Bacillus

variety of form of bacteria, including bacilos

In bacteriology: The word bacillus is used to describe any rod- or rod-shaped bacterium, and different types of bacteria can be found in many taxonomic groups. The name Bacillus, however, refers to a specific genus of bacteria. The other name Bacilli; refers to a class of bacilli that includes two orders, one of which contains the genus Bacillus.

The bacilli are bacteria that are found in different environments and can only be seen with a microscope.

Bacilli usually divide in the same plane and are solitary, but they can combine to form diplobacillus, streptobacilli, and coccobacillus:

• Diplobacilos: Two bats arranged side by side.
• Estreptobacillus: Chain-set Bacilos.
• Coconuts: Ovals and in the form of a stick.

By type of bacteria, the bacilli can be:

• Positive Gram Bacilos: fix the violet crystal (Gram line) on the cell wall because they have a thick layer of peptidoglucan.
• Negative Gram Bacilos: They do not fix the violet crystal and stain with the contrast dye used in the Gram stain that is the safranine, because they have a thin layer of peptidoglucan in the middle of two lipidic bicapas in which the lipopolisaccharides or also called endotoxins (mainly in the outer membrane).

Although many bacilli are pathogenic for humans, some are not harmful, since they produce some dairy products such as yogurt (lactobacilli).

Examples

Throughout the history of medicine and microbiology, several of these bacteria have caused disease in humans and have generally been named after the scientist who discovered them, for example:

• Bacilo de Aertrycke: Salmonella
• Bang Bacilo: B. abortus
• Bacilo de Ducrey: H. ducreyi
• Eberth Bacillus: S. typhi
• Nicolaier Bacillus: Tetanus
• Bacilo de Hansen: M. leprae
• Bacilo de Klebs-Löffler: C. diphtheriae
• Koch Bacilo: M. tuberculosis
• Morex Bacilo: Moraxella Genre
• Yersin Bacillus: Y. pestis