Introduction to Bacteria

Shown is a colour illustration of cell and cell parts along a scale from one nanometre to one centimetre, labelled with the equipment needed to view them. The scale starts on the left at one nanometre. Above this marking is an illustration labelled "Small Molecule". This consists of multicoloured spheres connected by white sticks. Between ten and 100 nanometres is an illustration labelled "Virus." This looks like a clear teal gem sitting on a purple pole with thin spider legs around the base. Over the one micrometre mark is an illustration labelled "Bacterium." This is a green capsule shape that looks a bit like a pickle. Over the ten micrometres mark is an illustration labelled "Animal Cell." The is flat, round, and blue with purple shapes inside. Over the 100 micrometres mark is an illustration labelled "Plant Cell." This is a soft, rounded green rectangle with pointed corners and yellow and dark green shapes inside. It looks a bit like a pillow. Below the scale are two thick, coloured stripes. The top one is yellow and labelled "Electron Microscope." This goes from smaller than one nanometer to the 100 micrometres mark. The lower stripe is blue and labelled "Light Microscope." This runs from halfway between the 100 nanometre and one micrometre marks to halfway between the one millimetre and one centimetre marks.

Shown is a colour illustration of ten different bacteria, grouped into three columns. The title, "Shapes of Bacteria" is in white block letters on a red rectangle across the top. Starting on the left, the first column is titled "Spherical (cocci)" in green. The cells below are also green. The first cell is two spheres stuck together in a row. This is labelled "Streptococcus pnuemoniae: Causes pneumonia." The second cell resembles a worm. It is about 12 spheres squished together into a curved line. This is labelled "Streptococcus pyogenes: causes Strep Throat." The third cell is four spheres stuck together in a square shape. This is labelled "Micrococcus luteus: causes armpits to stink." The fourth cell in the group is spheres stuck together into a flat shape with five straight sides and one curved one. This is labelled "Staphylococcus aureus: can cause sinus infections and food poisoning." The middle column is titled "Rod-shaped (bacilli)" in orange letters. The cells below are illustrated in orange. The first cell in this column is four capsule shapes stuck together, end-to-end. This is labelled "Bacillus anthracis: causes Anthrax." The second cell is a single capsule shape with six long, squiggly legs. This is labelled "Salmonella enterica: causes Typhoid." The third cell in this group is a cylindrical shape with sharply angled yellow ends. This is labelled "Clostridium botulinum: causes Botulism." The right-hand column is titled "Spiral-shaped (and others)" in purple letters. The cells below are also purple. The first cell looks like a short, flexible tube with rounded ends and a long, squiggly tail. This is labelled "Vibrio cholerae: causes Cholera." The second cell is a slightly longer tube with four squiggly tails. This is labelled "Helicobacter pylori: can cause stomach ulcers." The third cell in the group is shown as two long, thin, wavy tubes. These are labelled "Treponema pallidum: causes Syphilis."

Shown are three black and white photographs of bacterial cells, arranged in a row. The left photograph shows three large, uneven spheres and two smaller ones. Both have light grey, bubbly textured surfaces. They are scattered on a dark grey surface dotted with black circles. The centre photograph shows bright white tube or capsule shapes with one tail each. These float in dark grey space. The third photograph shows what looks like a thin, dark grey wire twisted into a vertical corkscrew shape. Several other, similar shapes are out of focus in the background. They stretch up from, or lie down on, a surface that looks like grey mud.

Shown are six colour photographs of foods, arranged in a grid. Starting on the top left, the first is a blue bowl full of thick white yogurt, with blueberries on top. To the right, the second is an oval-shaped, crusty loaf of bread with a paper label. The third photograph is filled with liquid chocolate. A spoonful of thick, glossy rich brown chocolate is held above the surface. On the bottom row, the first photograph shows a table piled with cheeses in many different shapes, colours and textures. The second is a white bowl full of soft, chopped cabbage leaves in a cream-coloured sauce, sprinkled with green herbs. The last photograph is a wide dish of large cabbage leaves in a red sauce.