Bacteria

Lecture Day 2
 Bacteria
 It is estimated that there are between 2
and 3 billion bacterial species on the
Earth
 Only a select few of these (less than
0.5 percent) cause human disease

 Bacteria are prokaryotic cells that can be

found in the ground, water, air, and
inside animals
 They are generally smaller than
eukaryotic cells
 They have no internal membranes, no
division of labor, and no specialized
area where DNA is stored

© 2013 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.

 Bacteria

© 2013 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.

 Bacteria are Classified by Shape, Staining,
and Genetics

 The shape of bacteria falls into two broad categories

 Spherical - cocci
 Rod shaped - bacillus - can be oval, tapered, or curved
 Spirochetes - long rod-shaped bacterial cells that twist about their long axis

 Bacteria are either gram-positive or gram-negative

 Gram-positive bacteria retain a purple color from the gram stain
 For example, Staphylococcus aureus (staph infections) and Streptococcus
pneumoniae (strep infections)
 Gram-negative bacteria pick up a red dye, safranin, in the gram staining process
 For example, Escherichia coli (E. coli)

 Bacteria can also be classified by their genetics

© 2013 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.
 Bacteria

© 2013 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.

 Bacteria and Antibiotics
 Humans live with more than 2,000 types of bacteria

 Antibiotics are drugs that interfere with bacterial cellular processes

 Some antibiotics prevent protein synthesis by binding to bacterial ribosomal RNA
 Some destroy essential metabolic pathways
 Other block DNA and RNA synthesis
 Many antibiotics break down cell walls or prevent new cell walls from forming

© 2013 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.

 Antibiotic Resistance
 Bacteria can become resistant to specific antibiotics through several mechanisms
 Bacterial membrane permeability changes so the antibiotic cannot enter
 Antibiotic receptor protein on bacterial surface changes and antibiotic cannot attach
 Bacterial metabolism alters and starts pumping antibiotic out of cell
 Bacteria produce enzymes that destroy the antibiotic

 Evolution of antibiotic resistant bacteria can be prevented by following some

simple (and sensible) rules
 Avoid using antibacterial soap
 Take the full allotment of prescription antibiotics, thus ensuring that all bacteria are killed,
leaving none to develop antibiotic resistance
 Do not discard old, unused, or expired antibiotics into the water supply

© 2013 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.

 Bacterial Disease
Several infectious diseases are bacterial in origin
Black plague
Leprosy
Tuberculosis
MRSA

© 2013 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.

 Bacterial Disease – “The Black
Plague”
The black plague (bubonic plague) devastated Europe in the
Middle Ages
The United States suffered a similar black plague epidemic in
Los Angeles as recently as 1924–1925
Still occurs in the southwestern United States - in Arizona,
California, Colorado, and New Mexico
Bubonic plague is caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis
Humans are not the usual host – but become infected if bitten
by an infected flea from a rodent

© 2013 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.

 The Plague
 A few types of plague differ from one another in the symptoms they cause
 Bubonic plague symptoms appear 2-5 days after being bitten by infected flea
 Sudden high fever, rapid weak heartbeat, swollen lymph nodes, and mental confusion (restlessness,
delirium, and loss of coordination)
 Most deaths from bubonic plague occur in the early stages of the disease, from day 3 to day 5
 Pneumonic plague infects the lungs, via inhalation
 Highly contagious – spread by coughing
 Sudden high fever, chills, rapid heart rate, severe headache, and coughing
 If untreated, causes death within 48 hours of symptom appearance
 Septicemic plague indicates that the bacterium causing the plague is found in the patient’s
bloodstream
 Blood travels to every organ of the body - death can result from this form of infection without any
symptoms having a chance to appear

 The antibiotic streptomycin is effective against most strains of plague

 Tetracycline can be given as a preventative measure
© 2013 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.
 Bacterial Disease – “Leprosy”
 Leprosy, also known as Hansen’s disease
 Caused by bacterium (Mycobacterium leprae)

 Leprosy attacks the skin and nerves

 Leaving serious scars and dead tissue

 Leprosy is curable through multidrug therapy

 Treatment takes anywhere from 6 to 12 months

© 2013 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.

 Bacterial Disease – “Tuberculosis”
 WHO estimates 9 million new cases occur in the world each year

 Caused by a bacterium in the same genus as the bacterium that causes leprosy
 Caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis
 Transmitted via droplets from the throat and lungs
 Usually settles in the lungs, resulting in respiratory disease
 Affects other organs too, forming, for example, a tubercular kidney

 Symptoms include coughing up blood, weakness, weight loss, chest pains,

fever, and night sweats
 With proper antibiotics, can be treated within six months

 A strong contributing factor to HIV death rates

© 2013 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.

 Bacterial Disease – “MRSA”
 Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)
 Staphylococcus aureus is a common bacterium on our skin
 But the resistant strain (MRSA) can be serious
 Enters body through cut or open wound

 MRSA is resistant to
 Methicillin, amoxicillin, penicillin, oxacillin, and many other common antibiotics

 Currently treatable only with one type of antibiotic: vancomycin

 MRSA appeared in 1961 in isolated hospitals, and is now found in many

hospitals and emergency rooms

© 2013 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.