Biology

The Most: Related to Microbes

PPLO

1. Largest (longest) plant virus	*Citrus tristeza (rod shaped)- 20,000 nm in size (0.02 mm)*
2. Largest animal virus	*Parrot fever Virus (450 µ)*
3. Largest bacterium	*Bacillus butschli (800*mm). Spirillum volutans (13-15 mm in length)
4. Largest forms of bacteria	*Spiral. Up to 500* mm
5. Largest protozoan (Largest amoeba)	*Pelomyxa palustris (giant amoeba) about 2 mm*
6. Largest species of bacterium ever discovered	Thiomargarita namibiensis, which grows to 0.75 mm (0.03 in) in diameter, making it visible to the naked eye and up to a million times the size of more typical bacteria
7. Largest sulphur bacterium	*Thiophysa volutans (18* mm)
8. Largest virus	*TMV (300 nm), Pox virus (280 nm)*
9. Largest virus	Mimivirus (the Acanthamoeba polyphaga mimivirus), with mature particles of 400 nm in diameter (icosahedral capsid), 800,000 bases and 900 genes. Later research suggested that it could be up to 800 nm long, 1.2 Mbp and 1,260 genes
10. Oldest microbe	*Bacillus form of bacteria. 250 million years old.*
11. Smallest animal virus	*Foot and Mouth virus (10 nm size), Polio virus (27 nm in diameter)*
12. Smallest bacterium	*Dialister pneumosintes (0.15-0.3* mm in length). In nasopharynx of man.
13. Smallest DNA bacteriophage	Phi-X174 phage, thought to be larger than Hepatitis B, at about 4 kb. It is important to consider other self replicating genetic elements such as satelliviruses and Viroids.
14. Smallest DNA viruses	Hepadnaviruses such as Hepatitis B, at 3.2 kb and 42 nm; parvoviruses have smaller capsids, at 18-26 nm, but larger genomes, at 5 kb.
15. Smallest infectious material	*Prion (100 to 1000 times smaller than tobacco necrosis virus)*
16. Smallest known plant virus	*Satellite tobacco necrosis virus (Alfalfa mosaic virus; 17 nm in diameter)*
17. Smallest organism	*PPLO (Pleuro Pneumonia-like Organism) or Mycoplasma* genitalium (200 to 300 nm in size)
18. Smallest RNA viruses in terms of genome size	Retroviruses such as rous sarcoma virus with genomes of 3.5 kb and particle diameters of 80 nm
19. Smallest self replicating organism	*Mycoplasma*
20. Smallest virus	*Virus of foot & mouth disease (20 nm)*

TMV

- Viruses, Prions, And Viroids
What are Viruses, Prions, And Viroids?What are Viruses, Prions, and Viroids? They sound like some kind of robots from Star Trek, don't they? We'll they may not be from Star Trek but they are foreign to other organisms, and they are definitively something...

- Bacterial Gene Numbers Range Over An Order Of Magnitude
KEY CONCEPTS:Genome sequences show that there are 500-1200 genes in parasitic bacteria, 1500-7500 genes in free-living bacteria, and 1500-2700 genes in archaea. Large-scale efforts have now led to the sequencing of many genomes. A range is summarized...

- Dna Is The Genetic Material Of Viruses
KEY CONCEPTS:Phage infection proved that DNA is the genetic material of viruses. When the DNA and protein components of bacteriophages are labeled with different radioactive isotopes, only the DNA is transmitted to the progeny phages produced by infecting...

- The Most: Related To Animals -6 (mammals)
Blue whale 1. Commonest animal Homo sapiens (man) 2. Fastest animal Cheetah, Acinonyx jubatus (112 km/hr) (found in Africa, Middle East, W. Asia) 3. ...

- The Most: Related To Body Parts
1. Busiest organ Heart 2. Fastest known enzyme Carbonic anhydrase 3. Hardest part of the body Enamel of tooth 4. ...

Biology