Morphology

• Greek word morph, meaning “form”,

“shape”
• Study of shape and structure of organisms
• Size, shape and arrangement
Bacterial Morphology
 Serves to protect the bacteria from harsh
Envelope Structures environmental conditions

Glycocalyx (Capsule)
• Gelatinous substance, composed of polysaccharide or polypeptide or both
• Located external to the cell wall
• Capsule if strongly attached to the cell wall, slime layer if loosely attached
• Indicative of virulence, aiding the organism in the envasion of phagocytosis
• Can stimulate an antibody response
• Protect from dehydration
 Serves to protect the bacteria from harsh
Envelope Structures environmental conditions

Cell Wall
• Bacterial cell wall – murein sacculus
• Composed of peptidoglycan - murein or mucopeptide
• Multi-layered in gram-positive bacteria, single-layered in gram negative bacteria
• Provides rigid support and gives shape to the bacteria
• Protects the bacteria from osmotic damage and plays an important role in cell division
Gram-Positive Cell Walls (Special Components)
1. Teichoic acids
• Compromise the major
surface
• Can elicit antibody
response
• Function for the
attachment of the organism
to the cell host
• Provide tensile strength
Gram-Positive Cell Walls (Special Components)

2. Polysaccharides
• neutral sugars
(mannose, arabinose,
rhamnose, and
glucosamine
• Acidic sugars
(glucuronic acid and
mannuronic acid)
Gram-Negative Cell Walls (Special Components)

1. Outer Membrane
• Bi-layered structure, inner leaflet is
composed of lipopolysaccharide
(LPS).
• Complex glycolipid of LPS- lipid
A-responsible for endotoxin
activity and located in the outer
leaflet.
• Inner core is a polysaccharide made
up of O antigen, unique for every
species of bacteria.
• Provide tensile strength.
Gram-Negative Cell Walls (Special Components)

2. Lipoprotein
• Anchors the outer membrane to
the peptidoglycan layer
• Stabilizes the outer membrane
Gram-Negative Cell Walls (Special Components)

3. Periplasmic space
• A fluid space between the outer
membrane and inner plasma
membrane
• Contain enzymes that
breakdown large non-
transportable molecules into
transportable ones
• Contain enzymes that serve to
detoxify and inactivate
antibiotics
Acid Fast Cell Wall
• Composed of large amount of
waxes - mycolic acids
• Possess a lipid-rich outer layer,
makes the cell wall hydrophobic –
reason why they cannot be stained
by reagents used in gram staining
• Its hydrophobic nature protects
them from harsh chemicals (strong
acids and detergents)
• Inner layer is made up of
peptidoglycan
Projecting Structures

Flagella
• Thread-like structures, made up of flagellin
• Project from the capsule and are organs for
motility
• Four types of Flagella:
• Monotrichous (single polar flagellum)
• Lophotrichous (a tuft of flagella at one end
of the bacterium)
• Amphitrichous (flagella at both end of the
bacterium)
• Peritrichous (flagella all around the
bacterium)
• Atrichous – Bacteria without flagella
Projecting Structures

Pili or Fimbriae
• rigid surface appendages, fine and short
compared with flagella
• Mostly found in gram (-) bacteria
• Pilins – structural protein subunits
• Functions:
(a.) adherence to cell surface (common pili)
(b.) attachment to another bacterium during
form of bacterial gene exchange called
conjugation (sex pili)
(c.) Motility
Projecting Structures

Axial Filaments (endoflagella)

• Found in sphirochetes (e.g., Treponema
pallidum causing syphillis)
• Composed of bundles of fibrils
• Similar structure to flagella
• Arise from the ends of the bacterial cell and
spiral around the cell
• Helps propel the spirochetes forward
Cytoplasmic Membrane
• Known as cell membrane or plasma
membrane
• Located beneath the cell wall
• Encloses the cytoplasm of the cell,
sometimes called cell sac
• A selectively permeable membrane allows
the transport of selected solutes.
• Site of the electron transport and ATP
production in Aerobic organisms.
• Serves the function of mitochondria (lacking
in prokaryotic cell)
• Contains enzymes necessary in biosynthesis
of DNA, cell wall components, and
membrane lipids.
Internal Structures

Nucleoid
• Bacteria have no true nucleus, and possess a
single, circular, double stranded DNA
• This is where the genetic material, packaged.
Internal Structures

Mesosomes
• Functions for cell division
• Also involved in the secretion of substances
produce by bacteria.
Internal Structures

Ribosomes
• Functions for protein synthesis
• Bacterial ribosomes are smaller (70S),
unlike eukaryotic ribosomes.
Internal Structures

Granules or Inclusion Bodies

• Found in certain bacteria
• Serve for storage of food and
energy (e.g., Metachromatic
granules of Corynebacterium
diphtheriae)
Internal Structures

Endospores
• Structures produced by many bacteria when
placed in a hostile environment
• Very difficult to destroy, composed of dipicolinic
acid, that confers resistance to heat, drying,
chemical agents and radiation
• Sporulation (process of spore production) occurs
when the environmental conditions are
detrimental to the bacteria.
• Germination – process where the endospores
revert to their vegetative state in favorable
environmental conditions.
• Some grams (+) but never gram (-) bacteria form
spores