Microbial Requirements For Growth
Microbial Requirements For Growth
Microbial Requirements For Growth
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BACTERIAL PHYSIOLOGY, GROWTH & NUTRITION Microbiology
Generation Time or Doubling Time
Redox Potential (Eh) Average time required for cell numbers to double
Most culture media have Eh = +0.2 to +0.4 V
Obligate anaerobes = requires -0.2V BACTERIAL GROWTH CURVE
Temperature
Microorganisms are classified into three primary groups on the If bacteria are in a balanced growth state, with enough nutrients &
basis of their preferred range of temperature: no toxic products present, the increase in bacterial numbers is
◌ Psychrophiles (cold-loving microbes) proportional to the increase in other bacterial properties such as
◌ Mesophiles (moderate-temperature-loving microbes mass, protein content & nucleic acid content
◌ Thermophiles (heat-loving microbes) When the growth of a bacterial culture is plotted during
balanced growth, the resulting curve shows four phases of
Psychrophiles growth:
Bacteria that grow best at cold temperatures (Can grow at 5 to 1. Lag Phase – during which bacteria are preparing to divide
30 C) 2. Log Phase – during which bacteria numbers increase
Optimal growth at 10 to 20 C logarithmically
Example: Listeria monocytogenes 3. Stationary Phase – in which nutrients are becoming limited
& the numbers of bacteria remain constant (although
Mesophiles viability may decrease)
Bacteria that grow optimally at moderate temperatures (10 to 4. Death Phase – when the number of nonviable bacterial
45 C) cells exceeds the number of viable cells
Optimal growth at 20 to 40 C
Stages of Bacterial Growth
Includes medically important bacteria
Lag Phase
AKA Adjustment Phase
Thermophiles
Bacteria is still adopting to a new
Bacteria that grow best at high temperatures (25 to 80 C) environment No cell division during this stage
Optimal growth at 50 to 60 C
Bacteria may increase in size but not in
number 0% growth rate
Optimum Temperature of Growth in routine diagnostic laboratory:
35 C
Log Phase
AKA Exponential Phase
pH
Neutrophiles Stage when bacteria divides at a constant rate
Bacteria that grow best at neutral pH (pH 7.5 – 7.8) Bacterias become susceptible to antibotics (+)
Most pathogenic bacteria grow best at neutral pH (pH 7.2 – 7.6) Increase in Growth Rate
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