Lesson 1.

Bacteria

Objectives

Describe the kingdom monera.

Describe the basic differences between archaea and bacteria.

Lesson 1. Bacteria

Activity 1

What is the difference between Prokaryotic and Eukaryotic cells?

What is Kingdom Monera? Why is this classification system no longer used?

Describe examples of some groups of Archaea.

Mention the basic differences between bacteria and archaea.

Lesson 1. Bacteria

Objectives

Describe the functions of the structural characteristics of a prokaryotic

cell.

Classify prokaryotic cells based on their shape.

Lesson 1. Bacteria
Lesson 1. Bacteria
Lesson 1. Bacteria

Activity 2

Describe/Write down the functions of the structural characteristics of prokaryotic

cells.

What are plasmids?

Classify prokaryotes based on their shapes.

Lesson 1. Bacteria

Objectives

Differentiate between Gram positive and Gram negative bacteria

Describe the Gram’s staining process

Lesson 1. Bacteria
Lesson 1. Bacteria

Activity 3

Classify bacteria according to the composition of their cell walls.

State the name of the technique used to identify the two groups of bacteria.

Outline the staining process.

Lesson 1. Bacteria

Objectives

Describe different modes of prokaryote reproduction

Classify bacteria based on mode of respiration and nutrition

Lesson 1. Bacteria
Lesson 1. Bacteria

Activity 4

Name the process by which prokaryotes reproduce.

Describe the process of binary fission and conjugation.

Differentiate between anaerobes, facultative anaerobes and obligate anaerobes.

Classify bacteria according to their mode of nutrition.

Lesson 1. Bacteria

Objectives

Describe endospore formation and mutation as ways by which bacteria

may survive unfavorable conditions

Describe what is meant by normal flora

Lesson 1. Bacteria
Lesson 1. Bacteria

Activity 5

What is an endospore? Describe how endospore formation helps bacteria survive

harsh conditions.

What is a mutation?

Explain how mutations can help a bacterial population to survive in unfavorable

conditions/changing environment.

Describe what is meant by normal flora. State some of the functions they play in the
human body.
Lesson 1. Bacteria

Objectives

State applications of bacteria in food and medicine

State and describe some bacterial infections and their causative agents
Lesson 1. Bacteria

Activity 6

Describe some applications of bacteria in food and medicine.

Describe the ways by which bacteria may cause disease.

What is botulism? Name its causative agent.

State the causative agent for these conditions: Acne, typhoid, tetanus, pneumonia
Lesson 1. Bacteria
Home Work
Create an A3 poster on the bacteria or disease name you have received. Your poster must include:

If you received name of a Bacterium: If you received name of a Disease:

• Classification of the bacteria (based on • Name of the causative bacteria

shape, cell wall, respiration mode, etc.)
• Classification of the bacteria (based on
• Disease caused by the bacteria shape, cell wall, respiration mode, etc.)

• How the disease is caused • How the disease is caused

• Prevention and cure • Prevention and cure

• Any other relevant information you can find • Any other relevant information you can find

• Pictures • Pictures
Lesson 2. Viruses

Objectives

Describe the basic structure of a virus

Describe some human viral diseases

Lesson 2. Viruses
Lesson 2. Viruses
Lesson 2. Viruses

Activity 7

What is a virus?

Why aren’t viruses considered to be living organisms? How are they classified.

Describe the structure of a virus. State the function of each part of a virus.

Name the causative virus for each case: AIDS, chicken pox, herpes, polio
Lesson 2. Viruses

Objectives

Describe host specificity of virus infection.

Describe lytic and lysogenic viral infection cycle including retroviruses.

Lesson 2. Viruses
Lesson 2. Viruses
Activity 8

Virus infection is host specific. Explain this statement.

What are bacteriophages?

What are retroviruses? Name the specific enzymes that retroviruses carry to copy
their RNA into a DNA and integrate it into a host DNA.

Describe the lytic viral infection cycle.

Describe the lysogenic viral infection cycle.

What is a provirus (prophage)?

What is integrase?
Lesson 2. Viruses

Objectives

Describe Prions and the diseases they cause.

Lesson 2. Prions
Lesson 2. Prions
• Prions are normal cellular proteins usually found in the brain.

• They become misfolded due to a mutation in their gene (PRNP gene)

• The normal form of the prion protein (PrPC) is converted into an abnormal, misfolded form (PrPSc)

• PrPSc triggers a chain reaction where other PrPC proteins adopts misfolded conformation

Prions are resistant to common sterilization methods, such as heat, radiation, and chemicals.
This resistance contributes to the challenges in preventing the spread of prion diseases.

Prion Diseases: Mutated prions are associated with several transmissible

spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs), a group of fatal neurodegenerative
disorders. Examples:

Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD): A rare, degenerative, and fatal brain disorder in

humans.

Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE): Also known as "mad cow disease,"

affecting cattle.

Scrapie: A prion disease affecting sheep and goats

Lesson 2. Prions

Activity 9

What is a prion?

Why are prions considered to be infectious?

Name a disease in humans and a disease in cattle caused by prions.

Practice Questions
1. Evaluate the role of bacterial plasmids in the spread of antibiotic resistance and propose potential
strategies to mitigate this public health issue.

2. Assess the role of Gram staining in guiding antibiotic therapy and analyze the consequences of
relying solely on this technique for managing bacterial infections.

3. Analyze how variations in bacterial cell structure contribute to pathogenicity and antibiotic
resistance.

4. Evaluate how disruptions of normal flora lead to disease.

5. Analyze how plasmids contribute to bacterial adaptation in hostile environments and evaluate
their role in the spread of antibiotic resistance across different bacterial populations.

6. Examine how mutations that occur during binary fission can lead to antibiotic resistance. How can
this process drive the evolution of superbugs in clinical settings?
Practice Questions
Meaning of command words in writing questions

Analyze – Break down information into parts and explain how they relate.

Differentiate – Distinguish between elements based on their characteristics.

Compare/Contrast – Examine similarities and differences.

Categorize – Classify information into groups or types.

Investigate – Explore in detail, often through research or experimentation.

Examine – Scrutinize carefully to identify details.

Evaluate – Assess the value, significance, or impact of something.

Justify – Support a decision or conclusion with evidence.

Assess – Determine the importance or quality of something.