PRELIM│PHARMACEUTICAL MICROBIOLOGY AND PARASITOLOGY

BACTERIAL GROWTH REQUIREMENTS

MICROBIAL PHYSIOLOGY

1. Autotrophs – use carbon dioxide as the sole main carbon source

a. photoautotrophs – use light as an energy source.
b. chemoautotrophs – oxidize organic or inorganic compounds to produce energy.
2. Heterotrophs – use organic compounds as their main carbon source.
a. photoheterotrophs - use light as an energy source
b. chemoheterotrophs – oxidize organic and inorganic compounds to produce energy.
3. Prototrophs – are parent cells that have no special nutritional requirements. They require the same
nutrients as the major number of the species.
4. Auxotrophs – are mutated, they cannot synthesize the same essential nutrients (amino acids) as their
parent cell.
5. Subsets
a. Holophytic: an organism in which nutrients must be in soluble, diffusible form.
b. Holozoic: organisms that need complex nutrients, often solid are ingested and then broken down.
c. Saprophytic: organism whose nutrients are obtained from dead or decaying organic matter.
d. Parasitic: organism whose nutrients are obtained from and at the expense of living organisms (human
pathogens).
6 macro elements are used as main components of carbohydrates, lipids, proteins and nucleic acids
1. Carbon – it makes up the structural backbone of all organic molecules.
2. Oxygen – it is used by aerobic bacteria for cellular respiration and serves as the final electron acceptor.
3. Hydrogen -
4. Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Sulfur – thy are necessary for the synthesis of cellular materials like
proteins and nucleic acids.

Autotrophs – they utilize inorganic compounds as their carbon source.

Organotrophs – they make use of organic substances like sugars or glucose as their carbon source.
Obligate aerobes – they utilize molecular oxygen for energy production.
Obligate anaerobes – they cannot survive in the presence of oxygen.
Facultative organisms – they both survive in both aerobic and anaerobic conditions.

Light-derived
Photolithotrophs and Photo organotrophs

Inorganic Substances
Chemolithotrophs and Chemoorganotrophs

Temperature
Thermophiles – they grow at temperatures higher than 40°C.
Mesophiles – they grow at temperatures of 20°C - 40°C
Psychrophiles – they grow at temperatures of 10°C – 20°C

pH
Alkaliphiles – they grow at pH levels 8.4 – 9.0
Neutrophiles – they grow at neutral pH levels 7.0 – 7.2
Acidophiles – they grow at pH levels less than 6.0
Osmotic Conditions
Halophiles – requires high salt concentrations.
Osmophiles – require high osmotic pressure.

Bacterial Growth Curve

Lag phase – the period of adjustment of the bacteria in the new environment.
Log phase – it is characterized by rapid cell division thus, resulting in an increased number of bacteria.
Stationary phase – the period of equilibrium. The rate of growth slows down, nutrients start to deplete and toxic
wastes begin to accumulate
Death or Decline phase – the period of rapid cell death where the number of dead cells is greater than the
number of living cells.

GRAM NEGATIVE BACTERIA

• Gram-negative bacteria are classified by the colour they turn after a chemical process called gram
staining is used on them.
• Gram-negative bacteria stain red/pink when this process is used.
• Gram-positive bacteria stain blue/violet.
• Gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria stain differently because their cell walls are different. They
also cause different types of infections, and different types of antibiotics are effective against them.
• Gram-negative bacteria are enclosed in a protective capsule. This capsule helps prevent white blood
cells (which fight infection) from ingesting the bacteria. Under the capsule, gram-negative bacteria have
an outer membrane that protects them against certain antibiotics, such as penicillin. When disrupted,
this membrane releases toxic substances called endotoxins. Endotoxins contribute to the severity of
symptoms during infections with gram-negative bacteria.
• Gram-negative bacteria can cause many serious infections, such as pneumonia, peritonitis
(inflammation of the membrane that lines the abdominal cavity), urinary tract infections, bloodstream
infections, wound or surgical site infections, and meningitis.
• Gram-negative bacteria are increasingly becoming resistant to antibiotics. Bacteria may be resistant
because of any of the following:
• They are naturally resistant to certain antibiotics.
• They acquire genes from bacteria that have become resistant.
• Their genes mutate.

GRAM-POSITIVE BACTERIA

• Gram staining is one way scientists can identify bacteria. On applying a stain, gram-positive bacteria
appear blue or purple under a microscope. They tend to have a thick cell wall. One example is
Staphylococcus.
• Key characteristics of Gram-positive bacteria
• Gram-positive bacteria differ from Gram-negative in their structure. These are their key characteristics:
• Outer membrane: Gram-positive bacteria do not have an outer membrane, while Gram-negative
bacteria do.
• Color: Gram-positive bacteria appear blue or purple under the microscope.
• Cell wall: This structure surrounds the cell's membrane. In Gram-positive bacteria, the cell wall is made
of multiple layers of molecules and protein. It protects the bacteria from incurring damage.
• Peptidoglycan layer: In Gram-positive bacteria, the peptidoglycan is a 20 to 80 nm (nanometer) thick
structure found within its cell wall. This layer is only 2 to 3 nm thick in Gram-negative bacteria.
• Gram-positive bacteria are a type of bacteria that have a thick cell wall. This cell wall helps protect the
bacteria from antibiotics and other substances that might damage them.
• Gram-positive bacteria can cause a range of infections, from food poisoning to serious respiratory
diseases. Some Gram-positive bacteria produce toxins that can cause lethal illnesses.
•
 • Shape: Gram-positive bacteria come in different shapes:
• cocci (spherical or round shape)
• bacilli (rod shape)
• branching filaments (threadlike shape)

How are Gram-negative bacteria different?

• Gram-negative bacteria have different structures. They have a far thinner layer of peptidoglycan, which
is why they do not retain the crystal violet dye.
• They also have an outer lipid membrane that protects them from their environment. It means they are
more resistant to antibiotics and other drugs.
• Although Gram-negative bacteria are more challenging to treat, Gram-positive bacteria can also cause
health problems. Many types of Gram-positive bacteria cause diseases that require specific antibiotics.

Gram Staining: General Rules

All cocci are Gram-positive, EXCEPT NVM

Neisseria
Veillonella
Moraxella

All bacilli are Gram-negative, EXCEPT BANCEL MP

Bacillus
Actinomyces
Nocardia
Streptomyces
Corynebacterium,
Clostridium Erysipelothrix
Listeria, Lactobacillus
Mycobacterium
Propionibacterium