Classification of bacteria

Conf. Dr. Irina Codita

Bacteria classification schedules
•Numerical classification (adansonian):
Bergey Determinative Bacteriology
M. Adanson 1963 – based on description
of a large number of phenotypic
characters (e.g.: API biochemical
galleries)

•Evolutive classification (linnéan):

Phylogenetic classification
Carl Linnaeus – sweedish botanist
1707 - 1778
Taxonomic categories
• Taxis = arrangement; nomos = rule, law
• Taxonomic categories:
– Species = bacteria resembling each other by
morphological characters, staining properties,
physiological characters, cellular constituents,
ecology
– Genus
– Family (-aceae)
– Order (-ales)
– Class
Life forms categories in the adansonian
classification system
Domain
Regnum
Phylum
Class
Order
Family
Genus
Species
E.g. Vinegar fly can be framed in this system as:

Eucarya
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Diptera
Drosophilidae
Drosophila melanogaster
Criteria used to classify bacteria
• Cell wall: rigid, soft, absent etc.
• Gram staining (pending on cell wall structure)
• Bacterial cell shape
• Grouping
• Mobility
• Growth temperature
• Sporulation ability, presence of capsule etc.
• Respiratory type; electron acceptors
• Capacity to use different Carbon or Nitrogen sources
• Special nutrients requirements (e.g. vitamins)
• DNA G+C rate
Criteria used to classify bacteria

• Gram stain (pending

on bacterial cell wall
structure) –
Gram 1884

• Relationship with
phagocytic cells:
– Intracellular
– Extracellular
Criteria used to classify bacteria
• Growth temperature:
– Termophilic (may grow at high temperature):
Termophilus aquaticus – Taq polymerase –sed in
PCR
– Mesophilic: most bacteria involved in human
pathology
– Psychrophilic (may grow at low temperature): e.g.
Listeria monocytogenes – grows at 4 Celsius degrees
• Capacity to form spores or capsules etc.
Criteria used to classify bacteria

• Shape:
– Cocci, bacili,
spirochetes, vibrions
• Mobility:
– Presence of flageli
Criteria used to classify bacteria

Source of nutrients for life:

• Chemotrophic or auxotrophic (able to take
chemical components for life from inorganic
compounds)
• Photosynthetic bacteria e.g. Cyanobacteria –
Oxygen dependent photosynthesis
• Heterotrophic bacteria:
– Saprophytic: using dead or decay live material – can not
cause harm to the host – involved in recycling living
material
– Symbiotic: living together with mutual benefit - e. g.
bacteria breaking down cellulose in the ruminants
digestive tract
– Parasitic: obligatory pathogenic bacteria
Cyanobacteria – Oxygen dependent
photosynthesis
Mutualism - endosymbiosis

Endosymbiosis: e.g.
Mitochondria originate from microorganisms Rickettsia-like that
entered bacterial cell and adapted there as an endosymbiont
 Main bacteria groups
(routine classification)
• Spirochetes - flexible, mobile due to endophlagelli:
Treponema, Borrelia, Leptospira
• Rigid cells:
– A. Micelles (Mycobacterium, Actinomyces, Nocardia, Streptomyces)
– B. Unicellular:
• Mandatory intracellular parasites: Rickettsia, Coxiella, Chlamydia
• Free cells:
– G+: cocci, non-sporulated bacili (Corynebacterium, Listeria, Erysipelothrix),
sporulated bacili (aerobes - Bacillus, anaerobes – Clostridia)
– G-: cocci (Neisseria), non-enteric bacili (Spirillum, Pasteurella, Brucella,
Haemophilus, Bordetella, Legionella), enteric bacili; obligatory aerobes:
Pseudomonas; obligatory anaerobes: Bacteroides, Fusobacterium
• Cells without cell wall: Mycoplasma
Main bacterial groups (“routine
classification”)

Actinomycete

Ricketsii intracelulare
Linnean classification
• Based on Phylogeny
• Completed in the last 15-20 years by
using molecular methods of analysis:
nucleic acids hybridization for establishing
the phylogenetic distance between
microorganisms (dendrogram):
– DNA-DNA or
– DNA - rRNA
Linnean classification

• Dendrogram
Bacteria of medical interest
Proteobacteria: Gram negative, cocci, bacili, spirili
Alpha: Rickettsia,
Beta: Neisseria, Bordetella
Gamma: E. coli, Salmonella, Pseudomonas
Epsilon: Helicobacter pylori, Campylobacter jejuni

Firmicutes: Gram positive aerobes and anaerobes bacili and cocci: B. anthracis,
clostridia, staphylococci, streptococci, pneumococci, Mycoplasma

Bacteroidetes: Bacteroides fragilis

Actinobacteri a: elaborate antibiotics

Mycobacteria and Corynebacteria

Spirochetes: Treponema, Borrelia

Chlamydia: intracellular– Chlamiydia trachomatis, Chlamydia psittaci
Classification based on the biological risk

• Group 1 : Biological agent with low probability to cause disease in humans

• Group 2 : Biological agent that may cause disease in humans and could be
dangerous for laboratory personnel, but there is low probability to spread
into the community. Laboratory exposure may cause infection, but usally
there are efficient prophylactic and therapeutical procedures available.
• Group 3 : Biological agent that may cause severe disease in humans and
there is a serious danger for laboratory personnel. The risk to spread into
the community may be present, but usually there are efficient prohylactic
and therapeutical procedures available.
• Group 4 : Biological agent that cause severe disease in humans and there is
a serious danger for laboratory personnel. There is high risk to spread into
the community and usually there is no efficient prophylaxy or treament
available.