Exam 1: Microbiology and Bacteriology Flashcards
Prokaryotes vs Eukaryotes
Major Characteristics
Bacterial Distinction
- Bacteria grow in colonies
- Sum of their characteristics provide distinguishing characteristics
- Size
- Color
- Shape
- Smell
- Ability to resist abx
- Sugar fermentation
- Erythrocyte lysis
- Lipid hydrolysis
- Can be determined by using appropriate growth medium
Gram Stain
Allows differentiation between two major classes of bacteria.
Bacteria heat fixed/dried onto a slide then:
Bacterial Shape
- Most common
- Cocci
- Baccilus ⇒ rod
- Spiral
- Curved
- Rods & cocci can be individual cells or chains
- Pure culture of a single species can have multiple morphologies ⇒ pleiomorphic rod
- Depends on growth phase and conditions
Gram Positive
Unique Structures
- Thick peptidoglycan cell wall
- Teichoic acid
- Lipotechoic acid
- Wall techoic acid
- Only gram + can form spores
Gram Negative
Unique Structures
- Outer membrane
- Lipopolysaccaride (LPS) ⇒ endotoxin
- Periplasmic space
Gram Positive vs. Gram Negative
Characteristics
Cell Wall
-
Outermost component common to bacteria
- Execpt Mycoplasma
- Repetitive structure
- Binds TLRs ⇒ activate innate immune responses
- Composed mainly of peptidoglycan
- Functions:
- Protect cytoplasmic membrane from osmotic lysis
- Maintains shape
- Interacts with host and environment
- Basis of gram + vs gram -
Peptidoglycan
(PG)
- Only in bacterial cells
- Good target for abx ⇒ Penicillin, Cephalosporins
-
Composed of layers of polysaccharide chains cross-liked by short peptides
- Repeating disaccharides
- N-acetylmuramic acid (NAM, MurNAc, M)
- N-acetylglucosamine (NAG, GlcNAc, G)
- Repeating disaccharides
- Target for lysozyme
- Cleaves β1-4 linkages between NAM & NAG
-
Gram +
- PG forms multiple layers
- Cross-linked into sheets by peptide bonds
- Between 3rd AA (Lys) of one & 4th D-alanine of another
- Terminal D-alanine lost during bond formation
-
Gram -
- Small amount of PG
- Usually only one layer thick with minimal cross-linking
Lysozyme cleaves ___ between ___ of ___.
β 1,4 linkages
NAM & NAG
bacterial cell walls
Peptidoglycan
Synthesis
- Uses unusual D isomers
- D-glucosamine
- D-alanine
- Does not use ribosomes
- Crosslinking catalyzed by transpeptidase
Acid-Fast Bacteria
- Do not gram stain
-
Cell wall rich in mysolic acid (lipid)
- Resistance to drying, low pH, chemical agents
-
Visualized with acid-fast stains
- Zeihl Neelson
- Kinyon
- Only 5 genera are medically important
Mycobacteria
-
Unusual cell wall w/ complex lipids
- PG layer intertwined with arabinogalactan polymer
-
Surrounded by coat of mycolic acid, cord factor, wax D, and sufolipids
- Responsible for virulence & antiphagocytic
- Makes them unable to gram stain
- Resists decolorization with acid-alcohol ⇒ acid-fast
Outer Membrane
- Only in gram ⊖ bacteria
-
Asymmetric bilayer
- Inner leaflet ⇒ normal PLs found in bacterial cytoplasmic membrane
- Outer leaflet ⇒ mostly LPS
-
Periplasmic space
- Between inner and outer membranes
- Contains transport systems
- Contains hydrolytic enzymes for metabolism
- Many lytic virulence factors found here
- Permeability barrier ⇒ limits movement of host enzymes and some Abx
- Protective layer against environment
- Limited variety of proteins in high concentration
- Porins
- Hydrophilic antimicrobials
Lipopolysaccharide (LPS)
Overview
“Endotoxin”
- Component of outer leaflet of outer membrane
- Gram ⊖ bacteria only
- Major mediator of fever and inflammation
- Composed of 3 structurally and functionally distinct units
- Lipid A
- Core polysaccaride
- O-antigen polysaccharide side chains
Lipid A
Responsible for toxic effects of LPS.
- Essential for viability
- Responsible for endotoxic activity
- Phosphorylated glucosamine disaccharide backbone w/ FA attached
- Anchors structure to outer membrane
- Acts to connect LPS units into aggregates
- Identical for related bacteria
Core Polysaccharide
- Branched polysaccharide of 9-12 sugars
- Essential for LPS structure
- Essential for viability
- Same for a species of bacteria
O Antigen
- Attached to the core polysaccharide
- Extends away from bacteria
- Long linear polysacc. chain of 50-100 repeating units of 4-7 sugars each
- Distinguishes serotypes/strains
Teichoic Acid
(TA)
- Found in outer layer of cell wall of gram ⊕ bacteria only
- Water soluble anionic polymers
- Glycerol phosphate
- Ribitol phosphate
- Sugars, choline, or D-alanine can be attached ⇒ antigenic
- Determined by Ab
- May determine serotype
- Two types of TA:
-
Wall teichoic acid (WTA)
- Linked to PG
-
Membrane teichoic acid (lipoteichoic acid, LTA)
- Linked to membrane glycolipid
- Can be shed into host ⇒ immune response
-
Wall teichoic acid (WTA)
- Important virulence factor
Cytoplasmic Membrane
- PL bilayer under PG cell wall
-
Lack sterols
- Except for Mycoplasma
- Functions:
- Aids transport
- Contains protein for ETC and metabolism
- Aids secretion of enzymes/toxins
- Contains enzymes for cell wall, DNA, and membrane lipid synthesis
- Lined with actin-like protein filaments ⇒ maintains shape, site of septum formation during division
Flagella
- Only on rods
- Location and # varies
- Used for movement
- Structure:
- Composed of flagellin
- Achored to plasma membrane through hook and basal body
- Powered by membrane potential
-
Flagellar antigens used to ID strains
-
H antigens
- Ex. E. coli 0157:H7
-
H antigens
Pili
“Fimbriae”
- Composed of pilin
-
Used for attachment and adhesion
- Adherence factor @ tip
- Important for virulence
Sex Pilus
“F pili”
- Attaches male to female during conjugation
- Encoded for by plasmid F
Capsule
- Gel layer encompasing entire bacteria
- Loose polysaccharide or protein layers
- Sugars vary w/ species
- Small Ag differences distinguishes different serotypes or serogroups within species
- Important for survival
-
Virulence factor that limits:
- Phagocytosis
- Susceptibility to complement
Spores
“Endospores”
-
Some gram ⊕ only
- Bacillus, Clostridia
- Stress ⇒ stop vegetative growth ⇒ produce spores (dormant state)
- Spores resist drying, heat, radiation, chemicals
- Return of good conditions ⇒ spores to vegetative state ⇒ germinate
- Sometimes spores are the infectious form
- Ex: B. antracis
Prokaryotic Metabolism
- For rapid growth
- More versatile in energy sources and oxidant use
- More diverse nutritional requirements
- More diverse biosynthetic pathways
- PG, LPS, TA unique to bacteria
Bacteria divide by ___ process called ___.
asexual
binary fission
Time required for bacterial population to double called…
generation time
(Cell # after N generations = Initial # x 2N)
Growth Curve
Chemical Requirements
- Water
- Carbon
- Nitrogen
- Oxygen (some)
Carbon Sources
- Most pathogenic bacteria need organic carbon ⇒ heterotrophs
- Must be in a form that can be assimilated
- Most common source from sugars
- Some can use inorganic carbon like CO2 ⇒ autotrophs
Nitrogen Sources
- Usually supplied by inorganic molecules
- Ammonia (NH3) and Nitrate (NO3)
- End-prod. for all paths is ammonia
- Can use proteins if they have exoenzymes e.g. proteases
-
Nitrogen gas (N2) can be used by nitrogen-fixing bacteria
- Add H to make ammonia
Oxygen Metabolism
O2 required for most human pathogens.
Used as a final electron acceptor in respiration.
Mechanisms for removal of toxic intermediates:
Oxygen Requirement
Classification
Intermediary metabolism includes…
catabolism ⇒ breakdown
anabolism ⇒ synthesis
The common universal intermediate is…
pyruvic acid
Pyruvate + NADH/NADPH produced via…
Embden-Myerhof glycolytic pathway
&
Pentose phosphate pathway
Embden-Meyerhof
Glycolytic Pathway
- 1 glucose yields 2 ATP + 2 NADH
- End product is pyruvate
- Substrate for fermentation or respiration
Pentose Phosphate Pathway
- Glucose ⇒ pentose phosphate ⇒ G-3-P ⇒ pyruvate
- Releases CO2
- Generates NADPH
Fermentation
Pyruvate reduced while NAPH re-oxidized
Lowers pH ⇒ growth often inhibited
-
Homolactic acid fermentation
- Lactobacilli & strep
-
Mixed acid fermentation
- Enteric bacteria
- Most make H2 + CO2 via formic acid pathway
- Enteric bacteria
Shigella
Fermentation
Cannot make H2 or CO2
Negative for gas in “triple sugar iron” test
Clostridium
Fermentation
Anaerobe
Ferments sugars ⇒ acetone, isopropanolol, butanol, and butyric acid
Ferment proteins ⇒ amines
Gases build up in infected wounds ⇒ gas gangrene
Fermentation
Chart
Respiration
Electron transport + Oxidative phosphorylation
- Pyruvate ⇒ TCA ⇒ NADH and FADH2
- Oxygen is usually the final acceptor ⇒ aerobic
- Certain bacteria can also use other compounds
- Nitrogen ⇒ NO3
- Sulfides ⇒ SO42+
Bacterial Genome
-
Chromosome
- Haploid
- Circular
- Minimal size
- Few to no introns
- Little to no splicing
- Extrachromosomal elements ⇒ plasmids
Operons
- Short, continguous, linear group of related genes
- Grouped into transcriptional units
- Controlled by one promoter
Structural genes
Encodes enzymes and structural proteins.
E.g. ribosomal proteins
Regulatory Genes
Encode proteins that bind DNA regulatory sites
Repressors ⇒ operators
Operons make ___ which codes for ___ per mRNA.
polycistronic mRNAs
more than one gene
Insertion Sequences
(IS)
DNA sequence capable of replicating itself into a new site in the chromosome by non-homologous recombination.
Catalyzed by “transposase”
Encoded by IS.
Transposons
(Tn)
Insertional sequences (IS) that flank a structural gene.
Carries the genes with them to new chromosome sites.
Typically encodes abx resistance.
Base Substitutions
Silent, missense, or nonsense.
∆ abx resistence and virulence.