THE REPRODUCTION OF BACTERIA 1. Binary Fisson Bacteria reproduce asexually by means of binary fission.

Binary fission can be described as a process in which a single circular chromosome replicates and then two copies separate as the cell enlarges. Newly formed plasma membrane and cell wall separate the cell into two cells. 2. Genetic Recombination In bacteria, genetic recombination can occur in three ways. a. Conjugation The process of which the donor cells passes DNA to the recipient cell by way of a sex pilus, which tempory joins two cells. Conjugation takes place only between bacteria in the same or closely related species. b. Tranformation Transformation occurs when a bacterium picks up free pieces of DNA secreted by live bacteria or relased by dead bacteria. c. Transduction This is process when bacteriophages carry portion of bacteria DNA from one cell to another. THE CLASSIFICATION OF BACTERIA BASED ON THE NUTRITION With respect to the nutrient requirements, bacteria are classified into the following. 1. Heterotrophic Bacteria Heterotrophic bacteria are bacteria that can not synthesize organic compounds from inorganic substances and therefore they have to take the food from their surrounding. These bacteria gain the organic substance from the waste products of other organism or the inside substance of other organism. Scientist call these bacteria as saprotrophic bacteria. Saphotrophic reduce and decompose dead organism and their waste products from complex organic compounds to simpler chemical substances that can be recycled by other organism. Thus, bacteria are actually nutrient suppliers for the plantations so that plantation can accomplish photosynthesis process. An example of saprotrophic bacterium is Escherichia Coli that lives inside humans intestines 2. Autotrophic Bacteria Authotrophic bacteria can make organic molecules from inorganic nutrients. Thus, they can utilize carbin dioxide as a carbon source and synthtesis all their molecules from it. The process of synthesizing the inorganic molecules into the organcic ones are divided into the following : a. By using the sunlight energy Bacteria use the sunlight energy to synthesize the inorganic molecules into the organic molecules through photosynthesis process. Therefore, these bacteria are called photoautotoph. Example of these bacteria are green bacteria, which contain green pigment called bacteriochlorophyll and purple bacteria, which contain purple / yellow / red pigment. b. By using chemical energy Bacteria oxide inorganic compounds such as nitrites, hydrogen gas and hydrogen sulfide to obtain the chemical energy. Bacteria then use this chemical energy to synthesize and produce organic molecules. Example of such bacteria are Nitrosococcus and Nitrobacter. THE CALACCIFICATION OF BACTERIA BASED ON THE NEED FOR OXYGEN To gain for their growing, bacteria exert respiration by the process of fission of the food molecules. During the fission process, there are some bacteria that indispensably need the presence of oxygen and there are some others that do not need the presence of oxygen.

Based on the need of the presence of oxygen, bacteria are divided into two categories as follows : 1. Aerobic bacteria These bacteria do need the presence of oxyen during the fission process of the food molecules. They also require a constant supply of oxygen to carry out cellular respiration. Such bacteria are fond of living in humid circumstances. An example of these is Nitrosomonas 2. Anaerobic bacteria These bacteria are obligate anaerobs because they are unable to grow in the presence of oxygen. Example of such bacteria are Microsococcus denitrificans, and Clostridium tetan. The later is the cause of tetanus disease. THE ROLES OF BACTERIA TOWARDS HUMANS LIFE Most people do assume that bacteria bring disadvantages only towards human beings. Yet, such an assumption is not quite true cognizant to the fact that there are some bacteria which have been proven to be very much useful for humans. a. Bacteria that bring advantages upon humans. As decomposers One of the most essential functions of bacteria is that they are the ones that decompose and reduce dead organism and their waste products from complex organic compounds to simpler chemical substances that can be recycled by other organism such as the plantations. Thus, bacteria are deeply involved in soil with nitrogen compounds. Indirectly, bacteria can help plantations to do photosynthesis process by providing the nutrients that the plants need. As a matter of fact, bacteria also exist in our body as decomposers. Escheria coli are the bacteria that live inside our body. They live mostly in our large intenstines to decompose our waste products of the digestion process. These bacteria also help humans in synthesizing vitamin K. Bacteria are especially important to mammalian herbivores, which depend on a diet of plants full of hard to digest cellulose. Cows, goats, deer, sheep, antelope, giraffe and others have a special part of the stomach called the rumen in which bacterial digestion takes place. As antibiotic producers Some bacteria, especially from Actinomycetes group, are antibiotic producers. Antibiotic is a substances that has the capacity to kill or inhibit growth of infectious microorganism. Thus, it can be to help humans preventing pathogenic bacteria, which may create diseases. Some bacteria that produce antibiotics are : 1. Sreptomyces griceus (producing streptomycin) 2. Streptomyces aurefaciens (producing Auremycin) 3. Sreptomyces venezuele (producing chloromycin and chloramphenicol) As acid substances producers Bacteria also produce acid substances, which is basically needed by humans. The following are those bacteria that produce acid substances : 1. Clostridium butiricum (producers of butyrate acid) 2. Propioni bacterium (producers of propionate acid) 3. Acetobacter (producers of acetate acid) Helping the process of emulsion process Such a bacterium like Lactobacilus bulgaricus can be used in the process of yogurt production. Beside that, bacterial action is also involved in the production of butter, cheese, sauerkraut, pickles, vinegar and soy sauce. As Nitrogen fixers As a matter of fact, bacteria play a significant role in enriching the soil with nitrogen compounds. Since plants can not use atmosphere nitrogen, nitrogenfixing bacteria in the soil are essential in order to convert nitrogen from the air into nitrogen compounds that can be used by plants. Bacterium that can do such a

job of fixing nitrogen is Rhizobium leguminosorum. As the legume begins to grow in the soil, secretes chemical substances conducive to Rhizobium growth, attracting bacteria from the soil, which the rapidly colonize the plant. The rizhobia infect the plant roots and produce nodules that are colonized by millions of bacteria. The growth of the bacteria colonies is stimulated by hormones produces by the plants root. The plant produces carbohydrates, which provide the bacteria with carbon and energy, and the bacteria fix the nitrogen, which is used by the plant. Helping humans in oxidizing sewage Most of the waste products of industrial production are oxidized by aerobic bacteria, which are enormously existing in the air. Besides that, some anaerobic bacteria can help in decompiosing waste products of dead organism and oxidizing them into methane gas, which is very useful for humans being. In recents years, scientist nave been able to change the genetic content of microorganism to enable them to produce useful chemicals. This genetic engineering has produce bacteria thar efficiently manufacture growth hormone, insulin and interferon a potential cancer-fighting drug. In a nutshell, bacteria may become the most important producers of medicine in the future. b. Bacteria that bring disadvantages towars humans beings Although bacteria do help a lot humans life, but they also creates disadvantages as the following : As pathogens As pathogenic organism, bacteria are filling roles as parasites. Bacteria cause several of disease towards animals, plantations and humans. As pathogens in plantations and animals There are lots of diseases attack animals and plants such as the following : 1. Anthrax : this disease is caused by bacterium named Bacillius antraxis. This bacterium infects cows, buffaloes, and sheep. 2. Bruselosis : this disease is caused by bacterium called Brucella abortus. Such a disease commonly attacks cows. 3. Swollen jaw : it is caused by Acttynomices bovis and this bacterium commonly infects cows. Bacteria also creates various disease towards plantations such as crown gall on fruit tress in which this disease is caused by Xanthomonas citri and the same disease also infects coffe tree, the bacterium is called Agrobacterium tumefaciens. As foodstuff exhauster As a matter of fact, ther are mountainous bacteria live in foodstuff as saprotrophic and their existence mostly create damages. They destroy the foodstuff by producing toxin, which is turn, endangering the health of humans who consume the products. The following examples are those bacteria that destroy foodstuff : a. Pseudomonas cocovenanans : they produce some kind of diseasedtuber acid. These bacteria are commonly found in fermented soybean cake. b. Clostrodium botulinum : they produce botulinine toxin. Such bacteria usually live in canned-food. c. Leuconostoc mesentrodies : they produce phlegm especially for spoiled food. As pathogens in humans body Bacteria cause various kinds of infections towards human being. Disease such as pneumonia, rheumatic fever, scarlet fever, food poisoning, gonorrhea, syphilis and meningitis are caused bacteria.

c. Preventive action towards the threat of bacteria Owing to the fact that bacteria do create problem towards human beings, people, henceforth, need to take preventive actions upon such a problem. Scientists suggest the following action to tackle the problems related with bacteria: 1. The use of vaccine In recent years, scientist have already invented some vaccine to conquer the infections caused by bacteria. They are as follows : a. BCG vaccine (Bacillus Calmette Guerin) in which thi vaccine is used to cure tuberculosis disease. b. DPTP vaccine (Diphteria, Pertusis, Tetanus, Propholacsis) in which it can be used to cure diphtheria disease, whooping, cough, and tetanus disease. c. TCD vaccine (Thypus, Cholera, Dysentry) that can be applied to medicate thypus disease, cholera and dysentery disease. d. Cothipha vaccine that can be applied to medicate cholera disease, thypus and parathypus disease. 2. Protection towards preserved-food One of the ways to protect foodstuff from the infectin of bacteria is by preserving the foodstuff. To preserve foodstuff, there are several methods suggested by scientist such as sterilization, pasteurization, coagulation, refrigation, radiation and the use of chemical substances.