Morphology of Bacteria (Shape):

Classification of Bacteria According to Shape: Bacteria are classified into five groups
according to their basic shapes: spherical (cocci), rod (bacilli), spiral (spirilla), comma (vibrios). They can
exist as single cells, in pairs, chains or clusters.
Coccus:
1. Division in one plane produces either a
diplococcus or streptococcus arrangement.
2. diplococcus: cocci arranged in pairs
example- Neisseria, Streptococcus: cocci
arranged in chains example-Streptococcus
pneumoniae
3. Division in two planes produces a tetrad
arrangement, tetrad: cocci arranged in
squares of 4 Exp-Micrococcus luteus
4. Division in three planes produces a
sarcina arrangement.
5. sarcina: cocci in arranged cubes of 8 Exp-
Sarcina
6. d. Division in random planes produces a
staphylococcus arrangement. cocci arranged
in irregular, often grape-like clusters Exp-
Staphylococcus aureus

The rod or bacillus:

• Bacilli are rod-shaped bacteria. Bacilli all divide in one plane producing a bacillus, streptobacillus,
or coccobacillus arrangement
• bacillus:single bacilli exp-Escherichia coli
• Streptobacillus: bacilli arranged in chains
• Coccobacillus: oval and similar to a coccus
The spiral
• Spirals come in one of three forms a spirillum,
• or a spirochete
• spirillum: a thick, rigid spiral
• spirochete: a thin, flexible spiral
Vibrio: a curved or comma-shaped rod
Classification of Bacteria According to gram staining:
1. Gram Positive
2. Gram Negative

The organisms can be distinguished

by the nature of their cell walls.
• The Gram stain is a test used to
identify bacteria by the composition
of their cell walls, named for Hans
Christian Gram, who developed the
technique in 1884.
• Gram-positive bacteria(Violet
color- Crystal violet color) -The test
stains Gram-positive bacteria, or
bacteria that do not have an outer
membrane. Streptococcus
pneumoniae which causes
pneumonia
• Gram-negative (PinK color-
safranin color)- bacteria don't pick
up the stain Escherichia coli (E. coli)
and Vibrio cholerae, which causes
cholera
Gram-Positive Cell Wall Vs Gram-Negative Cell Wall
Details Gram-Positive Cell Wall Gram-Negative Cell Wall
Layers Single layered Double layered
Composition Consisting of several layers of Consisting of a single layer of peptidoglycan.
peptidoglycan.
Thickness 15 to 80 nanometers 10 nanometers
Periplasmic space Small Large
Outer membrane Absent Present
Teichoic Acid Present Absent
Porins Absent Present
Lipid Content Very low (2 – 5 per cent) High (15-20 per cent)
Lipopolysaccharides Absent Present
Gram staining Retains the crystal violet dye and appears It does not retain the crystal violet dye and
Procedure purple in colour. appears pink in colour.

Classification of Bacteria on the Basis of Mode of Nutrition

1. Phototrophs:
• Those bacteria which gain energy from light.
• Phototrops are further divided into two groups on the basis of source of electron.
• Photolithotrophs: these bacteria gain energy from light and uses reduced inorganic compounds such
as H2S as electron source. Eg. Chromatium okenii.
• Photoorganotrophs: these bacteria gain energy from light and uses organic compounds such as
succinate as electron source.
2. Chemotrophs:
• Those bacteria gain energy from chemical compounds.
• They cannot carry out photosynthesis.
• Chemolithotrophs: they gain energy from oxidation of chemical compound and reduces inorganic
compounds such as NH3 as electron source. Eg. Nitrosomonas.
• Chemoorganotrophs: they gain energy from chemical compounds and uses organic compound such as
glucose and amino acids as source of electron. eg. Pseudomonas pseudoflava.
3. Autotrophs:
• Those bacteria which uses carbondioxide as sole source of carbon to prepare its own food.
• Autotrophs are divided into two types on the basis of energy utilized to assimilate carbondioxide. ie.
Photoautotrophs and chemoautotrophs.
• Photoautotrophs: they utilized light to assimilate CO 2 . They are further divided into two group on the
basis of electron sources. Ie. Photolithotropic autotrophs and Photoorganotropic autotrophs
• Chemoautotrophs: They utilize chemical energy for assimilation of CO 2 .
4. Heterotrophs:
• Those bacteria which uses organic compound as carbon source.
• They lack the ability to fix CO 2 .
• Most of the human pathogenic bacteria are heterotropic in nature.
• Some heterotrops are simple, because they have simple nutritional requirement. However there are
some bacteria that require special nutrients for their growth; known as fastidious heterotrophs.
Classification of Bacteria on the Basis of Number of Flagella
1. Atrichous: These bacteria has no flagella.
Example: Corynebacterium diptherae.
2. Monotrichous: One flagellum is attached to one end of
the bacteria cell. Example: – Vibro cholerae.
3. Lophotrichous: Bunch of flagella is attached to one end
of the bacteria cell. Example: Pseudomonas.
4. Amphitrichous: Bunch of flagella arising from both end
of the bacteria cell. Example: Rhodospirillum rubrum.
5. Peritrichous: The flagella are evenly distributed
surrounding the entire bacterial cell. Example: Bacillus.

Multiplication/Reproduction of bacteria:
• Vegetative (Binary fission,
Fragmentation, Budding),
• Asexual ( endospore ) and
• Sexual ( Transformation,
Transduction, and Conjugation)
• Most bacteria multiply by a
process called:
Binary fission:
• according this process,
• a single bacterial cell, called the
"parent,“
• makes a copy of its DNA and
grows larger
• by doubling its cellular content.
The cell then
• splits apart, pushing the
duplicated material
• out and creating two identical
"daughter" cells.
Fragmentation: Bacterial Fragmentation. Occurs when a parent microorganism breaks into fragments,
or pieces, and each fragment develops into a new organism.

Budding: Some bacterial species, such as cyanobacteria and firmicutes, in this case, the daughter cell
grows as an offshoot of the parent. It starts off as a small nub, grows until it is the same size as its parent,
and splits off. In budding, the bud develops from the end of the cell. The bud enlarges and becomes
daughter cell and gets separated from parent cell.
Asexual Reproduction Of Bacteria:
Formation of Endospore:
The production of endospore is not always
considered to be a means of asexual reproduction,
but rather it is a mechanism of perennation, when
the bacterial cell survives during an unfavorable
condition. The thick walled oval or spherical
structure that encloses the bacterial protoplast
during unfavorable condition is known as
endospore. During the formation of an endospore,
the cell remains intact, but the bacterial protoplast
shrinks to the center or in the sub-terminal area of
the cell and gets enclosed within a three layered
wall called endosporium. It is followed by another
two layered wall and the cell membrane and
protoplast have shrunk to the extreme center. The
area between the endosporium and the original cell
wall remains empty and is called exosporium. With the initiation of water, that is favorable condition, the wall
is ruptured and the bacterial cell emerges out. The endospore formation is observed in common bacterial
species like Bacillus.

Sexual Reproduction: The DNA found in parents and offspring after binary fission or budding is exactly
the same. Therefore, bacterial cells introduce variation into their genetic material by integrating additional
DNA, often from their surroundings, into their genome. The resulting genetic variation ensures that bacteria
can adapt and survive as their environment changes.

Conjugation: This is a physiological process by which the genetic mater transferred from one individual
bacteria to the other during sexual reproduction.
1. Two seperate bacterial cells belonging to
opposite strains come close to each other.
2. The conjugation bridge is formed
between the two cells using the sex pili or
F -pili.
3. The F factor replicates in the male.
4. The F factor slowly migrates into the
female through the conjugation tube and an
incomplete zygote or merozygote is formed.
5. The presence of F factor in female
transforms the F - strain to F + strain.
6. The product of conjugation is just the
genetic recombination product of the two
strains of cells. The progenies developing
from this recombinant product conserve this
character of the recombinant DNA that has
been transferred during conjugation.
Transformation: It is a physiological phenomenon
by which the incorporation of DNA from one
bacterium into another results in the development of a
new genotype. This is also due to genetic
recombination. During transformation the cells which
are ready to take up naked DNA and get transformed
are said to be competent cells.
 Transduction: This process of
sexual reproduction of bacteria was first
observed by Norton Zinder and Joshua
Lederberg (1951). It is the process of
transfer of’ DNA fragment from one
bacteria into the other with the help of a
bacteriophage. The process also results in
genetic recombination. Transduction, a
process of genetic recombination
in bacteria in which genes from a
host cell (a bacterium) are incorporated
into the genome of a bacterial virus
(bacteriophage) and then carried to
another host cell (bacteria) when the
bacteriophage initiates another cycle of
infection.

Economic Importance of Bacteria:

Useful Advantages
Bacteria have widespread economic importance as they are used in various processes, as discussed below.

Dairy products: Quite a few genera of bacteria are used in food preparation, directly or indirectly.
a. Formation of Curd: Milk is converted into curd by bacterial action. Lactic acid bacteria (LAB)
like Lactobacillus are added to milk.
b. Yoghurt preparation: It is produced by curdling milk with Streptococcus thermophilus and Lactobacillus
c. Cheese: Propionibacterium shermanii is used to make cheese.
In Industry:
Product Bacteria name
Vinegar or Acetic acid Acetobacter aceti
Citric acid Bacillus licheniformis and Corynebacterium species
Vitamin B12B12 Pseudomonas denitrificans
Retting of Fibres like jute, etc. Clostridium butyricum
The curing and ripening of tea and tobacco leave Bacillus megaterium
Certain species of bacteria are used in The Preparation Species of Staphylococcus, Micrococcus,
of leather from hides and skins of animals. Corynebacterium, Streptococcus, Enterococcus,
Bacillus are used.
3. In Medicine
Some bacteria have been exploited to produce antibiotics. Antibiotics like Terramycin, Streptomy cin,
Tetracycline, Aureomycin, Neomycin are obtained from different bacterial species.
Antibiotic Bacteria
Chloromycetin Streptomyces venezuelae
Erythromycin Streptomyces erythreus
Streptomycin Streptomyces griseus
Oxytetracycline /Terramycin Streptomyces aureofaciens
Bacitracin Bacillus licheniformis
Neomycin Streptomyces fradiae
Terramycin Streptomyces rimosus
Aureomycin Streptomyces aureofaciens
a. Vaccines: Several vaccines have been developed from either killed or attenuated (living but multiplying at low
rates) bacteria. For example, tuberculosis vaccine, whooping cough vaccine, plague vaccine, DTP (Diphtheria,
Tetanus, Pertussis) vaccine, pneumonia vaccine are all prepared with the help of bacteria.
4. In Maintenance of Environmental Balance and Agriculture: Bacteria act as decomposers. They make the
nutrient available for plants. Specific genera of bacteria are used as biocontrol agents in agriculture. Bacillus
thuringiensis (Bt) yields protein-based toxins used to kill insects.