Characteristics of Pathogenic Bacteria - Research Paper Example

Microorganisms Acidithiobacillus caldus Phylum: Proteobacteria Gamma Proteobacteria Order: Acidithiobacillales Family: Acidithiobacillaceae Genus: Acidithiobacillus Species: Acidithiobacillus caldus Habitat: Acidithiobacillus caldus is known to be an enormously acidophilic, and proficiently survive in highly acidic atmosphere with pH range of 1 to 3, also found in atmosphere of high heavy metal concentration. They are fairly thermophilic, chemolithoautotrophic gammaproteobacterium. They are present in sulfur rich environment and are capable of deriving energy by sulfur oxidation and reduced inorganic sulfur compounds. They are capable of surviving at the temperature range as high as 45- 50° C and therefore they can be easily isolated from coal heap drainage (Valdes, 2009). They are aerobic and chemoautotrophic organisms, commonly present in acid-polluted environments. They are prevalent in bioleaching and biooxidation plants (Semenza, 2002). Gram Reaction: They show Gram negative, reaction when stained with Crystal violet and iodine (Gram Reaction). They measure 0.4 to 0.6 to 1 to 2 µm. Replication of DNA: The DNA replication is circular chromosomal replication. Reproduction: Acidithiobacillus caldus is not known to produce spore. They are Proteobacteria. They reproduce like the typical bacteria by cell fission (Gardner, 2001). Metabolism of Nutrients: the bacteria can grow at 42- 45° C, autotrophically. They utilize elemental sulfur, sodium thiosulfate and potassium tetrathionate as their energy resources. They do not use ferrous sulfate, pyrite and chalcopyrite as their resources of energy. Special Characteristics: Acidithiobacillus caldus plays a crucial role in improving the upturn heavy metals especially of copper its ore, chalcopyrite. The process encompasses oxidization of sulfur created all through the bioleaching development (Valdes, 2009) Xanthomonas sacchari Phylum: Proteobacteria Class: Gamma Proteobacteria Order: Xanthomonadales Family: Xanthomonadaceae Genus: Xanthomonas Species: Xanthomonas sacchari Habitat: they are commonly present in extreme conditions like low temperatures, moisture, plentiful organic matter, high salinity and scarcity of biological diversity. Gammaproteobacteria of the genus Xanthomonas were found exclusively in high-productivity soils. It is most commonly isolated from diseased sugarcane and hence is classified as plant pathogen. Gram Reaction: Xanthomonas sacchari is a gram negative rod shaped bacteria. They are commonly associated with plant diseases and are therefore plant pathogen. Replication of DNA: Xanthomonas sacchari possess circular chromosome of around five mega bases. They also possess two plasmids of 34 and 65 kilobases respectively. Reproduction: the bacterium reproduces by vegetative fragmentation. Metabolism of Nutrients: Xanthomonas sacchari is a flagellated bacterium. They are rod shaped in morphology. The flagella allow the bacteria to move throughout an infected plant. The genus is dependent on the secretion of type III protein, this is responsible for the formation of transport proteins which accounts for hypersensitive proteins and outer proteins which interacts with the plant (Buttner, 2002) Special Characteristics: It is a known pathogen of sugarcane crop. It causes heavy economic loss and affects the productivity of sugarcane (Deastefano, 2003) Sarcina ventriculi Habitat: Sarcina ventriculi survive well in a mesophilic environment with a pH range of 2 to 10. They are commonly present in soil at extremely low pH (as low as 2). They live as packets of cells normally eight cell arrange in an irregular manner. The diameter of the cells range from 3- 4 µm. They grow well at 37°C. These organisms are Catalase negative and display positive cellulose reaction. Gram Reaction: It displays gram-positive reaction. Replication of DNA: The DNA replication is circular chromosomal replication. Reproduction: It is by fission of the bacterial cell forming an octamer. Metabolism of Nutrients: The organism ferments glucose to produce hydrogen, carbon-di-oxide, ethanol, volatile acids, lactic acid and traces of acetoin. The organism is an obligate anaerobe; it is capable of growing on a wide range of pH by fermenting sugars- hexose and pentose to produce acetate, ethanol, formate, carbon-di-oxide and hydrogen. The concentration of ethanol and acetate depends on the pH of the surroundings. When pH is low, acetic acid turns out to be toxic to cells and then ethanol serves as the main product. When the pH is neutral or more towards higher end then equimolar mixture of ethanol and acetate are produced and low levels of formate are produced. This switching mechanism is due to the enzymes- PDC and pyruvate dehydrogenase (Goodwin & Zeikus, 1987) Special Characteristics: The growth of the organism display that the metabolic products formed may be toxic to the organism itself, but rapid death does not occur. The organism tend to grow in depression and this dilutes the toxic products (Canale- Parola, 1960). Special Characteristics: they display alternative pathways of pyruvate metabolism. They are responsible in causing producing high level of ethanol from biomass when kept under the condition of low pH, high temperature and also high salt concentration. Trichomonas vaginalis Habitat: Anaerobic, parasite. It possesses flagella and is responsible for causing trichomoniasis, a sexually transmitted disease in females. It causes infection if the normal acidity of the vagina is shifted from semi-acidic condition to the basis pH which aids in the proliferation of Trichomonas vaginalis. Its presence is accounted in urinary tract, pelvis and fallopian tube, female genital tract (Soper, 2004). Reproduction and Life Cycle: It displays protozoan life cycle and display trophozoite morphology that lacks a cystic stage. They divide by amitotic budding. The ovoid flagellated are known to reproduce through longitudinal binary fission. During the process of fission the nuclear membrane does not disappear. The fission starts with the replication of the locomotor organelles and then it develops two attractophores which flank on either side of the nucleus. This serves as the pole of the division. Attractophores aid in the development of microtubules that move towards the nucleus. The chromosomes attach through the centromeres. The attractophores give rise to the extra-nuclear spindle known as paradesmose. It is the elongation of paradesmose that separates the daughter cells. The missing organelles in the newly formed cells are formed by the cells (Brugerolle, 1975). Metabolism of Nutrients: Protozoan displays the morphology of the primitive eukaryotes. They display resemblance with the eukaryotes, but exhibit distinction in terms of energy metabolism, where they resemble with the primitive anaerobic bacteria. The hydrogenomesomes are equivalent to the eukaryotic mitochondria. It therefore displays fermentative carbohydrate metabolism under both aerobic and anaerobic conditions. The glucose is not completely oxidized and therefore it leads to the production of acetate, lactate, malate, glycerol and carbon-di-oxide under anaerobic conditions. Just like eukaryotic cells the carbohydrate metabolism shows compartmentalization, where it takes place in cytoplasm as well as an organelle, the hydrogenosome. The EMP pathway is followed where glucose is converted to phosphoenolpyruvate and then to pyruvate. Energy is produced via substrate-level phosphorylation (Petrin, 1998). The organism encloses cholesterol, phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylcholine and sphingomyelin as the phospholipids. The parasite is not able to synthesize fatty acids and sterols. The organism also show amino acid metabolism. The organism devours large amount of arginine and smaller amounts of methionine to produce energy. Special Characteristics: T. vaginalis is highly adaptable organism and is capable of adapting itself in ever-changing vaginal environment and still able to retain the infection. The menstrual flow in turn provides the organism with all the required nutrition including iron, which is vital for the gene regulation. Thus this organism is capable of withstanding oxidative stress by up-regulating hsps. Moreover the organism displays P-glycoprotein in response to stress, this serves as the factor connected to multidrug resistance or as a transporter molecule (Petrin, 1998). References: Brugerolle, G. Etude de la cryptopleuromitose et de la morphogenese de division chez Trichomonas vaginalis et chez pleusiers genres de trichomonadines primitives. Protistologica 11:457-468. 1975. Büttner, D., Nennstiel, D., Klüsener, B., Bonas, U. Institut für Genetik. Functional Analysis of HrpF, a Putative Type III Translocon Protein from Xanthomonas campestris pv. vesicatoria. 2002 Canale- Parola, E., Wolfe, R. S. Studies on Sarcina Venticuli I Stock Culture Method, J. Bacterol, 79(6). 857-859, 1960. Destéfano, S. A. L., Almeida, I. M. G., Neto, J. R., Ferreira, M., Balani, D. M. Differentiation of Xanthomonas species Pathogenic to Sugarcane by PCR-RFLP Analysis. European Journal of Plant Pathology. 109(3). 2003. Gardner, Murray, N., Deane, S. M., Rawlings, D. E. Isolation of a New Broad-Host-Range IncQ-Like Plasmid, pTC-F14, from the Acidophilic Bacterium Acidithiobacillus caldus and Analysis of the Plasmid Replicon. J Bacteriol. 183(11): 3303–3309. 2001. Goodwin, S. & Zeikus, J. G. Physiological adaptations of anaerobic bacteria to low pH: metabolic control of proton motive force in Sarcina ventriculi. J Bacteriol 169, 2150-2157. 1987. Petrin, D., Delgaty, K., Bhattt, R., Garber, G. Clinical and Microbiological Aspects of Trichomonas vaginalis. Clinical Microbiology Reviews, 11(2), 300-317. 1998. Semenza, M., Viera, M., Curutchet, G., Donati, E. The Roler of Acidiothiobacillus caldus in the Bioleaching of metal sulfides. Latin American Applied Research 32: 303- 306. 2002. Soper, D. Trichomoniasis: under control or undercontrolled?". American journal of obstetrics and gynecology 190 (1): 281–90. 2004. Valdes, J., Quatrini, R., Hallberg, K., Dopson, M., Valenzuela, P. D. T., Holmes, D. S., Draft Genome Sequence of the Extremely Acidophilic Bacterium Acidithiobacillus caldus ATCC 51756 Reveals Metabolic Versatility in the Genus Acidithiobacillus. Journal of Bacteriology, Vol. 191, No. 18. 5877-5878. 2009. Read More