independent assignment Flashcards
What is unique about it? (1)
Dental Pathogenesis
- known for role in dental caries (tooth decay.
- primary bacterial species responsible for initiating tooth decay in humans by producing large amounts of lactic acid that erodes tooth enamel.
What is unique about it? (2)
Biofilm Formation
- ability to form dental plaque, a sticky biofilm that adheres to tooth surfaces.
- can produce extracellular polysaccharides that help it attach firmly to tooth surfaces and create complex, protective communities of bacteria.
What is unique about it? (3)
Acid Production
- highly acidogenic: produces significant amounts of acid as a metabolic byproduct when consuming sugars.
What is unique about it? (4)
Genetic Adaptability
- remarkable genetic plasticity, allowing it to quickly adapt to different environmental conditions in the oral cavity.
What is unique about it? (5)
Specialized Adhesion Mechanisms
- possesses unique surface proteins that enable it to adhere to tooth surfaces and to other bacterial cells, facilitating complex biofilm development.
What is unique about it? (6)
Metabolic Versatility
- can utilize various carbohydrates and adapt its metabolic processes to survive in different nutritional environments
Domain:
Bacteria (Prokaryota)
Has it been in the popular media/news and if so what made it newsworthy? (1)
Dental Research Breakthroughs
- Developing targeted probiotics
- Creating vaccines against dental caries
- Investigating novel ways to disrupt its biofilm formation
Has it been in the popular media/news and if so what made it newsworthy? (2)
Genetic Engineering Discussions
- featured in discussions about genetic engineering, particularly around creating “designer bacteria” that could potentially prevent tooth decay.
Has it been in the popular media/news and if so what made it newsworthy? (3)
COVID-19 Related Research
- some scientific media discussed potential connections between oral bacteria like S. mutans and broader immune system responses, though these were preliminary investigations.
Where is the orgasm found? (primary habitat)
- Human oral cavity; tooth surfaces
- Dental plaque and biofilms
- Saliva
- Dental caries (cavities)
Where is the orgasm found? (secondary habitat)
- Human and some animal oral microbiomes
- Surfaces of dental prosthetics
- Potentially in dental laboratory environments
Environmental Preferences (1)
Temperature
- Mesophilic organism
- Optimal growth temperature: 35-37°C (human body temperature)
- Can survive and reproduce within typical human oral temperature ranges
Environmental Preferences (2)
pH Conditions
- Acidogenic and aciduric bacterium
- Thrives in low pH environments (as low as pH 4.2-4.6)
- Can produce acids that further lower environmental pH
- Unique ability to thrive in acidic conditions that would inhibit many other bacterial species
Environmental Preferences (3)
Oxygen Requirements
- Facultative anaerobe; Can grow with or without oxygen
Environmental Preferences (4)
Nutritional Requirements
- Prefers sugar-rich environments
- Metabolizes various carbohydrates
-Thrives in environments with sucrose and other fermentable sugars
Unusual metabolic feature (1)
- Acid Tolerance and Production*
- Continue metabolizing sugars at pH levels as low as 4.2
- Produce lactic acid as a primary metabolic byproduct
- Maintain cellular integrity and metabolic functions in highly acidic environments
- Possess internal proton pumps and enzyme systems that help neutralize intracellular acid accumulation
Unusual metabolic feature (2)
Extracellular Polysaccharide Synthesis
can convert sucrose into unique glucan polymers, which:
- Allow it to adhere to tooth surfaces
- Create protective biofilm structures
- Provide energy storage mechanism
Unusual metabolic feature (3)
Metabolic Versatility
- Fermenting multiple sugar types (glucose, sucrose, fructose)
- Switching between aerobic and anaerobic metabolic pathways
- Producing different metabolic end-products based on environmental conditions
- Utilizing alternative carbon sources when primary nutrients are unavailable
Unusual metabolic feature (4)
Energy Conservation Mechanisms
has developed specialized metabolic strategies for energy conservation in challenging oral environments, including:
- Efficient electron transport chains
- Ability to generate ATP under variable oxygen conditions
- Rapid metabolic adaptation to nutrient availability
Cellular Morphology:
- Spherical (coccus) shape
- Typically 0.5-1.0 micrometers in diameter
- Gram-positive bacteria
- Arranged in chains or pairs (diplococci)
- Non-motile (no flagella)
Cell Wall Structure:
- Thick peptidoglycan layer
- Teichoic acids embedded in cell wall
- Rigid cell wall that retains crystal violet during
Gram staining - Lacks an outer membrane (characteristic of
Gram-positive bacteria)
Surface Characteristics:
- Numerous surface proteins
- Specialized adhesion molecules (called adhesins)
- Ability to produce extracellular polysaccharides
- Sticky surface that facilitates biofilm formation
Cell Membrane:
- Phospholipid bilayer
- Contains various protein complexes for nutrient transport
- Functional proton pumps for acid tolerance
Cellular Interior:
- Nucleoid region (concentrated DNA)
- Ribosomes for protein synthesis
- Plasmids potentially present
- Lack of membrane-bound organelles (typical of prokaryotes)
