Characteristic and Definition of Bacteria

Bacteria is a single cell and as in general classified into three groups based on the different shape of bacteria. Coccos or spherical, rod or bacillus, spiral or corkscrew (spirochete or spirilla). Some other bacteria have a comma form called as vibrio.

Definition on microbe knowledge:

• Aerobic bacteria: this bacteria need oxygen to live
• Anaerobic bacteria: is opposite of aerobic, this bacteria don’t need oxygen to live and growth.
• Bacillus: bacteria with rodlike shape
• Capsule: thick and jelly-like material that surround the surface of some bacteria cell
• Decomposers: bacteria breakdown dead organic matter
• Fimbriae: short, hairlike projections that may form on the outer surface of a bacteria cell
• Fission: a reproduction type in which single cell divides to form two new cells.
• Flagella: whiplike projection on the surface of bacteria cells that make movement possible
• Pasteurization: a process by which bacteria in food are dead because of food is heated to certain temperature for period of time.
• Pili: bacteria join pairs together, make possible to transfer of genetic material between them.
• Prokaryote: a cell has no distinct nucleus
• Spirilla: bacteria with spiral shape type.
• Toxin: poisonous chemical
• Vibrio: bacteria with comma-like shape.

As the drawing of anatomy of typical bacterium shows, the cytoplasm of all bacteria is enclosed within a cell membrane that is itself surrounded by a rigid cell wall. Bacteria also produce a thick, jelly-like material on the surface of cell wall.

Other shape like rod, spiral and comma bacteria have whiplike limbs, known as flagella. The function of flagella are for move by waving them back and forth, but for other bacteria are move by simply wiggling their whole cell back and forth.

Bacteria Picture:

Aerobic soil bacterium Pseudomonas Fluorescens.

Anatomy of bacteria: