This course deals with

 What are micro organsims?

 How and where the microorganism live

 Their structure, growth, nutrition, metabolism and energy

generation

 Metabolic diversity and classification

 Microbial genetics and immunology

Definition and Scope of Microbiology

Development of Microbiology as Science

 DEFINITION OF MICROBIOLOGY
 Microbiology : Study of organisms that are invisible to naked
eyes, that can exist as single cell or clusters. Viruses are
included, but are not cellular (approx. < 0.1 mm).

• Commonly referred to as “germs” or “bugs

 Microbial cell can live alone. Growth, energy generation and

reproduction are independent
 OCCURRENCE
 Natural surfaces, hot springs, frozen sea ice
 Microbes are the dominant forms of life in earth, more than half the
biomass on earth consists of microorganisms.

 Microorganisms are all around us, -air we breathe, the food and

water, and the ground we walk on.

(a) Skin surface: 2 million (2 x 106) microbes per square inch

(b) Feces: 100 billion (1 x 1011) bacteria per gram

(c)Soil: 10 million (1 x 107) microbes per gram

(d) Air: 50-100 microbes per cubic foot

 SIZE OF MICROBES

• Microbes vary in size ranging from 10 nm (nanometers) to 100 um (micrometers) to

the macroscopic.

• Viruses in nm = 10-9 m (meter)

• Bacteria in um = 10-6 m
• Huge bacterium: Epulopiscium fishelsoni Gram positive (600 X 80 µm), (0.5 mm)
intestine of the brown Surgeonfish
• Larger bacterium: Thiomargarita namibiensis, Gram negative 100–300 µm
(0.1–0.3millimetres) ocean sediment
• Smallest bacteria is Mycoplasma genitalium, 200–300 nm and Nanoarchaeum
equitans is a species of tiny microbe 400 nm in diameter.
CLASSIFICATION, MORPHOLOGICAL
AND FUNCTIONAL PROCESSES
 Microbial Taxonomy – Classification
 Cytology – Cell anatomy

 Microbial Physiology - Physiology

 Microbial Genetics – Genetics

 MEMBERS OF THE MICROBIAL WORLD

 Prokaryotes- organisms lacking true nucleus and other

organelles like mitochondria, golgi body, endoplasmic reticulum
are referred as prokaryotes. Eg. Bacteria and archaea.

 Eukaryotes – the organism possessing membrane enclosed

nucleus and other cell organelles are referred as eukaryotes.
Eg. Algae, fungi and protozoa.
PROKARYOTIC EUKARYOTIC
CELL CELL
 DIFFERENCE BETWEEN PROKARYOTES AND EUKARYOTES

Characteristics Prokaryotes Eukaryotes

Examples Bacteria and Archaea Fungi, Algae and Protozoa

Cell size Generally 1 to 10 µm in Generally 5 to 100 µm in

linear dimension linear dimension
Cell division Binary fission Mitosis

Cellular organism Unicellular Mostly multicellular with

differentiation of many
types
Cell wall Complex structure with Absent or composed of
peptidoglycan layer, protein cellulose or chitin
and lipids
Plasma membrane Present, no sterols except in Present, contain sterols
mycoplasma
Metabolism Anaerobic or aerobic Aerobic
DNA Circular DNA in cytoplasm Very long, linear DNA
molecule bounded by
nuclear envelope
Membrane bound nucleus Absent Present
and nucleoli
Extra chromosomal DNA Present Absent
(Plasmid)
Histones Absent Present
RNA and protein RNA and protein RNA synthesized and
synthesized in same processed in nucleus;
compartment proteins synthesized in
cytoplasm
Glyocalyx Present as a slime layer or Present in some cells that
capsule lacks cell wall
Membrane bound Absent Present (Nucleus,
organelles mitochondria, chloroplast,
endoplasmic reticulum,
etc)
Ribosomes 70S type 80S type
Lysosomes Absent Present
Locomotion Rotating flagella and Undulating flagella and
gliding movement cilia and amoeboid
movement
Flagella Consists of two protein Consists of multiple
building blocks microtubules
Pili Present Absent

Site for cellular Cell membrane Mitochondria

respiration
Sexual reproduction Conjugation Meiosis
 MICROBIAL GROUPS

Divided into 6 distinct groups based on phylogeneic, morphological and

physiological characters

 Bacteria
 Archaea (Archaeo bacteria)

 Fungi

 Algae

 Protozoa

 Viruses
 THE MICROBES

viruses protozoa

bacteria

bacteriophage

algae
cyanobacteria
spirochaetes

fungi
BACTERIA (SINGULAR: BACTERIUM)
 Prokaryotes

 Single-celled organisms

 Peptidoglycan cell walls

 Binary fission
 Ex: Escherichia coli

Shapes:

1. Spherical
2. Rod
3. Spiral
 FUNGI (SINGULAR: FUNGUS)

 Eukaryotes
 Single-celled microorganisms (Yeasts)
 Multi-cellular microorganisms (Molds)
 Chitin cell walls
 Widely distributed in water and soil as decomposers of
dead organisms
 Some are important in medicine
 ARCHAEA

 Prokaryotes
 Lack peptidoglycan
 Live in extreme environments (extremophiles)
Include:
 Methanogens
 Extreme halophiles
 Extreme thermophiles
 Most ancient lineages of living organisms
 ALGAE (SINGULAR: ALGA)
 Single-celled microorganisms
 Eukaryotic
 Nucleus and membrane-bound organelles
 Photosynthetic

 Produce molecular oxygen and organic compounds

 Part of food chain

 Fresh water and marine environments
 VIRUSES

 Acellular entities too small to be seen with a light microscope

 Composed of nucleic acid and protein
 Genome consist of DNA or RNA called Core
 Core surrounded by protein coat called Capsid
 Virion may be enclosed in lipid envelope
 Obligate intracellular parasites
 Bacteriophage: viruses that infect bacteria
PROTOZOA (SINGULAR: PROTOZOAN)
 Single-celled, microorganisms

 Eukaryotic

 Have a nucleus (membrane-bound) and other

intracellular structures

 Found in a variety of water and soil environments

 Mostly saprobes and commensals
 May be motile by means of pseudopod, cilia or flagella
WHY IS IT IMPORTANT TO STUDY
MICROBIOLOGY?
1. Applied Science
- Medicine
- Agriculture
- Industrial processes
2. Environment - nutrient cycling (fix N2, CO2 & otherwise would
drown in own waste and life would cease)
3. Basic Science
- understanding microbial form of life
- understanding basic cellular processes
- microorganisms are research tool to understand the chemical
and physical basis of life
- they are tool to analyze the biochemical and genetic background
of living things
- they are excellent model for understanding the cell functions
Field of microbiology: as a science
Microbial morphology
Microbial cytology
Food and dairy microbiology
Public health microbiology
Industrial microbiology
Agricultural microbiology
Virologists - viruses
Bacteriologists - bacteria
Phycologists or Algologists - algae
Mycologists - fungi
Protozoologists - protozoa
Medical Microbiology
Veterinary Microbiology
Agricultural Microbiology
Aquatic Microbiology
Aero Microbiology
Exo Microbiology
Geochemical Microbiology
CLASSIFICATION BASED ON
APPLICATION
 Pathology – science deals with microorganisms causing
diseases in plants, animals and human beings
 Immunology – study of the immune system that protects the
body from pathogens
 Environmental Microbiology – pollution effect on soil
microorganisms and the application of microorganisms in
remediation of polluted soil and water
 Aquatic Microbiology : Microbes in water ecosystem –
microbiological examination and water purification etc
 Medical Microbiology: deals with diseases of humans and
animals; identify and plan measuresto eliminate agents causing
infectious diseases
 Agricultural Microbiology : impact of microorganisms on
agriculture; combat plant diseases that attack important food
crops
 Industrial Microbiology: Production antibiotics, vaccines,
steroids, alcohols and other organic solvents, vitamins, amino
acids and microbial enzymes etc.
 Food and Dairy Microbiology :Prevent microbial spoilage of
food & transmission of food-borne diseases (e.g.
Salmonellosis); Use of microorganisms to make food such as
cheeses, yogurts, pickles, beer, etc
 Microbial Ecology: Involvement of soil microorganisms in
biogeochemical cycling
 Genetic Engineering : Engineered microorganisms used to
make hormones (Insulin, Interferon and Somatostatin),
Antibiotics (Penicillin, Streptomycin, Bacitracin,
Polymyxin etc.), vaccines (Triple antigen, BCG etc.) and
other products
Microbes do good things!
 Activity of these microorganisms - Beneficial effects

 We swallow millions of microbes every day with no ill effects. In fact,

we are dependent on microbes to help us digest our food – e.g.
E.coli
 Microbes also keep the biosphere running by carrying out essential
functions such as decomposition of dead animals and plants
(Cellulose & Lignin degraders)
 The bio -geochemical cycling of carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus and
sulfur that take place in terrestrial and aquatic systems
 Microorganisms are necessary for the production of bread, cheese,
beer, antibiotics, vaccines, vitamins, enzymes, etc.
 Modern biotechnology rests upon a microbiological foundation
 BIO-
REMEDIATION

Bioremediation is the use of

microbes to degrade organic
matter in sewage and detoxify
pollutants such as oil spills.

Extraction of copper from ore

BIOPRODUCTION
&
FERMENTATION

Synthesis of drugs, hormones and enzymes

 AGRICULTURE
Nitrogen fixation
Mineral Solubilization
Decomposition of Organic
matter
Nutrient Cycling

 Microbes are involved in photosynthesis and accounts for >50% of

earth’s oxygen.
 Also involved in decomposition
ANTIBIOTICS
MICROBES MAKE US HEALTHY
 Diseases
?

Bubonic plague

BIOCORROSION

Syphilis