Bacteriology: the study of bacteria

Written by Dr. T. M. Wassenaar Tuesday, 23 December 2008 17:15

Bacteriology is the study of bacteria. It comprises the identification, classification and

characterization of bacterial species. Bacteria are identified by their properties, for example their
looks, what nutrients they can grow on or not grow on, what temperature they require for growth,
what substances they produce, etc. To study morphology, that is the shape of bacteria, a
microscope is used. Go to our Special Feature Exhibit on bacterial morphology to learn all about
the different shapes of bacteria, both under the microscope and visible by the naked eye. The
Gram-stain is one of the commonest staining techniques used to visualize bacteria.
If you're not sure what bacteria are, check our exhibit on bacteria first.
In order to study their properties, bacteria are grown in a laboratory under carefully controled
conditions using a number of well defined growth media. The work is done under otherwise
sterile conditions. Without such precautions unwanted bacteria will grow everywhere, including
on our media. All equipment is made sterile by heat or irradiation. Learn more about sterilization
procedures and their uses. One way to prevent growth of bacteria is pasteurization. This
relatively gentile heat treatment is often applied to foods and drinks. The procedure is named
after its inventor, Louis Pasteur, who was one of the founders of modern bacteriology.
Bacteriology is studied in a laboratory. But it is possible to do a few do-it-yourself experiments
without much requirements. Have fun isolating bacteria from Limburger cheese. Here you can
find more suggestions for experiments, or use our list of educational resources to convince your
teacher to include these experiments in classes. Have fun!
Bacteriology is a subdivision of microbiology. Other micro-organisms studied in microbiology
are yeast, molds, and viruses. Our museum deals exclusively with bacteria. Check which microorganisms are not included. Applied bacteriology is a branche of bacteriology with interest in
industrial use of bacteria. This subject is so diverse that it is covered in a different exhibit:
applied bacteriology. There are a number of courses on microbiology and bacteriology available
on the Web:

The bacterial world in a drop of water

Our advanced bacteriology exhibit contains more links to on-line courses and tutorials at
an advanced level.

The classification of bacteria in families, sub-families and superfamilies is called bacterial

systematics, or taxonomy. Bacterial systematics is nicely explained at this site. Taxonomy and
phylogeny are explained in more detail here.

Evolution in bacteria
Written by Dr. T. M. Wassenaar Tuesday, 06 January 2009 07:32

Like all forms of life, bacteria undergo evolution. Evolution is a slow and gradual process, and it
was the person of Charles Darwin, combining keen observation with a sharp mind, who first
described the principles of evolution. Had microbiology existed in those days, then he would
certainly have used bacteria to illustrate his ideas. Since bacteria are relatively simple forms of
life, and have a short generation time, evolutionary processes can be observed directly, as
opposed to most other life forms. The study of bacterial evolution has resulted in many insights
of general biological processes, and modern research still uses bacteria as a model to study
evolution.
Evolution is based on three principles:

As organisms reproduce, more offspring will be formed than can survive. This causes
competition for sources of energy and habitat. Only the fittest organisms will survive.

During cell division, minute changes will be introduced in the offspring. Such mutations
will generate genetic diversity among the offspring.

The result of these two processes, competition and diversity, is a selection pressure that
will favour certain populations that are best qualified to survive. Over time, this will
result in notable changes of a species.

Read about this classical discovery of evolution: how bacteria could become resistant against
their enemy, a bacteriophage. If you don't know what bacteriophages are, check our exhibit.
This only seems a small step on the hughe ladder of evolution, but in fact it is these small steps
that over time allows the formation of new species. We observe evolution of bacteria in real time,
as they divide so much faster than animals or plants. We now know that evolution is not a
gradual, constant process, but rather takes place in bursts, as explained in this article on 'punk
eek': punctuated equilibrium.
For animals, the definition of different species is the lack of sexual reproduction between
members of those species. For bacteria this definition cannot be used. Bacteria can sometimes
share their genetic content, which is a way of sexual reproduction, and even members of different
species can sometimes do this. This may actually be one reason why bacteria are so successful:
the sharing of advantageous properties may enabled evolving species to become even more
succesful. Their success depends on the selective pressures that are applied. This may sound very

theoretical, but the truth is that the 'emergence' of antibiotic resistant bacteria is evolution as we
speak. In our exhibit 'Antibiotics' it is explained that the use of antibiotics in medicine has
resulted in resistance to antibiotics. Two mechanisms are responsible for the spread of antibiotic
resistance among bacteria: every once in a while spontaneous mutations are formed that result in
resistance (many bacteria are re-inventing the wheel!) but some bacteria simply 'steel' the DNA
of their counterparts that have learned to deal with antibiotics. So, mutations and DNA sharing
are the tools to generate diversity and increases the chance of a best fit. The selective pressure
that leads to the spread of resistance is our use of antibiotics that selects for bacteria that are
resistant. The battle between bacteria and man--the result of evolution.

Pathogenic bacteria
Written by Dr. T. M. Wassenaar Tuesday, 06 January 2009 07:30

Bacteria that cause disease are called pathogenic bacteria. Bacteria can cause diseases in humans,
in other animals, and also in plants. Some bacteria can only make one particular host ill; others
cause trouble in a number of hosts, depending on the host specificity of the bacteria. The diseases
caused by bacteria are almost as diverse as the bugs themselves and include food poisoning,
tooth ache anthrax, even certain forms of cancer. It is impossible to sum up all bacterial diseases
and it would be pretty boring. The Infectious Diseases fact sheets gives brief descriptions of
diseases, including infectious diseases. Some diseases are named after the organisms that cause
them, or is it the other way round?
If you want to have a look at pathogenic bacteria under the microscope:

View here pathogenic bacteria under the microscope which also describes their
properties, as part of a course on medical microbiology. Some of the terms used here are
explained in our exhibit on pathogenicity.

More links to microscopic pictures can be found in the exhibit on Images of bacteria.

Some pathogenic bacteria have received disproportionate attention in the press, e.g. the 'flesheating bacteria', which in real life are called Streptococci. Indeed they can cause spectacular, but
fortunately uncommon symptoms. In the press, pathogenic bacteria are sometimes represented as
(deadly) dangerous enemies that lurk in the dark, unseen, ready to attack you. Although that is
exaggerated some bacteria can be life treatening, for example Legionella pneumoniae, the
causative of Legionnaire's disease. These bacteria survive in moist places like air conditioners or
hot-water pipes.
Though potentially life treatening, bacterial infections do not kill all their victims. Some bacteria
kill a high percentage of people infected (they have a so-called a high mortality rate), but their
relatively inefficient rate of spreading makes up for that. Other bacteria spread very easily, but
they don't kill many of the people they infect. Imagine what would happen with a pathogen that
spread very fast, killed all its victims; it would soon have none left to infect, and would die out
together with the species on which it had been dependent. Bacterial pathogens don't eradicate
their hosts completely. Although a popular theme for thrillers, this is a 'mission impossible' in
real life.
When an infectious disease spreads around an area, and the cases of new infections reach a
certain number, we call it an epidemic. Read about epidemics or visit the Epidemics Home Site.
If, on the other hand, a certain disease is always present in low numbers of cases in a given area,
that disease is said to be endemic in that area. Some epidemics become wide-spread and quickly

reach distant parts of the world: in modern times people travel fast and frequent, and our bacteria
travel with us. A classical example of such a pandemic (in this case caused by a virus) was a
new type of influenza ("Spanish 'flu") that reached continent after continent early twentieth
century, killing thousands of people on it's way. Although only a small proportion of the infected
people died (the virus had a low mortality) so many people got infected that even the small
proportion of deaths amounted to large numbers.
An epidemic or pandemic can only occur if the population is not immune to that disease. Read
our special feature file on the history of infectious diseases about the times that pathogens could
spread unlimited. Our exhibit on our immune system explains how immunity can prevent
disease.
So why do epidemics occur? Either because they are caused by diseases that did not exist before,
like AIDS, caused by the HIV virus, or because new variants of bacteria (or viruses) arrive in an
area where they were not endemic before. This is why epidemics of the common 'flu' occur
frequently: the virus causing influenza is able to change itself sufficiently to bypass our
immunity built up from prior infections. Although not caused by bacteria, this site on influenza is
very interesting if you want to understand epidemics of infectious diseases. Whenever a new
virus type arises, there is the potential for a new epidemic. Fortunately, most of these new types
are not as vicious as the Spanish 'flu. The experts are currently keeping an eye on bird flu, a
strain of influenza that has not (yet?) learned to jump from person-to-person. If that would
happen, a new pandemic could be the result.
An example of a bacterial disease that caused successive epidemics, and even pandemics, in
recent times is Vibrio cholerae, the cause of cholera. Epidemiology is the study to establish the
cause of a disease.

Read this classic of cholera in London in the last century: an epidemiological 'whodunit'
with John Snow as the chief inspector.

Another classic epidemic in history was small pox raging through Europe in the 14th
Century. Read our special feature file on the Black Death.

Bacteria have invented many different strategies to make us ill. These strategies, called bacterial
pathogenicity, are the subject of an important division of medical microbiology. Understanding
how certain bacteria make us ill can result in better treatment, vaccination, or prevention of that
infectious disease. In another exhibit some of the common mechanisms of bacterial
pathogenicity are explained. In order to keep this information balanced, now that you know what
pathogenic bacteria are, why not also check out how commensal bacteria are good for you.