Prokaryotes, Viruses,

and Protistans
 Microorganisms

 Single-celled organisms that are too small

to be seen without a microscope

 Bacteria are the smallest living organisms

 Viruses are smaller but are not alive

 Part I, The Prokaryotes

 Only two groups

 Archaebacteria and Eubacteria

 Arose before the eukaryotes

Prokaryotic Characteristics

 No membrane-bound nucleus

 Single chromosome

 Cell wall in most species

 Prokaryotic fission

 Metabolic diversity
Prokaryotic Body Plan

pilus

bacterial DNA
flagellum

ribosomes
capsule plasma in
cell wall membrane cytoplasm
 Bacterial Shapes

coccus bacillus

spirillum
Archaebacteria

Methanogens

Extreme halophiles

Extreme thermophiles
 Eubacteria
 Includes most familiar bacteria

 Have fatty acids in plasma membrane

 Most have cell wall; always includes

peptidoglycan
 Classification based largely on metabolism
Metabolic Diversity

 Photoautotrophs

 Chemoautotrophs

 Chemoheterotrophs
 Photoautotroph
 Blue-green bacteria
 Anabaena is a filamentous, planktonic,
nitrogen fixing cyanbacteria
 Pseudomonads
 Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a Gram-
negative, aerobic rod belonging to the
bacterial family Pseudomonadaceae.
(Pseudomonads); common inhabitants of
soil and water and infectious

Gram stain of Pseudomonas

aeruginosa cells
 Answer 1
 1. Prokaryotic refers to the lack of a
nuclear membrane or nucleus.
 Answer 2
 2. Viruses are infectious agents or
particles, but not “true organisms”.
 Answer 3
 3. Flagella are used for bacterial
locomotion and pili are employed for cell to
cell attachment.
 Answer 4
 4. Identify this cell shape.

 Coccus (spherical)
 Answer 5
 5. Identify this cell shape.
 Bacillus (rod shaped)
 Answer 6
 6. Identify this cell type. spirillum
 Answer 7
 7. Name two major types of
archaebacteria (there are 3 types).

 Extreme thermophiles, methanogens, and

extreme halophiles (any two)
 Bacterial Genes

 Bacteria have a single chromosome

 Circular molecule of DNA
 Many bacteria also have plasmids
 Self-replicating circle of DNA that has a
few genes
 Can be passed from one cell to another
Prokaryotic Fission
 Video: E. coli Reproduction
 http://www.college.ucla.edu/webproject/micro7
 nicked plasmid conjugation tube
in donor cell to recipient cell
Conjugation
 The Normal Flora
 The normal flora of humans is exceedingly
complex and consists of more than 200
species of bacteria.
 The mixture of organisms regularly found
at any anatomical site is referred to as the
normal flora.
 A Friendly Bacteria: E. coli
 Commonly inhabits the intestines of
vertebrates
 E. coli does not normally infect us
 Many benefits: vitamin K and the B
complex are produced by E. coli
 prevent colonization by pathogens
 stimulate the production of cross-
reactive antibodies
 E. coli strain O157:H7.
A Dangerous Form
 This mutant can be transmitted in food or
water
 Think “White Water” and the “Jack in the
Box” hamburger incidents
 Both made national news when many
people became ill and some died.
 Sewage Pollution Indicator
 E. coli in streams, drinking water and surface
waters of all kinds may indicate a problem with
sewage and or farm runoff.

 Testing for unusual levels of these organisms is

routinely done by public health officials

 Parks, swimming pools, restaurants etc may be

closed if E. coli is detected
 Park settles last E. coli suit

Patricia Guthrie - Staff

Friday, December 15, 2000
The last of a dozen lawsuits, filed by families of children
sickened in a 1998 E. coli outbreak tied to Cobb County's White
Water park, has been settled out of court for an undisclosed
sum, attorneys said Thursday.
The family of Jordan Faith Shook of Cartersville, whose
symptoms were among the most severe of the 26 children
sickened by E. coli O157:H7, agreed to an out-of-court
settlement.
The settlement was sealed in court records and will not be
disclosed, said Bill Marler, attorney for James and Judy Shook,
Jordan's parents……

http://www.marlerclark.com/news/whitewater10.htm
 Necrotizing fasciitis: "The flesh-
eating bacteria"
Streptococcus pyogenes strains (as well
as others) rarely cause “necrotizing
fasciitis”
These infections are extremely serious
Sometimes necessitate amputation or result
in severe disfigurement.
 Photomicrograph of
Streptococcus pyogenes

http://www.cellsalive.net/photos/images/strep1.jpg
 Unexpected Consequences
 One weekend in June of 1998 while
Cassie Moore was camping with her three
children, she obtained a minor cut on her
finger, which she bandaged properly. She
also injured the left side of her body
participating in sports. Not thinking much
of either, she bandaged the cut, and went
to bed (Moore, 1999).

edu:81/ScienceEd/stories/storyReader$89
 Severe Case

http://www.bact.wisc.edu:81/ScienceEd/stories/storyReader$89
Amputee
 EPA finds contaminated drinking
water on planes
 WASHINGTON (Reuters) -- A surprising
number of drinking water systems on
domestic and foreign commercial aircraft
tested this summer by the government did
not meet federal standards because they
were contaminated with potentially harmful
bacteria, regulators said Monday. (Tuesday,
September 21, 2004 Posted: 10:46 AM EDT
(1446 GMT) )
 Prize for Stomach Ulcer
Research

From: WebMD Medical News

 “Oct. 3, 2005 -- The 2005 Nobel Prize in
medicine has been awarded to two
Australian scientists for their research on
ulcers in the early 1980s.
 Barry J. Marshall and J. Robin Warren will
share the award. Their discovery paved
the way for treating ulcers with antibiotics.”
The Nobel Prize in Physiology or
Medicine 2005
 Answer 8
 8. Describe a typical bacterial
“chromosome”.

 It is composed of a single circular DNA

molecule.
 Answer 9
 9. What are plasmids?

 Plasmids are very small circular bits of

DNA which can be transferred from one
cell to another via conjugation.
 Answer 10
 10. The “normal” human flora consists of
about 200 species of bacteria.
 Answer 11
 11. E. coli normally lives in the intestines
of vertebrates and is beneficial/harmful.
 Answer 12
 12. Streptococcus pyogenes strains (as
well as others) rarely cause “necrotizing
fasciitis”.
 Answer 13
 13. E. coli strain O157:H7,
a dangerous form, was associated with
Jack in the Box hamburgers as well as the
White Water incident in Cobb county, GA.
The End of Part I