Monstrous Microbes

In general prokaryotes differ from eukaryotes in their size. Scientist proved prokaryotic cells is smaller than eukaryotic cells. A prokaryotic cell has the ability to grow at a faster rate than eukaryotic and it has no complex vesicular system for transport of nutrients and growth factors unlike eukaryotic cells. Prokaryotic cell diffuse very slowly through cell membrane as it has large surface volume ratio, hence they are in small size.

Monstrous prokaryotic microbe Epulopsicium fishelsoni

Catastrophic invention of Fishelson, Montgomery and Myrberg scientist was published in the year 1985. They invented a very large microorganism which is cigar shaped in the intestinal tract of fish. They proved red brown sea surgeonfish (Acanthurus nigrofuscus) is a protist. Those organisms are found to be very large in size like anything else.

A comprehensive research was made by core group of Esther Angert and his coworkers Kendall Clemans and Norman Pace in the year 1993. They used mRNA (messenger RNA) sequence to identify the organisms. The organism was found to be Epulopsicium fishelsoni, gram positive prokaryotic organism of Clostriduim genus. Maximum size of Epulopsicium fishelsoni can be 80 to 600 µm. Generally they are 200 to 500 µm length long. It measures million times larger than E.Coli. Usually prokaryotes are smaller in size with an exception of this organism Epulopsicium fishelsoni. With the help of flagella it can move and swim. It swims using bacterial type flagella. Cytoplasm of large cells has nucleoids and many ribosomes. The presence of long winded plasma membrane in their outer surface of cell wall helps them to overcome the size limitation to diffuse through the cell membranes. This property helps in easy transport of nutrients and growth factors with additional surface area.

Epulopsicium fishelsoni can be transmitted between two hosts when fish food is contaminated with its faeces. When red brown sea surgeonfish starves for some days then this bacterium is eliminated. When an infected host is kept near juvenile fish which has no bacterium is reinoculated by this way. However this reinoculation of infected surgeon fish is not possible at any conditions.

 Monstrous prokaryotic microscopic organism Thiomargarita namibiensis

Monstrous microbes which are larger than Epulopsicium fishelsoni is discovered in the year 1997 by Scientist Heidi Schulz. He found a prokaryote of nearly 100 to 750 µm in diameter size in the sea sediments of coastal area of Namibia. The organism was found to be Thiomargarita namibiensis which is spherical in shape. It surface volume ration is 100 times more than cigar shaped Epulopsicium fishelsoni. Their cells are found in chains. Vacuole of Thiomargarita namibiensis is filled with 90% of cells and its fluid is enriched with nitrate content. It has cytoplasm of 0.5 to 2.0 µm thickness in their outer cell wall and is supplemented with sulfur granules. The cytoplasm thickness of Thiomargarita namibiensis is similar to bacteria; hence they can diffuse through cell membranes in a similar fashion. Nitrate in the vacuole acts as electron acceptor for oxidizing sulfur and also in the production of energy.

 Monstrous eukaryotic microbe Nanochlorum

Nanochlorum is a eukaryote which is only 1 to 2 µm in size of prokaryotic cell. It has all other properties of eukaryotes like nucleus, mitochondria and chloroplast presence.

Conclusion

Monstrous microbes now made tedious differentiation of prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells based on their cell size. Monstrous microbes are even larger than eukaryotic cells. Eukaryotic cells of smaller size than the predicted size is also discovered along with very large prokaryotic cells invention. The discovery of monstrous microbes proves that it is of no use to differentiate prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells based on size any longer.