What are [Bacteria]?

What are Bacteria?

Bacteria-:

bacteria

The bacteria are amongst the smallest organisms. They are most primitive, simple, unicellular, and micro organisms. All bacteria are structurally relatively, homogeneous, but their biochemical activities and ecological niches for which their metabolic specialisms equip them, they extremely diverse.

Bacteria occur almost everywhere: in air, water, soil and inside other organisms. They are found in stagnant ponds and ditches, running streams and rivers, lakes, sea water, foods, petroleum oils from deeper regions, rubbish and manure heaps, sewage, decaying organic matter of all types , on the body surface, in body cavities and in the internal tracts of man and animals. Bacteria thrive well in warmth, but some can survive at very cold tops of high mountains such as Alps or even in almost boiling hot springs. They occur in vast numbers. A teaspoonful of soil may contain several hundred million bacteria. They lead either an autotrophic or heterotrophic mode of existence. The saprophytic or saprophytic species of bacteria are of great economic significance for man. Some parasites are pathogenic to plants, animals, and man.

Bacteria have a high ratio of surface area of volume because of their small size. They show high metabolic rate because they absorb their nutrients directly through cell membrane. They multiply at a rapid rate. In consequence due to their high metabolic rate of multiplication, bacteria produce marked changes in the environment in a short period.

Size of Bacteria

Typically bacteria range between 1 micrometer to 3 micrometer, so they are barely visible under the light microscope. The smallest bacterium is Dialister pneumosintes (0.15 to 0.3 micrometer in length). The largest bacteria is Spirillum volutans (13 to 15 micrometer).

Forms of Bacteria

1.Cocci (singular coccus). These bacteria are spherical or round in shape. These bacteria cells may occur singly in pairs, in groups of four in a cubical arrangement of eight or more in irregular clumps resembling bunches of shapes

Cooci Bacteria

2.Bacilli (singular, bacillus). These are rod like bacteria, They generally occuar singly, but may occasionally be found in pairs or chains . Bacilli cause certain most notorious diseases of man such as tuberculosis (mycobacterium or bacillus tuberculosis), tetanus (Clostridium tetani), typhoid (Salmonella or Bacillus typhous), Dephtheria (Coryne bacterium diphtheria), Leprosy (Mycobacterium leprae), dysentery and food poisoning (Clostridium botylinum).

Bacilli Bacteria

Certain well known diseases of the animals are also caused by bacilli, example anthrax (Bacillus anthracis) and black leg (Clostridium chauvei).

3.Spirilla (singular, spirillum). These are also called spirochetes. These are spiral-shaped and motile bacteria. Spirilla cause human diseases such as syphilis (treponema pallidum).

Spirilla Bacteria

4.Vibrios (singular vibrio). These are comma shaped or bent- rod like bacteria. Vibrios cause human disease such as cholera (Vebrio cholera).

Vibrios Bacteria

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