Only a few bacteria have been identified as having the ability to cause illness. Pathogenic bacteria are microorganisms that can cause disease. Bacteria must enter the cells of a live organism to cause infection. Most bacteria won’t damage another living thing, and human immune systems render many more germs harmless, while some, like gut bacteria, are useful.
What is bacteria?
Bacteria are single-celled creatures that do not belong to plant or animal kingdoms. They are usually only a few micrometres long and live in groups of millions. In most cases, a gram of soil contains around 40 million bacterial cells. A million bacterial cells can be found in a millilitre of freshwater. Bacteria are expected to make up a large portion of the Earth’s biomass, with an estimated 5 billion bacteria.
Harmful bacterium
Microorganisms of this kind are the most prevalent. They lack an internal core and organelles. Positive bacteria have a larger cell divider than harmful germs, which have a thinner layer divided between an interior and exterior film.
Microorganisms come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes, and they may be found on the Earth’s surface in large quantities.
Bacteria, out of all the “living” microorganisms, are responsible for most human sickness, even though a few germs are harmful. In many underdeveloped nations, poor hygiene, insufficient access to clean water, and inadequate (or non-existent) sewage treatment result in many fatalities from bacterial illnesses like dysentery.
If germs enter your body, they have everything they need to thrive: food, moisture, nutrition, and whatever else they require to exist. Some bacteria can survive without light, oxygen, heat and thrive within you. Bacteria use a mechanism called binary fission to duplicate themselves. This means they divide in two and produce two identical clones of the original cell with the same structure, genetic information, and capabilities. Bacteria may multiply extremely quickly – up to once every 20 minutes!
Cancer, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, cancer, and obesity are among disorders that may be caused by certain bacteria in your body. These disorders usually only develop when the natural microbiome is disturbed. However, drugs can also cause this. Antibiotics destroy germs, including those that are beneficial to our health. When this happens, harmful bacteria typically kept in control have more area to proliferate, allowing the illness to thrive.
What are the good bacteria In yoghurt?
Yoghurt is a common source of probiotics. Probiotic-rich foods are beneficial to your gut as they are high in healthy bacteria. Good bacteria, such as those found in yoghurt can boost gut microbiome health and affect the gut-brain axis in a good way. Here’s a list of good bacteria in yoghurt:
- Bifidobacterium bifidum
- Bifidobacterium lactis
- Bifidobacterium animalis
- Bifidobacterium longum
- Enterococcus faecium
- Lactobacillus plantarum
- Lactobacillus rhamnosus
- Lactobacillus delbrueckii
- Lactobacillus johnsonii
- Lactobacillus acidophilus
- Lactobacillus casei
- Lactobacillus gasseri
- Saccharomyces boulardii
Harmful bacteria and microorganisms
Most illnesses are caused by microbes, with the exception of genetic and congenital causes. Pathogens are the bacteria that cause disease. They evolve specifically to infect and reproduce within a host. Polio, cholera, mumps, rabies, malaria and other illnesses caused by microbes are examples.
Certain germs require a carrier to spread infection. The protozoan Plasmodium vivax uses Anopheles mosquitoes to deliver the sickness to the host in this case. Plasmodium begins to damage red blood cells once inside the host. This can lead to anaemia and hypoxemia, among other problems.
Other microorganisms enter the body directly through contaminated food, drink, air, or even a minor wound. Streptococcus bacteria can get into your skin via an open wound. On the other hand, these bacteria are often present in the throats of most individuals and are generally considered innocuous. However, the infection can get so severe that it begins to consume living flesh and tissue. It’s also known as “Flesh-eating bacterium” or “Necrotising fasciitis”.
The majority of harmful illnesses are transmissible. Pathogens use the host’s nutrition and infiltrate the host’s immune system after entering the host’s body. Antibiotics and vaccines were discovered as a result of this.
Microorganisms are harmful not just to humans, but also to the food we eat. They can proliferate on food and emit toxins, resulting in food poisoning. Food preservation methods include pasteurisation, salting, boiling, and other methods to avoid food poisoning.
Harmful bacteria examples
- Listeria monocytogenes,
- Thiobacillus novellus,
- Pseudomonas maltophilia,
- Staphylococcus aureus,
- Streptococcus pneumoniae,
- Streptococcus pyogenes,
- Escherichia coli, and
- Clostridium kluyveri
Conclusion
Finally, microbes may be found in almost any environment. Our surroundings are home to billions of minute species, from the chairs we sit to the keyboards we type on. Furthermore, bacteria that live in our gut play a critical function in our digestive health. To put it another way, the vast majority of microbes are harmless, but those that are must be avoided.