Nicholas Landau wrote:
> For what it is worth, Neidhardt et al. do list a figure for the dry weight of a
> single E. coli cell in their microbial physiology text." The figure they list
> is 2.9 E-13 g. The do not include any citations for this figure specifically,
> but they do state that it is "an average of many measurements..." Neidhardt,
> F.C., J. L. Ingraham, and M. Schaecher. 1990. Physiology of the Bacterial
> Cell. Sunderland, Mass: Sinauer Associates.
Please note, however, that this is a dry weight and at least half of the weight of
the cell would be water. Therefore, this weight must be multiplied by at least
two.
> Would you like the mailing address for that egg?
>> Incidentally, who said that the largest viruses are larger than the smallest
> bacteria? I have to admit, I know little about viruses, but I can hardly
> believe that statement is true. What virus is as large as a bacterium?
Some of the cocci (bacteria) are as small as 0.2 micrometer in diameter, while
smallpox is 0.2-0.3 micrometer x 0.25 micrometer.
--
Larry D. Farrell, Ph.D.
Professor of Microbiology
Idaho State University
