Bacteria bearing flagella all over body are called?

Appeared in: HPSSC Staff Nurse - 2021

Explanation

Peritrichous bacteria are characterized by flagella that are distributed uniformly over the entire surface of the cell.
The term 'peri-' means 'around', which helps in remembering this definition.
This arrangement provides a characteristic 'tumbling' motility.
Common examples of peritrichous bacteria include Escherichia coli and various species of Salmonella.

Option B: Atrichous bacteria lack flagella completely. The prefix 'a-' means 'without'.
Option C: Monotrichous bacteria have only a single flagellum located at one of the cell's poles. The prefix 'mono-' means 'one'.
Option D: Cephalotrichous, more commonly known as Lophotrichous, refers to bacteria that have a tuft or cluster of multiple flagella at one pole (the 'head' or 'cephalo-' region).

Clinical Relevance

Nursing practice connection: This is primarily an exam-oriented knowledge point with limited direct bedside application, so retain Classification of bacteria based on flagellar arrangement as background academic context rather than a clinical decision trigger.
Bacterial motility, provided by flagella, is a significant virulence factor. It allows pathogenic bacteria to move through mucus, cross epithelial layers, and disseminate within the host to cause infection.
Flagella are composed of the protein flagellin, which functions as the H antigen. Serotyping based on H antigens is a critical laboratory tool for the epidemiological tracking of bacterial strains, such as in E. coli and Salmonella foodborne outbreaks.
What if? If a pathogenic bacterium like Salmonella Typhi has a mutation that prevents it from producing flagella (making it atrichous), its virulence would be dramatically reduced. It would be less able to invade the intestinal mucosa and spread to the bloodstream, thus being less likely to cause systemic typhoid fever.

How to Approach the Question

This is a factual recall question based on microbiological terminology.
Identify the key descriptive phrase in the question stem: 'flagella all over body'.
Analyze the prefixes of the options provided: 'Peri-' (around), 'A-' (without), 'Mono-' (one), and 'Cephalo-' (head).
Match the description 'all over' with the prefix 'Peri-', which means 'around' or 'surrounding'. This points to Peritrichous.
Confirm by eliminating the other options based on their prefixes and known definitions in microbiology.

Concept Tested & Keywords

QEnTB5ayKZcyhlOsO28LOs

E6 Microbiology Essentials Sastry 4e Part 1 p. 38-40

Practise the full HPSSC Staff Nurse - 2021

Attempt every question from this paper in a timed mock, then review the full solution for each one.