Micro 13: Bacterial Metabolism and Genetics

Описание: This episode enters the bacterial interior. Drawing from Murray’s chapter, it explores how bacteria generate energy, synthesise essential components, and adapt genetically to changing environments. Metabolism is framed not as biochemistry for its own sake, but as a determinant of growth conditions, tissue tropism, and laboratory identification.


Aerobic versus anaerobic pathways, fermentation, nutrient requirements, and metabolic flexibility explain why some organisms thrive in oxygen-rich lungs while others dominate oxygen-poor tissues. Growth curves and environmental resilience underscore bacterial efficiency.


The second half of the episode turns to genetics - chromosomal organisation, plasmids, transposons, and mechanisms of gene transfer including transformation, transduction, and conjugation. This is where adaptability becomes clinical consequence: antimicrobial resistance, virulence acquisition, and outbreak evolution.


Conceptually, this chapter reveals bacteria as dynamic systems, capable of rapid genetic exchange and metabolic adjustment. Clinically, it explains why resistance spreads, why certain pathogens emerge unexpectedly, and why microbiology must always anticipate change.


Key Takeaways


Bacterial metabolism determines ecological niche and growth behaviour


Aerobic and anaerobic strategies influence tissue infection patterns


Plasmids and mobile genetic elements enable rapid adaptation


Horizontal gene transfer accelerates resistance spread


Genetic flexibility underpins bacterial survival and evolution


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