Kingdom Monera - Bacteria

Escherichia coli

What you need to know

Describe the distribution of bacteria in nature
Describe the basic structure of bacterial cells and their
pasmid DNA
Describe the 3 main types of bacteria
Describe their nutrition, reproduction
Describe factors affecting their growth
Understand their economic importance
2 examples of beneficial bacteria
2 examples of harmful bacteria
Define pathogenic and antibiotic
Describe prokaryotic nature of bacteria
Explain growth curves and batch & continuous flow food
processing

 Unicellular 0.1 10 m in length (need

microscope) 1,000,000 m in 1 meter !

Habitats
Live in huge array of habitats on both land
and in water

Saltwater, freshwater, soil, dust, air, plants an

animals
Bacteria can survive under
extreme conditions
Examples:
Hot springs > 100C
Stomach pH @ 2 (very
acidic)
Some also survive under
extreme pressure

Helicobacter pylori

Good Bacteria Vs Bad Bacteria

Not all bacteria are Pathogenic (disease
causing)
Bacteria are found on our skin in ponds
soil air dust sewage and the human
intestine.

Prokaryotes- Kingdom Monera

Monera meaning alone or solidarity

Bacteria are Prokaryotes
Lack a membrane enclosed nucleus
Lack membrane enclosed organelles e.g.
mitochondrion chloroplast
All other kingdoms contain Eukaryotes
(nucleus and organelles enclosed by
membranes)

Basic structure of a Bacterium

Capsule
Protection (semisolid or slime)

Cell membrane

Cell wall
Complex mixture of sugars
and protein- prevents
swelling and bursting

 Chromosome
A circular strand of DNA

Plasmid
Can have more than 1, contains genes responsible
for antibiotic resistance

Cytoplasm
Contains ribosomes and storage granules for food
or waste

Flagella
For movement, have 1 or more

Capsule
Note the colourless
capsules surrounding
the purple
streptococci.
Streptococcus lacti
Causes milk to sour

Plasmid DNA

Schematic drawing of a bacterium

with plasmids enclosed.
1 Chromosomal DNA. 2 Plasmids.

Plasmids often
contain genes that
give a selective
advantage to the
bacterium harbouring
them, such as the
ability to make the
bacterium antibiotic
resistant.

Bacterial types
3 types
Round
Rod
Spiral

Round
Called Coccus (plural =
cocci)
Cocci can occur in pairs
chains or clusters
E.g. Streptococcus
strep sore throat

Pair of cocci bacteria

Staphlococcus aureus

Rod shaped

Rod Shaped Bacteria

Termed Bacillus
May contain spores
Examples
Mycobacterium
Tuberculosis
Tetanus
Botulism (produces a
toxin - botox)

Cause of TB

Spiral
Spirillium
Plural Spirilla

Spiral bacteria on
agar plate x 100
magnificaton
Examples
Cholera (Comma
shape called vibrio)
Syphilis

Reproduction in bacteria
Binary fission
Asexually - Binary Fission
Every 20 mins in suitable environment1 bacterium = 1 million in 7 hours!
Offspring genetically identical slower to
evolve than plants or animals
If Mutation occurs, all offspring of the
evolved bacterium will contain that
mutation e.g. antibiotic resistance

Endospores
Tough walled spores capable of
withstanding harsh conditions
Formation - Endospore Formation
Favourable conditions bacterium
formation
Difficult to kill resistant to most
disinfectants and extremes of heat
Can survive for hundreds of years

Factors affecting Growth

Temperature
Oxygen Concentration
pH

External solute concentration

Pressure

Growth Curve for Bacteria

Growth Phases
Lag Phase: bacteria adapting to new
environment little if any increase in
numbers
Log Phase: Also called Exponential
Phase. Bacteria reproducing at maximum
rate in ideal conditions

Phases contd..
Stationary Phase: no increase in
numbers. Growth rate slows due to lack of
food space oxygen etc.
Decline Phase: Also called Death Phase
no. of bacteria fall when
death rate > production rate
Death or Survival Phase: 5th phase
sometimes not included in growth curve.
Not all bacteria die. Some survive as
spores.

Nutrition
Autotrophic Make own Food
- Photosynthetic (chlorophyll)
- Chemosynthetic (use energy from reactions
e.g. ammonia or iron compounds)
Heterotrophic Takes in food made by other organisms
Saprophytes (AKA decomposers, from dead
organic matter)
Parasites (live host) e.g. Chlamydia trachomatis

Summary-Bacterial Nutrition
Bacterial
Nutrition

Heterotrophic
(take in food)

Autotrophic
(make food)

Chemosynthetic
Photosynthetic
Parasitic
use energy from
Saprophytic
use
light
e.g.
take food from live
chemical
feed on dead
purple
host, e.g. Disease
reactions e.g.
sources, e.g.
sulphur
causing
nitrifying
Bacteria of decay
Bacteria
Bacteria
Bacteria

Economic Importance of Bacteria

Benefits
Lactobacillus milk,
yoghurt cheese
production
Genetically modified
bacteria used to
produce insulin drugs
amino acids etc. e.g.
Escherichia coli
E.coli

Disadvantages
Pathogenicdisease causing
Food decay e.g.
Streptoccocci or
Lactobacilli
tooth decay e.g.
Streptococcus
mutans

Antibiotics
Antibiotics are
compounds produced
by micro-organisms
that stop the growth
of or kill other microorganisms without
damaging human
tissue

Role of Antibiotics
Control Bacterial infection, some fungal
DO NOT affect viruses
Antibiotics cause the bacterial cells to
burst (also known as cell lysis) thus
destroying the cells

Sir Alexander Fleming

Discovery of Penicillin
in 1928
Isolated from a
fungus (Aspergillus
penicillium)
Nowadays mostly
Genetically
engineered e.g.
streptomycin,
tetracycline.

1881-1955

Antibiotic Resistance
Develop by Mutations
Not affected by antibiotics
Pathogenic bacteria this antibiotic
resistant gene may be passed onto it
Example MRSA Multi-resistant
Superbug widespread in hospitals

MRSA
Methicillin Resistant
Staphyloccus aureus
Also known as Multiple
RSA
Has developed resistance
to all Penicillins including
methicillin
Multi-resistant
First discovered - UK
1961
MRSA cells on skin

Abuse/overuse of antibiotics
Increased growth of antibiotic-resistant
bacteria
Non completion of treatments of antibiotics
allow bacteria to survive and re-grow

Asepsis
Aseptic Technique in Microbiology:
Aseptic technique is the name given to the
procedures used by microbiologists to
prevent microbial contamination of
themselves, which may result in infection,
contamination of the environment they are
working in, and contamination of the
specimen they are working on. i.e. exclude
all unwanted micro-organisms

Sterility
Sterility in microbiology indicates an
environment made free of infectious microorganisms.
Sterile in microbiology means that all
micro-organisms are destroyed i.e. nothing
living

Want to learn more?

Check out these websites
http://bioweb.wku.edu/courses/BIOL115/W
yatt/Micro/Monera.htm
http://www.iowacity.k12.ia.us/schools/west/library/CLassLi
nks/Sci/BacteriaVirus.htm

Exam-Important
This section (Kingdom Monera) has
appeared on LC exam in the past
The handouts distributed gives a variety of
questions asked over the past couple of
years
Please complete and hand back up copies
the next class

Bibliography

www.education.ie
Biology EdCo Michael O Callaghan
www.cellsalive.com
www.3dscience.com
www.nbsstralee.ie
www.geocites.com
www.canariculturacolor.com
www.ehagroup.com

Bibliography

www.uni-heidelberg.de
www.mrsaresources.com
www.sanger.ac.uk
www.freemasonry.bcy.ca
www.wikipedia.com
www.bbc.co.uk