ASSIGNMENT

IN
MICROBIOLOGY

Aubrey Nativity O. Yangzon

What is the difference between pili and fimbrae?

S.N.

Characteristics

Fimbriae

Pili

Definition

Fimbriae are tiny

bristle-like fibers
arising from the
surface of bacterial
cells.

Pili are hair like

microfibers that are
thick tubular
structure made up
of pilin.

Length

Shorter than pili

Longer than
fimbriae.

Diameter

Thin

Thicker than
fimbriae.

Number

No. of fimbriae are

200-400 per cell.

No of pili are less 110 per cell.

Made up of

Fimbrillin protein.

Pilin protein.

Rigidity

Less rigid.

More rigid than

fimbriae.

Found in

Both gram positive

and gram negative
bacteria.

Only gram negative

bacteria.

Formation

Is governed by
bacterial genes in the
nucleoid region.

Is governed by
plasmid genes.

Function

Responsible for cell

to surface
attachment.
Specialized for
attachment i.e.
enable the cell to
adhere the surfaces
of other bacteria.

Responsible for
bacterial
conjugation.
Two basic function
of pili. They are
gene transfer and
attachment.

10

Motility

Do not function in
active motility.

Type IV pili shows

twitching type of
motility.

11

Receptors

No receptors of
other.

Serve as receptor
for certain viruses.

12

Examples

Salmonella
typhimurium, Shigella
dysenteriae.
Shigella
dysenteriae uses its

Escherichia coli,
Neisseria
gonorrhoeae.
Neisseria
gonorrhoeae, the

fimbriae to attach to
the intestine and then
produces a toxin that
causes diarrhea.

cause of
gonorrhea, uses pili
to attach to the
urogenital and
cervical epithelium
when it causes
disease.

1. Do all bacteria have cell walls?

Some bacteria lack cell walls. For most bacterial cells, the cell wall is critical
to cell survival, yet there are some bacteria that do not have cell walls. Mycoplasma
species are widespread examples and some can be intracellular pathogens that grow
inside their hosts
2. How does the bacterial cell wall differ from the archaeal type?
The bacterial cell wall differ from the archaeal type is the type of cell wall in a bacterial
cell is peptidoglycan/lipopolysaccharide while in an archaeal type the cell wall is only
psuedopeptidoglycan.
3. What is the difference between gram positive and gram negative cell wall?
Gram-negative
Bacteria

Gram-positive Bacteria

Gram reaction Can be decolourized to accept counter stain

(Safranin or Fuchsine); stain red or pink, they
don't retain the Gram stain when washed with
absolute alcohol and acetone.

Peptidoglycan layer Thin (single-layered)

Teichoic acids Absent

Retain crystal
violet dye and
stain dark
violet or
purple, they
remain
coloured blue
or purple with
gram stain
when washed
with absolute
alcohol and
water.
Thick
(multilayered)
Present in
many

Periplasmic space present

Absent

Outer membrane Present

Absent

Gram-negative
Bacteria

Gram-positive Bacteria

Lipopolysaccharide High
(LPS) content
Lipid and lipoprotein High (due to presence of outer membrane)
content

Flagellar structure 4 rings in basal body

Toxins produced Primarily Endotoxins

Virtually none

Low (acid-fast
bacteria have
lipids linked to
peptidoglycan)
2 rings in
basal body
Primarily
Exotoxins

Resistance to physical Low

disruption

High

Inhibition by basic Low

dyes

High

Susceptibility to Low
anionic detergents

High

Resistance to sodium Low

azide

High

Resistance to drying Low

High

Cell wall composition The cell wall is 70-120 Armstrong thick two
layered.The lipid content is 20-30% (High),
whereas Murein content is 10-20% (Low).

The cell wall is

100-120
Armstrong
thick, single
layered. The
Lipid content
of the cell wall
is low ,
whereas
Murein
content is 7080% (Higher).

Gram-negative
Bacteria

Gram-positive Bacteria

Mesosome Mesosome is less prominent.

Antibiotic Resistance More resistant to antibiotics.

Mesosome is
more
prominent.
More
susceptible to
antibiotics

4. How does the acid-fast cell wall differ from the gram negative and gram positive cell wall?
Gram-positive cell walls consist of many layers of peptidoglycan and also contain
teichoic acids. Teichoic acids
Gram-negative bacteria have a lipopolysaccharide-lipoprotein-phospholipid outer
membrane surrounding a thin (sometimes a single) peptidoglycan layer. Gram-negative
cell walls have no teichoic acids.
A gram + cell wall (thick) retains the crystal-violet iodine complex better in teh presence
of decolorizer as compared to gram - cell, which has a thin cell wall
Peptidoglycan is the basic structural components of most bacterial cell walls. It is a
molecule composed of four amino acids (peptido-) and two sugars (-glycan). These
individual peptidoglycan units are cross-linked throughout the cell wall, providing a
tough protective barrier. The enzyme Transpeptidase performs the cross-linking
reaction and is target of Beta-lactam Antibiotics and Vancomycin.
Gram Positive Bacteria possess a thick layer of peptidoglycan that directly
invests the cell membrane. The gram positive cell wall often contains chains of the
sugar Teichoic Acid which is highly inflammatory and can induce Septic Shock when
released at systemically high concentrations in humans.
Gram negative bacteria possess a much thinner layer of peptidoglycan that lies
above but does not directly invest the cell membrane and does not contain Teichoic
Acid . Above the peptidoglycan layer lies a second lipid bilayer called the "Outer
Membrane" which possess a unique molecule called Lipopolysaccharide (LPS).
Lipopolysaccharide contains both lipid (lipo-) and multiple sugar (-polysaccharide)
components and induces severe inflammation in humans when released. At high
systemic levels it can induce Septic Shock. Multiple molecules are present in the space
between the gram negative inner and outer membranes (termed the Periplasmic
Space), including bacterial proteins which can inactivate antibiotics such as Betalactamases.
Acid-Fast Bacteria possess a unique cell wall architecture different from both
gram negative and gram positive bacteria. The Acid-Fast cell wall consists of a thick,
outer lipid-rich layer composed primarily of the fatty acid "Mycolic Acid". This lipid layer
lies on top of a layer of peptidoglycan and the sugar arabinogalactan which in turn
invest the inner lipid membrane common to all bacteria. The thick outer mycolic acid
layer renders acid-fast bacteria resistant to gram stain. When stained with alternative

dyes, the cell wall is resistant to decolorization with acid alcohol, thus giving these
bacteria their namesake of "Acid-Fast".
A few bacteria do not possess cell walls and are contained only by the inner
membrane. Not surprisingly, these bacteria are pleomorphic and thus lack a distinct
shape.
5. How does the cell membrane of the Bacteria, Archaea and Eukarya differ from each other?
Archaea
Prokaryote
Lives in more extreme environment than bacteria
Does not have Peptidoglycan in cell wall
Has unique RNA
Not sensitive to antibiotics that affect bacteria but
are to some that affect eukarya
Bacteria
Prokaryote
Has Peptidoglycan
Has unique RNA
Sensitive to traditional antibiotic
Eukarya
Eukaryote
Has different kingdoms under it
Resistant to antibiotics that affect bacteria
Not all have cell walls, but if do it does not contain
Peptidoglycan