MICROBIOLOGY AND PARASITOLOGY Laboratory

Lab Lesson 11
Bacterial Morphology
The major morphological features of bacteria that are well-studied include the size,
shape, structure and arrangement. Bacteria occur in three basic shapes: spherical (coccus),
rod-shaped (bacillus) and spiral-shaped (vibrio, spirillum, spirochete). A vibrio is a curved
organism shaped like a comma. A spirillum is a spiral organism whose long axis remains rigid
when the organism is in motion. A spirochete is a spiral organism whose long axis bends when
the organism is in motion. Cocci are not necessarily round but may be elongated, oval or
flattened on one side. Some bacilli are long and slender others are so short and oval called
coccobacilli. Cellular arrangement is the result of the type of cell division.

Arrangement of Bacterial Cells

Arrangement Terminology Type of Division

Coccus
single coccus
pair diplococcus in one plane
chain streptococcus in one plane
four tetrad two or three plane
eight sarcina/cube two or three plane
cluster staphylococcus in many planes
Bacillus
single bacillus
pair diplobacillus in one plane
chain streptobacillus in one plane
palisade (parallel) palisade in one plane (post-fission
whipping)
Spirillum – always occur singly
Spirochete – always occur singly

General Structures of Bacteria

a) Cell wall- a thin, rigid peptidoglycan covering that encloses the cell, giving the cell a rigid
shape.
b) Cytoplasmic membrane- a semipermeable membrane located directly beneath the cell
wall, governing osmotic activity.
c) Cytoplasm- the vital colloidal material of a cell exclusive of that of the nucleiod.
d) Nucleoid- diffused chromatin material responsible for replication of the cell.

Special Cell Structures

a) Capsule- an organized layer of glycocalyx, firmly attached to the outer surface of

bacterial cell. A defense against phagocytosis.
b) Flagellum- a whip-like structure of elastic protein (flagellin) originating in the cell
membrane.

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Lab Lesson 11: Bacterial Morphology
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Flagella arrangements:
- monotrichous- a single polar flagellum
- amphitrichous- one or more flagella on both ends of the cell
- lophotrichous- two or more flagella on one end of the cell
- peritrichous- flagella over the entire cell

c) Endospore- a resistant body formed within the bacterial cell. A means of survival for
bacterial cells.
d) Inclusion bodies- vacuoles of reserve or waste material within the cytoplasm.

Activity

Objectives
At the end of the exercise the student must be able to:
1. Illustrate the shapes and arrangements of bacterial cells.
2. Learn the structures of bacterial cells.

Materials
Microbiology textbook (chapter 11), pencil, color pencils

Procedure
A. Sketching bacterial structures
1. Referring to a microbiology textbook, illustrate the shapes and arrangements of
bacterial cells.
2. Download and paste a picture of a typical bacterial cell and label the parts.
3. Download and paste a picture of the distribution of flagella of bacteria.

B. Examining prepared slides of bacteria

1. Surf for a picture of bacteria examine under high power lens.
2. Paste a picture the cells. Determine the shape and cell arrangement of the
following species:
a) Bacillus
b) Corynebacterium
c) Helicobacter
d) Leptospira
e) Micrococcus
f) Neisseria
g) Sarcina
h) Spirillum
i) Staphylococcus
j) Treponema
k) Vibrio
l) Streptococcus

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Lab Lesson 11: Bacterial Morphology
MICROBIOLOGY AND PARASITOLOGY Laboratory

Name:Christine C. Loredo Score: ____________________

Lab Schedule: TTH 9:00am-10:30am Term/Date: March 10, 2021

Lab Report 11 Bacterial Morphology

Results and Observation

A-1. Shapes and Arrangement of Bacterial Cells

------------------- ------------------- ------------------- -------------------

Coccus Diplococcus Tetrad Sarcina

------------------- ------------------- ------------------- -------------------

Streptococcus Staphylococcus Bacillus Diplobacillus

------------------- ------------------- ------------------- -------------------

streptobacillus palisade vibrio spirillum

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Lab Lesson 11: Bacterial Morphology
MICROBIOLOGY AND PARASITOLOGY Laboratory

------------------- ______________ ______________ ______________

spirochete other shape other shape other shape

A-2. Typical Bacterial Cell

A-3. Flagella Arrangement

------------------------------- -------------------------------
monotrichous amphitrichous

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Lab Lesson 11: Bacterial Morphology
MICROBIOLOGY AND PARASITOLOGY Laboratory

------------------------------- -------------------------------
lophotrichous peritrichous

B.Examining prepared slides of bacteria

Bacillus x 1000 Corynebacterium x 1000

Shape:____rod-shape cells________ Shape:______rod-shape________

Helicobacter x 1000 Leptospira x 1000

Shape:______rod shape__________ Shape:_____spiral______

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Lab Lesson 11: Bacterial Morphology
MICROBIOLOGY AND PARASITOLOGY Laboratory

Micrococcus x 1000 Neisseria x 1000

Shape:____spherical _______ Shape:_____pleomorphic____

Sarcina x 1000 Spirillum x 1000

Shape:____spherical________ Shape:_______spiral_______

Staphylococcus x 1000 Treponema x 1000

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Lab Lesson 11: Bacterial Morphology
MICROBIOLOGY AND PARASITOLOGY Laboratory

Shape:_____spherical_______ Shape:____pleomorphic________

Vibrio x 100 Streptococcus x 1000

Shape:__rod-shape_________ Shape:______spherical_______

Questions
a. From an unabridged dictionary or Bergey’s Manual of Determinative Bacteriology find
the shape and arrangement of the following bacteria:

Genus Shape Cell Arrangement

(spherical, rod, spiral, (single, pair, chain, tetrad,
pleomorphic) sarcinae or cluster)

1. Bacillus ____rod_______ ___single_____

2. Corynebacterium ____rod_______ ___cluster __
3. Helicobacter __rod __ ____cluster____
4. Leptospira __spiral __ ____chain____
5. Micrococcus ___spherical____ ____tetrad_____
6. Neisseria ___pleomorphic ____cluster_____
7. Sarcina ___spherical____ __sarcinae or cluster__
8. Spirillum ___spiral ____ ____single_____
9. Staphylococcus ___spherical____ _____cluster____
10. Streptococcus ___spherical____ ___chain______
11. Treponema __pleomorphic__ ____single____
12. Vibrio ____rod_______ ____single_____

b. What gives bacteria their shape?

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Lab Lesson 11: Bacterial Morphology
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Bacterial shape is determined primarily by a protein called MreB. Mreb

forms a spiral band – a simple cytoskeleton – around the interior of the cell just under
the cytoplasmic membrane. It is thought to define shape by recruiting additional
proteins that then direct the specific pattern of bacterial cell growth. For example,
bacillus – shaped bacteria that have an inactivated MreB gene become coccoid-
shaped, and coccus-shaped naturally lack the MreB gene. Most bacteria come in one
of three basic shapes: coccus, rod or bacillus, and spiral.

c. Why do some bacteria form chains or clusters?

Because of the following reasons: for defense, those at the center of the
community are not exposed as much as the microbes at the side of communities
which enables the community to survivor and can share nutrients and metabolic
products (especially in hospitable conditions).

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Lab Lesson 11: Bacterial Morphology