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CHARACTERISTICS OF BACTERIA

Bacteria are arguably the second most important group of plant pathogens. There are approximately 200 pathogenic species. Unlike fungi, bacteria are not visible to the naked eye and can only be seen using a microscope. Also, compared to fungi, bacteria are extremely simple. They are unicellular (single-celled), although certain bacteria have cells arranged in structures that are physically (but not functionally) similar to fungal hyphae. Reproductively, bacteria are also very simple. They do not form complex fruiting bodies, but reproduce by the process of BINARY FISSION. In this simple process, existing cells enlarge, then divide in half. The two cells that result from this process are genetically identical to each other and to the parental cell from which they have arisen.

Bacterial diseases are virtually impossible to identify definitively based on symptoms. Typically, in order to identify bacterial pathogens, the bacterium must be isolated from diseased tissue and then grown on specialized media. Alternatively, bacteria can also be identified using immunological techniques.