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Understanding Bacterial Growth Phases

Bacterial growth occurs in distinct phases when cultured in a closed batch system. During the lag phase, bacteria adjust to their environment and turn on metabolic pathways. The log or exponential phase follows, where bacteria grow at their maximum rate limited only by conditions. As nutrients become depleted or waste builds up, bacteria enter stationary phase with no net growth. Eventually in death phase, cell death exceeds division as viability decreases. Growth can be quantified by calculating increases in cell numbers over time based on an original population and number of divisions.

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Shubham Maurya
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128 views12 pages

Understanding Bacterial Growth Phases

Bacterial growth occurs in distinct phases when cultured in a closed batch system. During the lag phase, bacteria adjust to their environment and turn on metabolic pathways. The log or exponential phase follows, where bacteria grow at their maximum rate limited only by conditions. As nutrients become depleted or waste builds up, bacteria enter stationary phase with no net growth. Eventually in death phase, cell death exceeds division as viability decreases. Growth can be quantified by calculating increases in cell numbers over time based on an original population and number of divisions.

Uploaded by

Shubham Maurya
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

Principles of Bacterial Growth

Growth can be calculated


Nt = N0 x 2n

(Nt ) number of cells in population


(N0 ) original number of cells in the population
(n) number of divisions
Example
N0 = 10 cells in original population
n = 12
4 hours assuming 20 minute generation time
Nt = 10 x 212
Nt = 10 x 4,096
Nt = 40,960

Plotting growth on graphs

Standard Growth Curve

Growth in Batch Culture


1.

Bacteria growing in batch culture produce a growth curve with up to four distinct phases.

2.

Batch cultures are grown in tubes or flasks and are closed systems where no fresh nutrients
are added or waste products removed.

3.

Lag phase occurs when bacteria are adjusting to them medium. For example, with a
nutritionally poor medium, several anabolic pathways need to be turned on, resulting in a
lag before active growth begins.

4.

In log or exponential phase, the cells are growing as fast as they can, limited only by
growth conditions and genetic potential. During this phase, almost all cells are alive, they
are most nearly identical, and they are most affected by outside influences like
disinfectants.

5.

Due to nutrient depletion and/or accumulation of toxic end products, replication stops and
cells enter a stationary phase where there is no net change in cell number.

6.

Death phase occurs when cells can no longer maintain viability and numbers decrease as a
proportion.

Phases of Growth
Lag phase making new enzymes in response to new medium
Log phase exponential growth
Desired for production of products
Most sensitive to drugs and radiation during this period

Stationary phase
nutrients becoming limiting or waste products becoming toxic
death rate = division rate

Death phase death exceeds division

Bacterial growth
The time taken for a microbial population to double in
number is called the doubling time. The time taken for a
single cell to divide is called the generation time
2N
1N
DT

N
time

The mean generation time of a population is equal to the


doubling time.
Doubling time is a measure of growth rate
a short doubling time implies a fast growth rate.

Mean Generation Time and Growth Rate


The mean generation time (doubling time) is the amount of time
required for the concentration of cells to double during the log
phase. It is expressed in units of minutes.
Growth rate

(min-1)

1
=
mean generation time

Mean generation time can be determined directly from a


semilog plot of bacterial concentration vs time after inoculation

Mean Generation Time and Growth Rate

Basic Chemostat System

Lab Chemostat System

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