Endospore Health Dictionary

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Endospore: From 1 Different Sources

n. the resting stage of certain bacteria, particularly species of the genera Bacillus and Clostridium. In adverse conditions the bacterium can become enclosed within a tough protective coat, allowing the cell to survive. On return of favourable conditions the spore changes back to the vegetative form.
Health Source: Oxford | Concise Colour Medical Dictionary
Author: Jonathan Law, Elizabeth Martin

Bacteria

pl. n. (sing. bacterium) a group of microorganisms all of which lack a distinct nuclear membrane (and hence are considered more primitive than animal and plant cells) and most of which have a cell wall of unique composition (many antibiotics act by destroying the bacterial cell wall). Most bacteria are unicellular; the cells may be spherical (*coccus), rod-shaped (*bacillus), spiral (*Spirillum), comma-shaped (*Vibrio), or corkscrew-shaped (*spirochaete). Generally, they range in size between 0.5 and 5 ?m. Motile species bear one or more fine hairs (flagella) arising from their surface. Many possess an outer slimy *capsule, and some have the ability to produce an encysted or resting form (*endospore). Bacteria reproduce asexually by simple division of cells; incomplete separation of daughter cells leads to the formation of *colonies consisting of different numbers and arrangements of cells. Some colonies are filamentous in shape, resembling those of fungi. Transfer of DNA from one bacterium to another takes place in the process of *conjugation.

Bacteria are very widely distributed. Some live in soil, water, or air; others are parasites of humans, animals, and plants. Many parasitic bacteria do not harm their hosts; some cause diseases by producing poisons (see endotoxin; exotoxin).... bacteria

Spore

n. a small reproductive body produced by plants and microorganisms. Some kinds of spores function as dormant stages of the life cycle, enabling the organism to survive adverse conditions. Other spores are the means by which the organism can spread vegetatively. See also endospore.... spore

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