophobic: they want to be away from
water, in an oily environment. The tails
are in the center of the membrane
• A pure phospholipid membrane only allows
water, gasses, and a few small molecules to
move freely through it.
Cytoplasmic membrane
phospholipid bilayer, no steroids (except mycoplasma).
• It performs electron transport and energy production
(replaces mitochondria).
• Contains enzymes.
• Contains transport proteins.
• Contains ion pumps to maintain membrane potential.
• Contains actin-like protein filaments: helps determine
shape of cell, determine site of septum formation for cell
division (first detected in Treponemes)
Cell membrane

• Site of biosynthesis of DNA, cell wall polymers and membrane lipids.

Selective permeability and transport of solutes into cells
• Electron transport and oxidative phosphorylation
• Excretion of hydrolytic exoenzymes
Cytoplasm, with main component are;
 Ribosomes:
70 S (30S + 50S) free in cytoplasm. Proteins and RNA of bacterial ribosomes are
significantly different from human.

 Plasmid:
Cytoplasmic smaller, closed, circular DNA, capable of self replication, not
essential to cell survival, confers some additional characters as resistance to
antibiotics.

 Chromosome:
Single, super-coiled, circular DNA, as nucleoid. Transcription and translation
both occur in cytoplasm, even at same time !!

 Transposon: a few DNA sequences that can integrate into chromosomal DNA
or stay in cytoplasm. Not able of self-replication. Code for some important
traits (antibiotic resist.)
 Cytoplasm
• Composed largely of water, together with proteins, nucleic
acid, lipids and small amount of sugars and salts
• Ribosomes: numerous, 15-20nm in diameter with 70S;
distributed throughout the cytoplasm; sensitive to
streptomycin and erythromycin site of protein synthesis

 Plasmids: extrachromosomal
genetic elements
 Inclusions: sources of stored
energy, e,g volutin
Nucleus

• Lacking nuclear
membrane, absence
of nucleoli, hence
known as nucleic
material or nucleoid,
one to several per
bacterium.
Some bacterial species are mobile and possess
Flagella
locomotory organelles - flagella. Flagella consist of a
number of proteins including flagellin
The diameter of a flagellum is thin, 20 nm, and
long with some having a length 10 times the
diameter of cell. Due to their small diameter, flagella
cannot be seen in the light microscope unless a
special stain is applied. Bacteria can have one or
more flagella arranged in clumps or spread all over
the cell.
 Identification
of Bacteria
 Pathogenesis
 Motility of
bacteria

Monotrichate/Amphitrichate/Lophotrichate/Peritrichate
Pili

• Pili are hair-like projections of the cell , They are

known to be receptors for certain bacterial viruses.
Chemical nature is pilin
• Classification and Function
a.Common pili or fimbriae: fine , rigid numerous,
related to bacterial adhesion
b.Sex pili: longer and coarser, only 1-4, related to
bacterial conjugation
Endospores  Identification of
(spores) Bacteria
 Pathogenesis
 Resistance

• Dormant cell
• Resistant to adverse • Produced when starved
conditions • Contain calcium dipicolinate
- high temperatures DPA, Dipicolinic acid
- organic solvents • Bacillus and Clostridium
 Spores
• Some bacteria can form very tough spores,
which are metabolically inactive and can
survive a long time under very harsh
conditions.
• Spores can also survive very high or low
temperatures and high UV radiation for
extended periods. This makes them difficult to
kill during sterilization.
• Anthrax
• Spores are produced only by a few genera in
the Firmicutes:
• Bacillus species including anthracis
(anthrax) and cereus (endotoxin causes
~5% of food poisoning)
• Clostridium species including tetani
(tetanus), perfringens (gangrene), and
botulinum (botulism: food poisoning from
improperly canned food)