BACTERIAL MORPHOLOGY ©David B. Fankhauser, Ph.D., Professor of Biology and Chemistry              University of Cincinnati Clermont College, Batavia OH 45103 6 July 1994, 8 July 1996, 3 July '97, 7 July 00
Bacilli with spores	24 February 1986, rvsd 8 July 94, 7 July 95, 28 June 96, 3 July '97, 8 July 98, 29 June 00, 25 June 01 This page has been accessed times since 11 July 2001.	cocci, in cubes of eight called "sarcinae"

There are three basic morphologies of bacteria (based on the shape of a single cell):  bacillus (little rod), coccus (grain or berry) or spirillum (coiled or helical).  Slide 2 in your slide collection (Bacteria, three types, 90 W 0151) contains stained examples of these three morphologies of bacteria:

bacilli	cocci (these are in cubes of eight, called sarcinae)	spirilla (coiled or wavy).

Examine this slide, following the same sequence of steps used in viewing the letter "e":

1. Focus on the center specimen with the 4x objective. It is the one stained purple, and may look like a mass of tangled dark threads. Examine the same specimen next under the 10x lens, locating an area which is not too densely packed with cells. Then view with the 40x lens. What is its morphology? Do you see occasional transparent areas within the bacteria? These are spores . Illustrate this view large enough to fill 1/3rd of the page. Make the cells about 3 mm wide (1/8th inch), and make the length proportional to their width. Label the illustration according to morphology, color and power of magnification (400x). Include several spores.
2. Move the slide laterally to view the right hand specimen. Illustrate and label as in step 1. Note the arrangement of the cells. Try to keep the same scale which you used for the first illustration.
3. Move the slide the opposite direction (to the left), past the center specimen, carefully adjust for optimum lighting and repeat the illustration process for the remaining specimen.