Bulletin 101

Bulletin 101

Microbial Morphology

General Information

 1.      Bacteria, mold and yeast are classified as plants since they have a cell wall.   Animal cells only have a cell membrane.

 2.      Collectively, bacteria, mold and yeast are generally called fungi due to the lack of chlorophyll pigments.  In actual usage, however, only mold are called fungi.

 3.      Bacteria and yeast are unicellular and mold is multicellular.

 4.      .Mold multiply by producing spores.

.Yeast multiply by budding and sporulation.

.Bacteria reproduce only by cell division (i.e. fission).  Some bacteria produce spores.  Note that one cell produces only one spore and there is no increase in cell numbers.  The spore is much more resistant to harmful physical and chemical agents than the vegetative cell.  The spore preserves the cell until conditions for cell growth are favorable.

BACTERIAL SPORES ARE THE MOST RESISTANT FORM OF LIKE KNOWN . . . MUCH MORE RESISTANT TO HEAT, FOR INSTANCE, THAN MOLD OR YEAST SPORES.

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