Question

What are fastidious and nonfastidious bacteria?

Answer 1

Hint: Organisms which have a complex nutritional requirement or a particular nutritional requirement they are known as the fastidious organism. So, the bacteria which have a particular nutritional requirement would be known as fastidious bacteria and those which do not have a particular nutritional requirement would be known as the non-fastidious bacteria.

Complete answer:
Fastidious bacteria or organisms require a particular specific nutrient media in which they are able to grow and flourish.
- The culture medium for those bacteria should have a special nutrition otherwise they would be difficult to culture in the Laboratories.
- For example, Capnophilic bacteria are those which require elevated carbon dioxide for their growth. Campylobacter spp. and Helicobacter spp. are examples of Capnophilic bacteria.
- Example of fastidious bacteria are- Neisseria gonorrhoeae, this bacterium requires haemoglobin or blood to grow. In addition to this they also require some amino acids and vitamins. Mycoplasma are also the example of fastidious bacteria which are found in the association with mucous membranes of all mammalian species.

Non-fastidious bacteria are the ones which do not require any special nutrition supplement or conditions to grow.
- Examples of non-fastidious bacteria are Escherichia coli, Enterobacter aerogenes which are lactose fermenter.
- Other examples of non-fastidious bacteria are Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus.

Note: Fastidious organisms or bacteria are not weak it just that they can flourish in their particular ecological niche which have specific nutrients, temperature and do not have other competitors. In such a medium they are difficult to kill off and for the same reason it is difficult to culture Fastidious bacteria.