Medical Bacteriology

Instructor: Nura Gudeta

(MSc in Medical Microbiology)

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Morphology & Cytology of Bacteria

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 Gross Morphology
 Shape of Bacterial Cell
• The three basic bacterial shapes are:
1) coccus (spherical),
2) bacillus (rod-shaped), and
3) spiral (twisted),
• however pleomorphic bacteria can assume several
shapes.
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 The Common Categories of Bacteria Based on Their Shapes are:
1) Cocci
• are oval or spherical shaped bacteria.
• can be arranged either singly, in pairs, in groups of four,
in chains, in clusters or cubes consisting of eight cells.
 Division in one plane produces either:
 a diplococcus or streptococcus arrangement.
 Division in two planes produces:
 a tetrad arrangement.
 Division in three planes produces:
 a sarcina (Octads) a group of eight cells arrangement.
 Division in random planes produces
 a staphylococcus arrangement (grape-like clusters).
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Figure: Arrangement of cocci bacteria
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2. Bacilli
 These are rod-shaped cells that also like cocci, remain
either single or attached to one another.
 These bacteria can form endospores and are facultative
anaerobes.
 The arrangement can be:
 diplobacilli, streptobacilli, Coccobacilli, Pallisades
(picket fence structure, appear similar to Chinese letters)

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 3) Arrangement of Spiral
 This group includes bacteria that are either helical-shaped or
curved (comma-shaped).

 The bacteria can range from slightly curved to corkscrew-like spiral.

 The spiral come in one of three forms:

 Vibrio:- are slightly curved bacteria resembling a comma shape.

 Spirillum:- Many spirilla are rigid and capable of movement.

 Spirochetes:- are a thin, long, slender, flexible

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Cytology of Bacteria

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 Learning objective:

 At the end of this session the students will be able to:

 Describe general properties of bacterial cell

 Recognize basic structure (internal & external) of

bacterial cell

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Outline

 General Features

 The three cell Structure

 Internal Structures

 Cell Envelope

 Surface Structures

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Basic Features of Bacterial Cell
General property

– Typical prokaryotic cell

– Contain both DNA and RNA

– Most grow in artificial media

– Replication is by binary fission

– Contain rigid cell wall

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Fig:- Bacterial Structure
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 Cell Structure
 Organized into three categories:
1) Internal Structures (enclosed within cell membrane or
plasma membrane or cytoplasmic membrane):
 Cytoplasm, nucleoid, chromosome, plasmid, ribosomes &
storage granules, Mesosomes & polyamines.
2) Cell Envelope: is made up of 2-3 layers
 the interior cytoplasmic membrane,
 cell wall &
 an outer lipid membrane (only in Gram negatives)
3) External Structures (appendages & coverings)
 filagella, fimbriae, sex pilus & glycocalyx
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Cell Wall

• is an important structure of a bacteria.

 It gives shape, rigidity & support to the cell.

• Based on cell wall composition, bacteria are classified into

two

• Gram Positive & Gram negative.

• bacterial cell wall is a complex structure .

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Fig: Cell Wall of Bacteria
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 Cell Wall :

Gram Positive Cell wall Gram Negative Cell wall

components :
1) Thick Peptidoglycan layer ∼90%
 retains crystal violet with
iodine as a mordant.
2) Teichoic acid & lipoteichoic
acid (found only in Gram +ves) 2) Thin Peptidoglycan layer (5-
surface antigen
3) Inner membrane
components :
1) An outer membrane containing
Lipopolysaccharide (LPS)
 located outside of the PG
layers
10% )
 retain the counter stain
safranin & stains red
3) Inner membrane

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Cell Wall-less Forms of Bacteria
Bacteria with defective cell walls include:

• Protoplasts: bacteria with out cell wall.

• Spheroplast: bacterium with a damaged cell wall.

• L-forms: mutant bacteria without cell well

• Mycoplasma: highly pleomorphic bacteria with out cell wall

resembling L- forms.

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Summary

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 References
• Baron S (2000) Medical Microbiology 4th edition.
• Burton's Microbiology for the Health Sciences, Ninth Edition, 2011
• Jawetz, Melnick, & Adelberg's Medical Microbiology, 24th Edition
• Talaro−Talaro: Foundations in Microbiology, Fourth Edition
• https://www.onlinebiologynotes.com/bacterial-cell-wall-structure-
composition-types/
• https://microbenotes.com/bacterial-sizes-shapes-arrangement/#bacterial-shape
• https://microbeonline.com/characteristics-shape-of-pathogenic-bacteria/
• https://www.microscopemaster.com/bacteria-size-shape-arrangement.html
• http://www.ndvsu.org/images/StudyMaterials/Micro/Shape-sixe-and-arrangment-
of-bacteria-converted.pdf

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