Viruses smallest of all the microbes (acellular).

polymer provides structural support to fungal

Genome is made of either DNA or RNA (not
both), and this is packaged inside a protein shell
called a capsid. Cannot make their own proteins
and don’t grow, must infect a host cell and
hijack its machinery to assemble new viruses.
Bacteriophages are viruses that infect bacteria.
Some viruses have a lipid envelope which they
steal from membranes in the host cell. A few
viruses can respond to changes in their
environment. Most scientists agree that viruses
should therefore be considered non-living.
PROKARYOTES bacteria and archaea are
prokaryotes. (Unicellular) with a circular DNA
genome that floats around in the cytoplasm.
Many prokaryotes have one or more smaller
circles of DNA called plasmids that carry
additional genes. Lack of nucleus.
Peptidoglycan (murein) is found in prokaryotic
cell wall, and lack in eukaryotic cell wall. Most of
them multiply by binary fission.
cells. Some species of fungi that cause animal
diseases are dimorphic because they grow as
hyphae in ambient temperatures but switch to
yeast-like growth when causing an infection.
Yeast (37 ’C), Hyphal growth (25 ‘C).
Protist most are unicellular and include plant-
like algae, animallike protozoa and fungi-like
slime molds.
Helmints multicellular parasitic worms that are
not technically microorganisms, these worms
fall within the field of microbiology because
diseases caused by helminths involve
microscopic eggs and larvae.

Bactteria bacterial cells are mostly circular

(coccus, plural cocci) or rodshaped (bacillus,
plural bacilli), but a few have spiral or
corkscrew shapes. Another defining features is
the use of peptidoglycan as a component of
their cell walls. Pleomorphic bacteria can
assume several shapes.

Archaea a look similar in size and structure to

bacteria but come in a wider variety of cell
shapes. Many archaea live in hostile
environments. Archaea do not cause disease.
Unlike bacteria, they do not have peptidoglycan
in their cell walls.

EUKARYOTES include protists, fungi, plants and

animals (either unicellular or multicellular and
has nucleus). Linear DNA genome is packaged
into one or multiple chromosomes. contain
multiple membrane-bound organelles including
mitochondria, which are not found in
prokaryotic cells. *generally cannot be gram
stained because they do not contain
peptidoglycan.

Fungi exist as either single cells (yeasts) or as

multicellular organisms formed of thin,
branching tubular structures called hyphae.
Some fungi are able to switch between these
two forms (they are dimorphic) in response to
environmental conditions eg temperature. One
of the defining features of fungi is that their cell
walls contain chitin. Arthropods such as
crustaceans (crabs, lobsters, shrimp) and insects
use chitin to form their exoskeleton – think of
how tough a beetle is and you can see how this