GITANJALI COLLEGE OF PHARMACY
INTERNAL ASSESSMENT
(CA-1)
TOPIC : FACTORS AFFECTING BACTERIAL GROWTH
NAME: BUSHRA QURAISHEE
UNIVERSITY ROLL: 36201922051
REG. NO: 223620210031 OF 2022-2023
SUBJECT: PHARMACEUTICAL MICROBIOLOGY
SUBJECT CODE: PT-319
B.PHARM 2ND YEAR 3RD SEM
SESSION: 2022 - 26
Topic :-Factors affecting bacterial growth
Growth of bacteria is affected by many factors such as nutrition
concentration and other environmental factors.
Some of the important factors affecting bacterial growth are:
1. Nutrition concentration
2. Temperature
3. pH
4. Available water
5. Light
6. Osmotic pressure
1. Nutrient concentration:
1. If culture media is rich in growth promoting substance, growth of bacteria occurs faster.
Decrease in nutrient concentration decreases the growth rate.
2. The relationship between substrate concentration (nutrition) and growth rate is shown
in figure
Figure: nutrient vs growth rate
3. With increase in concentration nutrition, growth rate of bacteria increases up to certain
level and then growth rate remains constant irrespective of nutrition addition.
2. Temperature:
• It is the most important factor that determines all living organisms’ growth, multiplication,
and death rates. A particular microorganism will exhibit a range of temperatures over
which it can grow, defined by three cardinal points in the same manner as pH.
• A. Minimum Temperature: It is the lowest temperature required for growth.
• B. Maximum Temperature: It is the highest temperature required for growth
• C. Optimum temperature: It is the temperature at which rapid growth in a short period
occurs.
• The relationship between temperature and growth rate is shown in figure below.
Figure: temperature vs growth rate
BASED ON THEIR TEMPERATURE RELATIONSHIPS, BACTERIA MAY BE DIVIDED INTO
THREE MAIN GROUPS.
• 1. PSYCHROPHILES : tHESE ARE THE BACTERIA THAT CAN GROW AT 0 °c OR
LOWER THOUGH THEY GROW BEST AT HIGHER TEMPERATURES. tHE TERM PSYCHROPHILE
IS NOW RESTRICTED BY MANY MICROBIOLOGISTS TO ORGANISMS THAT CAN GROW AT 0 °c
BUT HAVE AN OPTIMUM TEMPERATURE OF 15 °c OR LOWER AND A MAXIMUM
TEMPERATURE OF 20 °c -30 °c.
EXAMPLE: OSCILLATORIA.
• 2. MESOPHILES: tHESE ARE THE BACTERIA THAT CAN GROW WITHIN A
TEMPERATURE RANGE OF 25 °c TO 40°c.
EXAMPLE: eSCHERICHIA COLI
• 3. THERMOPHILES: tHESE ARE THE BACTERIA THAT GROW BEST AT THE OPTIMUM
TEMPERATURE OF 45 °c OR HIGHER BUT CAN ALSO GROW OVER A RANGE OF 40°c -75°c.
eXAMPLE: tHERMUS AQUATICUS.
3. Ph :-
The ph or hydrogen ion concentration [H+] of the growth medium of bacteria has a profound effect on
the multiplication of microorganisms. Each microbial species has a definite ph range and depends upon
this optimum ph value.
They can be classified as:
i. Acidophiles: These microorganisms have an optimum pH range in between 1-6.5 and grow at
an optimum pH well below neutrality.
Example: Ferroplasma.
ii. Neutrophiles: Most bacteria fall in this category and grow best in the pH range between 6.5-
7.5.
Example: E.coli, lactobacillus acidophillus.
iii. Alkalophiles:These bacteria have an optimum pH range between 7.5-14.
Example: Thermococcus alcaliphilus.
4.water:
Water is the solvent in which the molecules of life are dissolved, and the availability of water
is, therefore, a critical factor that affects bacteria growth as 80% of the bacterial cell consists
of water. The availability of water for a cell depends upon its presence in the atmosphere
(relative humidity) or its presence in a solution or a substance (water activity). The water
activity (aw) of pure H₂O is 1.0 (100% water). Water activity is affected by the presence of
solutes such as salts or sugars that are dissolved in the water. The higher the solute
concentration of a substance, the lower the water activity and vice-versa. Bacteria live over a
range of aw from 1.0 to 0.7.
5.Light:
Bacteria (except phototrophic species) usually grow in darkness.
6.Osmotic pressure:
• Because of the presence of cell walls, bacteria can withstand a wide range of external osmotic
pressure. The only common solute in nature that occurs over a wide concentration range is salt
(NaCI) 0.5% strength is added in most culture media for creating a suitable environment for
bacterial growth.
• Based on osmotic concentrations of substrates upon which the micro-organisms grow,
microorganisms are classified as:
i. Osmophobic: Those micro-organisms that die of dehydration if subjected to
substrates of high osmotic concentrations.
ii. Osmophilic: Those microorganisms that best grow on substrates of high osmotic
concentrations.
iii. Halophilic: Halophiles represent those microbes that preferably grow in high osmotic
concentrations produced by dissolved salts.
iv. Osmoduric: These are those microbes that grow normally on substrates of moderate
osmotic concentrations but prove to be resistant to wide osmotic changes in their substratum.
Reference:
A Book Of Pharmaceutical Microbiology, Dr. Rohit Shankar Mane, Edition : First,2022,
Page No-(1-57).
Thank you
