![]() ![]() Endospores are normally formed during the stationary phase of bacteria growth, and it is at this period that nutrient and moisture are usually depleted and unavailable for growth to take place in either a culture medium or in the natural habitat of the organism. Microorganisms form endospores to seek for alternative resources for survival in their niche/environment and endospores allows bacteria to survive several unfavourable environmental conditions including but not limited to high temperature, enzymatic destruction, desiccation/dryness, chemical damage and high ultraviolet (UV) irradiation. When the environmental disposition of the microorganism is not favourable for growth or reproduction, the organism adjust itself to avoid death or extinction and one of the ways of doing this is through the formation of spores. Microorganisms including bacteria and fungi are very sensitive to changes in their immediate environment especially changes to nutrient depletion, temperature, humidity, pressure and changes in moisture levels. They also aid in the identification of bacteria in the laboratory.Spore formation play critical role in the pathogenicity and toxicity of some pathogenic bacteria e.g.It helps bacteria to survive harsh environmental conditions such as nutrient depletion and moisture depletion.Spore formation aids in the spread or transmission of bacteria.Some of the benefits enjoyed by spore-forming bacteria are as follows: Spore formation in bacteria is of medical significance. Some other bacteria species apart from these two genera of bacteria can also go into spore formation when their environmental conditions permit it. But under unfavourable environmental conditions (especially when nutrient becomes depleted again) the bacterial cells can easily revert back to an endospore state to preserve the organism.īacillus and Clostridiumare usually the two genera of Gram-positive bacteria that form spores. It is noteworthy that the bacterium begins to grow again because of nutrient and moisture uptake amongst other chemical and physical properties of the organism’s immediate environment that spurred growth. The spore sheds its coat and other cell components to form new vegetative cells identical to the original vegetative or parent cell from which the endospore emanated from. ![]() Once germination process has started, the endospore takes up nutrients and water and then swells even as its shell (coat) is shed. After a long period of dormancy and following the return of normal growth conditions such as the restoration of nutrient and moisture, bacterial cells in the endospore-state become activated again and germination of the cells begins.Īs germination progresses, the cells begin to show outgrowth and the inactive cell finally develop or transforms into a new active and vegetative or growing bacterium. During this period, bacterial growth ceases and the organism go into a dormant lifeless but viable form until normal growth conditions are restored again. Sporogenesis or sporulation is the process of spore formation in a microbial cell, and it is initiated following nutrient or moisture depletion in the natural habitat of bacteria. Process of endospore formation in a bacterium. They are resistant to environmental stress or shock such as the action of antimicrobial agents, exposure to high temperature and the effect of irradiation amongst other factors in the environment.įigure 1. Thus, the name spores and endospores are synonymously used to mean the same thing.Įndospores therefore are formed by certain groups of bacteria during the process of sporulation, and they connote the lifeless or inactive but viable states of bacteria. Spores are generally the resting forms of bacteria, and they typically continue living as endospores in the environment until when normal growth conditions are formally restored. In such harsh environmental conditions, bacteria transform into a dormant state from their original vegetative (growing) state to form spores. They are formed by bacteria especially the Gram-positive organisms when their environmental becomes too harsh for survival such as the loss of nutrients or food scarcity in their normal habitat. Spore formation is a unique characteristic of bacteria and fungi. Spores are the resistant inactive structures formed by some prokaryotic and eukaryotic organisms. AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF THE FOUNDER OF Microbiolog圜.Antibiotic Resistance / Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR).Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing (AST) & Antibiogram.Notes on Genetic Engineering & Recombinant DNA Technology.Public Health & Parasitic Diseases (Parasitology).Research & Proposal Tips & Scholarships links.LIST OF SOME BACTERIA OF MEDICAL IMPORTANCE AND THEIR FEATURES.
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