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    Bacterial Growth Curve

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    candadomarjorielukina27

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    Bacterial Growth Curve

    Uploaded by

    candadomarjorielukina27
    47 views2 pages

    Original Title

    BACTERIAL-GROWTH-CURVE

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    47 views2 pages

    Bacterial Growth Curve

    Uploaded by

    candadomarjorielukina27

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
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    BACTERIAL GROWTH CURVE

    Bacterial Growth
    Bacteria are unicellular organisms that tend to reproduce asexually by the means of binary fission. Bacterial
    growth is the increase in the number of bacterial cells rather than the increase in their cell size. The growth of
    these bacterial cells takes place in an exponential manner, i.e., one cell divides into 2, then 4, then 8, 16, 32 and
    so on.
    The time taken for a bacterial cell to double is called generation time. The generation time varies among
    different species of bacteria based on the environmental conditions they grow in. Clostridium perfringens is the
    fastest growing bacteria that has a generation time of 10 minutes while Escherichia coli has a doubling time of 20
    minutes. Mycobacterium tuberculosis is one of the slowest growing bacteria, taking about 12 to 16 hours to
    double.

    Growth Curve
    In a closed system with enough nutrients, a bacteria shows a predictable growth pattern that is the bacterial
    growth curve. It consists of four different phases.

    Phases of the Bacterial Growth Curve

    Upon inoculation or introduction into a new nutrient medium or to a potentially hazardous food, the bacteria
    shows four distinct phases of growth.

    1. Lag Phase
    The bacteria upon introduction into the nutrient medium take some time to adapt or adjust to the new
    environment. In this phase, the bacteria does not reproduce but prepares itself for reproduction. The cells
    are active metabolically and keep increasing in size. The cells synthesize RNA, growth factors and other
    molecules required for cell division. This phase lasts only a few hours at room temperature.

    2. Log Phase
    Soon after the lag phase, i.e., the preparation phase, the bacterial cells enter the log phase. The log phase
    is also known as the exponential phase. This phase is marked by the doubling of the bacterial cells. The
    cell number increases in a logarithmic fashion such that the cell constituent is maintained. The log phase
    continues until there is depletion of nutrients in the setup. The stage also comes to a stop if toxic
    substances start to accumulate, resulting in a slower growth rate. The cells are the healthiest at this stage.
    Plotting this phase on the bacterial growth curve gives a straight line. Upon calculation of the slope of this
    line, the specific growth rate of the organism is obtained. It is the measure of divisions per cell per unit of
    time.
    3. Stationary Phase
    In the stationary phase, the rate of growth of the cells becomes equal to its rate of death. The rate of growth
    of the bacterial cells is limited by the accumulation of toxic compounds and also depletion of nutrients in
    the media. The bacteria have used up much of the space, nutrients and moisture in the food. The cell
    population remains constant at this stage. Plotting this phase on the graph gives a smooth horizontal linear
    line.
    4. Death Phase
    This is the last phase of the bacterial growth. At this stage, the rate of death is greater than the rate of
    formation of new cells. Lack of nutrients, physical conditions or other injuries to the cell leads to death of
    the cells.

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