Main Groups of Microorganisms

Unit 2

Domains of Microorganisms
There are three domains of microorganisms. Bacteria Archaea Eukarya
Consists of Kingdoms Algae, Protista & Fungi

Viruses, though microscopic are not living organisms. Why? Viruses require a host for replication (obligate intercellular parasites).

Archaea
All prokaryotic. Unicellular and are similar in structure to Bacterial cells. Nonpathogenic

Archaea
The domain consists of two phyla:
Crenarchaeota Thermophilic
Pyrolobus sp.

Most species within the phylum metabolize Sulphur

Sufolobus sp.

Euryarchaeota is morphologically diverse. There are three metabolically distinct types of organisms in this phylum:
Methanogens Halophiles
Halobactrium sp.

Thermoacidophiles
hot springs. Thermoplasma sp.

Bacteria
All prokaryotic, unicellular, having characteristic cell shapes. This domain consists of diverse, ubiquitous species as a result of billions of years of evolution. 23 phyla, very diverse group pathogenic (capable of causing disease). Clostridium tetani Mycobacterium tuberculosis

Domain variation Bacteria

Morphology- cell size and shape Metabolic pathways

Mechanisms of cell division employed.

Adaptation to environmental extremes.

Algae
Habitat Fresh water & marine aquatic Sometimes hot springs or snow banks Temporary pools of water, rainwater runoff exposed to sunlight Soils with low water potential. Acidic habitats Below pH 4, only algae and acid tolerant plants will carry out oxygenic photosynthesis. Cyanidium will photosynthesize below pH 2. Importance plankton (major component) lichen (Green algae, Cyanobacteria & fungi) Produce most of the worlds oxygen.

Algae
Eukaryotic Containing chlorophyll (a, same as plants or b/c) Classification
Thallus (body of alga) morphology Pigments

Members include seaweed and kelp, vary in size from a few micrometers to 100m. Morphology
Unicellular (Micrasterias & Scenedesmus), colonial (Volvox), filamentous (cells arranged end to end, Spirogyra), membranous or bladelike or tubular.

Pigments
Green, red or brown (xanthophylls, cartenoids, phycobillins).

Have cell walls and flagella (Euglena), gliding motility diatoms.

Algal Morphology
Unicellular
Micrasterias Scenedesmus

colonial
Volvox

filamentous (cells arranged end to end)

Spirogyra

Spirogyra Micrasterias Volvox Scenedesmus

Algae
Algae rarely infectious 1. Prototheca moriformis non photosynthetic algae associated with skin and subcutaneous infections in humans and other animals. Starts as lesions, invasion of the blood stream, spread slowly through lymph glands, covering large areas of the body. Associated with bursitis an inflammation of the joints.

Gonyaulax red tide

2. Food poisoning due to red tide occur in polluted waters. Dinoflagellates (Gonyaulax & Gymnodinium) produce nuerotoxins dense growth called blooms, bright red in colour from accessory pigments xanthophylls Animals feed on algae and toxins accumaulate Shellfish unharmed, humans consuming shellfish paralyzed.

Algae
Do not produce embryos but produce single celled asexual spores and gametes. Reproduce asexually and sexually. Asexual reproduction
Gametes do not fuse to form a zygote. 3 Types
Fragmentation
Thallus breaks up and each fragmented part forms a new thallus.

Spores
Formed in ordinary vegetative cells or Specialized structures termed sporangia. Zoospores-flagellated motile spores Aplanospores- non-motile spores produced by sporangia

Binary fission
Unicellular algae nuclear division followed by division of cytoplasm.

Algae
Sexual Reproduction
Eggs formed in unmodified vegetative cells called oogonia that function as female structures. Sperm produced in special male structures, antheridia. Gametes fuse to form a diploid zygote.

Algae Classification
Divisions
Chlorophyta (green algae)
Grow in fresh or salt water, soil on or within other organisms. Chlorophyll a & b, and specific carotenoids Store carbohydrates as starch Cellulose cell walls Reproduce both ways 1,2-8 flagella Prototheca moriformis -common in soil, invasion of bloodstream in animals, spread through lymph in humans.

Charophyta (stoneworts & brittleworts)

Fresh to brakish water, bottom of shallow ponds Precipitate calcium and magnesium carbonate from water to form a limestone covering.

Euglenophyta (euglenoids)
Chlorophyll a and b, carotenoids Paramylon, glucose polysaccharide Euglena, pellicle in plasma membrane, with articulated proteinaceous strips lying side by side Enables turning and twisting of cell, rigid enough to prevent excessive alterations in shape. Pair of flagella

Algae Classification
Chrysophyta (golden brown and yellow green algae:diatoms)
Have chlorophylls a and c1/c2and the carotenoid fucoxanthin (when dominant then cells are golden brown). Major carbohydrate reserve is chrysolaminarin Some lack cell walls, some have coverings extrenal of plasma membrane like scales, walls and plates. Diatoms have a frustule. 2 flagella of unequal length are typical, some have none, some have one or two of equal length. Unicellular or colonial. Asexual usually, can be sexual. Most in fresh water give unpleasant odors and tastes.

Phaeophyta (brown algae)

Multicellular organisms occuring mostly at sea. Brown to olive green seaweed large kelp differentiated into blades, stalks and holdfast organs that anchor them to rocks. Sargassum, form large floating masses that dominate the Sargasso Sea. Have fucoxanthin in addition to chlorophylls a and c, b-carotene, violaxanthin. Storage product is laminarin.

Algae Classification
Rhodophyta (red algae)
Few are unicellular, most are multicellular and filamentous. Store floridean, contain red pigment phycocyanin, live at depths of 100m or more wavelengths of light (green, violet and blue) that penetrate these depths are not absorbed by chlorophyll a but by these phycobilins. Concentration of these pigments increase as depth increases. Appear very red when phycoerythrin predominates. Cell wall includes rigid inner part composed of microfibrils and a mucilaginous matrix (sulfated polymers of galactose called agar, funori, porphysan and carrageenan).

Pyrrohophyta (dinoflagellates)
Unicellular photosynthetic alveolate algae, mostly marine. Make up plankton, can produce light and are responsible for luminescence (phosphorescence) seen in oceans at night. Have thecae (cellulose plates) which may have silica. Chlorophyll a and c, carotenoids and xanthophylls. Some can ingest other cells. Some are symbionts with jellyfish, sea anemones, mollusks, and corals. In which they lose there cellulose plates and flagella and become spherical golden brown globules in host cells, termed zooxanthellae.

Ornithocercus magnificus, Dinoflagellate

Euglena, Euglenaphyta Polysiphonia, Rhodophyta Nitzschia , Diatom

Importance of Algae
Seaweed eaten in Asian countries. Kelp, alginic acid (algin), that is used as a thickener in ice cream, salad dressings and prepared sauces. The red alga Chondrus crispus, also know as Irish Moss, polysaccharide thickener, carrageenan. Used in milk products, including ice cream, custards and evaporated milk.

Importance of Algae
Other red alga such as Gelidium and Gracilaria, which grow mainly in the Pacific Ocean, are the only source of agar, which is used in microbiology to solidify media. Shells of diatoms which occur in huge deposits called diatomaceous earth in regions that were once the floors of ancient seas, are used for polishing, insulating and as an additive to sped the rate of filtering liquids.

Importance of Algae
Chlamydomonas (unicellular green alga), Navicula pelliculosa (a diatom) and Euglena (a euglenoid) are of special interest. Chlamydomonas which swims by posterior flagella, 2 of equal length, is easily propagated, so it is an ideal model for studies on genetics, photosynthesis and herbicide action. Herbicides that inhibit photosynthesis will kill it, as well as plants.

Importance of Algae
Euglena
motile single celled organisms, bright redeye spot that senses direction and light intensity, swim to areas that facilitate photosynthesis. Studies reveal how eukaryotes respond and sense visible light..

Diatom is a
model organism study of silicon metabolism silicon shells Diatomaceous earth active ingredient in detergents, fine abrasive polishes, paint removers, decolorizing oils, and fertilizers.

Fungi
Eukaryotic, the study of fungi is called Mycology. Saprophytic organisms (meaning that they live on dead or decaying matter). Contain cell walls and produce spores
Cell walls contain chitin

Aquatic, living in freshwater a few marine. Most are terrestrial.

Cause crop disease in plants
Black Stem, wheat rust

Parasitic on animals
Athletes foot and ringworm

In wet and cool weather may form fruiting bodies (macroscopic reproductive structure) that are edible. Sexual spores called badiospores form on the underside of the fruiting body called gills, these are dispersed by wind and light.

Importance of Fungi
edible mushrooms, or as agents used in brewing and baking, such as the yeasts. Pathogenic, Dermatophytes. Penicillium sp. is the source of the antibiotic Penicillin. Fungi tend to be classified according to the overall appearance of their thallus (main body of the organism).
Yeasts,single-celled Molds, filamentous Basidiomycetes are those fungi that produce large fruiting bodies commonly called mushrooms.

Fungi are able to grow in conditions of low pH (for example on acidic fruit) as well as in conditions where there are high salt and sugar concentrations. Most, but not all fungi are aerobic. Fungi are able to inhabit both aquatic (eg. Chytrids) and terrestrial environments (eg. Mildews, Rusts)

Yeast
Unicellular, reproduce by budding, or mating Yeast colonies-soft, opaque, cream-coloured. Can be dimorphic, capable of growing as a yeast or mold depending on the environmental conditions.
Eg. Paracoccidiodes brasiliensis, Sporothrix schenckii.

Most yeasts reproduce by blastoconidia formation (budding) or fission. Some species produce buds that characteristically fail to detach and become elongated; continuation of the budding process then produces a chain of elongated yeast cells called pseudohyphae Some have a filamentous stage like Candida albicans (causes vaginal, oral or lung infections, in AIDS patients systemic tissue damage)

Molds
Filamentous Found on bread cheese or fruit Most are obligate aerobes Filaments grow at tip of cells,
a single filament is called a hypha, hyphae grow together to form a mat called a mycelium.

Condida asexual spores formed branches

resistant to drying and enable dispersal. black, blue green, red, yellow or brown.

Molds
Hyphae, Lower fungi are coenocytic no cross-walls, or septa (singular is septum).

Hyphae,Higher fungi are septate (having septa)

Septa contain pores, so that the cytoplasm may flow freely from one cell to another.

Molds
Molds have sexual spores formed as a result of reproduction.
Resistant to drying, heating, freezing and some chemical agents

Spores are:
Functionally similar to the seeds of higher plants. When dispersed to a new site, they are capable of giving rise to new fungal growth. Asexual spores are genetically identical and are derived from asexual reproduction or the anamorphic state.

Types of Asexual Spores

Sporangiospores are spores produced within a sporangium and formed by cleavage of protoplasm around the nuclei. The two main types are the
zoospores (motile) aplanospores (non-motile).

Conidia formed at the tips of supporting hyphae, called conidiophores. By a process is called conidiogenesis. These spores are naked.

Sexual Reproduction
Perfect fungi have a sexual or telomorph stage.
Sexual spores of medical importance are Ascospores, Zygospores and Basidiospores

Fungi Imperfecti, phylum Deuteromycotina

sexual stage does not exist, or has not as yet been discovered.

Protozoa
Unicellular, non-photosynthetic, eukaryotic microorganisms that lack cell walls. Found in fresh water and marine habitats

over 50,000 species, of which a fifth are parasitic.

Parasitic in animals, including humans Grow in soil, aerial habitats (like surface of trees) Lack chlorophyll Motile dont form fruiting bodies but form cysts Feed by phagocytosis, ingestion of particulate material such as bacteria. Surround or engulf matter by a portion of their cell membrane and bring it into the cell.

Protozoa
Parasitic protozoa
small short generation times high rates of reproduction tendency to induce immunity to reinfection in those hosts that survive.

Parasitic protozoa are in no way simple or degenerate

Adaptations to parasitism frequently include
complex life cycles specialized ways of entering and maintaining themselves in their hosts.

Protozoa
Protozoa are distinguished from prokaryotes by:
eukaryotic nature and usually greater size

from the slime molds by

their inability to form fruiting bodies.

from yeasts and other fungi by

motility absence of a cell wall,

from algae by
lacking chlorophyll

Protozoa
Types
Sarcodina
move by amoeboid motion Amoeba
Naked in vegetative state, secrete a shell during vegetative growth
http://www.sacsplash.org/critters/prot ozoa.htm

Amebic dysentery

Ciliphora
move by cilia Dysentery Ciliates have two nuclei.
macronucleus -vegetative growth Micronucleus-sexual reproduction.

Protozoa
Mastigophora move by flagella

Giardia, Leishmania, Trichomonas. Trypanosoma

Typanosoma brucei
Live and grow in blood Invade CNS Inflammation of brain and spinal cord Tsetse Fly, Glossina sp. Causes African Sleeping Sickness
Sexually transmitted pathogen Intestinal/urogenital tract vertebrates and invertebrates

Trichomonas

Protozoa
Apicomplexa:Sporozoans All obligate parasites Possess apical complex.
invasion of its host cells replication

Important members: Coccidia, Plasmodia

Virus
Obligate intercellular parasites. Size 20 nm-450 nm Infect all groups of living things and produce a variety of diseases. Replicate independently of the cell chromosomes but not independently of cells. Contain DNA or RNA as genetic material. Be may harmful and cause disease. Are not cells but resemble complex molecules composed of protein and nucleic acid. Virion fully formed virus able to establish an infection.

Virus
Viruses are classified according to: a) Host range, size (ranging from 25nm to 300nm) b) Structure (presence or absence of an envelope, type of nucleic acid, type of capsid).

Virus
May be enveloped, envelope contains a lipid bilayer membrane. Capsid is a protein shell protecting nucleic acid. Each capsid is constructed from identical subunits called capsomers which are protein molecules. Envelope
Viruses acquire an envelope by budding from the cell membrane, nuclear envelope or endoplasmic reticulum. Incorporation of viral proteins occurs with the host membrane. Also aid in attachment to host cells and later penetration.

Virus
Viruses are able to attack all living organisms. HIV attacks CD4 positive lymphocytes. Bacteriophages are those viruses that attack bacterial cells. All viruses have the same basic lifecycle.
1. Adsorption, the virion (virus particle) attaches to the cell. 2. Penetration, the nucleic acid or whole virion enters the host cell. 3. Replication, viral genome directs the host cell to make reproduce it. 4. Maturation, new virions are re-assembled and made ready for Release, the last step in the lifecycle.