Gut Microbiome & Bacterial Growth

• Gut microbiome regulates metabolism and trains the immune system.

General Characteristics

• Bacteria are unicellular prokaryotes, and their cell walls are composed of peptidoglycan.
• Heterotrophs are the most common type of bacteria, reproducing through binary fission.
• Mycoplasmas lack cell walls as a unique characteristic.
• Cyanobacteria are capable of photosynthesis.

Culturing and Growth

• Bacteria are cultured on artificial media for testing and identification.
• Nutritive media supports the growth of many microorganisms.
• Differential media helps differentiate between microorganisms.
• Selective media supports specific organisms while inhibiting others.
• Inoculation is the process of adding the specimen to the medium.
• Incubation involves maintaining appropriate temperature and conditions for growth.
• Colony formation occurs through binary fission.
• Generation time is the time it takes a population to double.

Bacterial Shapes and Arrangements

• Bacteria exhibit three primary shapes: cocci (round), bacilli (rod-shaped), and curved or spiral forms.
• Cell arrangements include: Diplo (pairs), Strepto (chains), Staphylo (clusters), and tetrads/octads.

Cell Wall Type

• Gram-positive bacteria have a thick peptidoglycan layer and stain purple.
• Gram-negative bacteria possess a thin peptidoglycan layer and stain pink.

Other Classification Criteria

• Motility is determined by the presence of flagella, which facilitates movement.
• Oxygen requirements are a key classification factor.
• Obligate aerobes require oxygen.
• Facultative anaerobes can survive with or without oxygen.
• Obligate anaerobes need an oxygen-free environment.
• Some bacteria are fastidious, meaning that nutritional needs can classify them because they require specific growth requirements.

Temperature Preferences

• Thermophiles thrive in high temperatures.
• Mesophiles prefer moderate temperatures.
• Psychrophiles prefer cold temperatures.

Other Environmental Preferences

• Acidophiles thrive in acidic environments.
• Alkaliphiles thrive in basic environments.
• Halophiles thrive in salty environments.
• Piezophiles survive in environments under high pressure.

Benefits of Microbes

• Environmental benefits include:
• Photosynthesis, carried out primarily by algae and cyanobacteria.
• Decomposition is the breaking down of dead matter and waste.
• Nitrogen fixation converts atmospheric nitrogen into usable forms.
• Microbes form the base of food chains.

Hydrogen Atom and Schrödinger Equation

• Study of atomic structure begins with the hydrogen atom, the simplest atom.
• Schrödinger equation for hydrogen is solvable analytically
• A hydrogen atom consists of a positively charged proton and a negatively charged electron.
• Coulomb force binds the electron and proton.