Bacteria Facts
Bacteria is something we are all reminded of on a daily basis by merely switching on our televisions where we are bombarded with advertisements for both ‘good’ and ‘bad’ bacteria contrary to the view of the past when only so-called ‘bad’ bacteria was ever talked about, so what has changed? This essay will address the facts about bacteria including their ideal conditions for growth as well as looking at specific examples of how they can be both helpful and harmful to humans. So what are bacteria? In simple terms bacteria are microscopic, single-celled organisms lacking a nucleus and other organelles such as mitochondria and chloroplasts which are common place in eukaryotes.
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Even though some bacteria have the capacity to be deadly should they still be classed as harmful even if they do not exercise this characteristic? In a broader context could we not compare this type of bacteria with a car for example, in the wrong hands a car can be a deadly weapon but for most of us it is something we use in our everyday lives without ever coming to any harm. Can the same not be said for most bacteria in that they only cause problems under specific conditions? Take Pseudomonas aeruginosa for example, most of the time it is found living in soil and is viewed as harmless however, to a sufferer of Cystic Fibrosis it is potentially lethal as it has the ability to colonize their lungs causing serious infection if inhaled (5). This begs the question, who is really at fault, the bacteria or the host? Having evolved in their presence humans have serious difficulty with a relatively small number of bacteria so why do we persist in filling our homes with bacteria killing products? Are we doing ourselves more harm than good?
Since the introduction of better standards of hygiene in the home, particularly after the war, many childhood infections have all but disappeared but has a rise in allergies, especially amongst children taken their place? With fewer bacteria around for our immune
Esherichia coli also known as E. coli is a bacterium that lives in your gut. (1). it was founded by Theodore von Esherich in 1888. There are many people that can get the bacteria. Also there are thousands of strands of E.coli. Six E. coli O157 outbreaks were identified during 2007. Four of the outbreaks involved foodborne transmission. (Eshericha Coli). Six Minnesota cases and one Wisconsin case with the same or closely-related PFGE subtype of E. coli O157:H7, and an additional Minnesota case of Shiga-toxin producing E. coli that was not culture-confirmed, attended the Minnesota State Fair in August. All but one of the cases showed cattle or visited the cattle
Using personal items of someone who has MRSA, such as towels, wash cloths, clothes or athletic equipment.
Poor hand hygiene - spread of germs from one patient to another or spread for hands to surfaces.
There are three types of environments in which cells are located which include isotonic, hypotonic and hypertonic. In an isotonic environment, the amount of water and solute are the same both inside and outside of the cell. As water drifts into the a cell, the same amount flows out creating a balanced environment both inside and outside of the cell. When there is a high level of water on the outside of the cell and a high amount of solute inside the cell, water will be drawn inside of the cell creating a hypotonic solution. The increase in water inside the cell causes the cell to become engorged and erupt. In a
However, everybody who has contact with the patient or the environment is entitled to relevant information that will enable them to reduce the risks of transmission to
|EMB Agar | |Distinguishes bacteria that ferment |Dark blue colonies with|E. coli and P. |
Microorganisms are both beneficial and harmful. These microorganisms are important to humans because they play a role in the ecology of life, by decomposing wastes, both natural and man-made, such as creating nitrogen fertilizer at the root zones of certain crops. Other several pathogens that can cause serious harm, even immediate death due to the diseases or disease causing products they produce. Overall, microorganisms play an important role in life.
The Latin word for mushroom is fungus (plural, fungi). The word fungus has come to stand for a whole group of simple plants that contain no chlorophyll and lack such complex plant structures as roots, stems, leaves, and flowers. Included among the fungi, along with mushrooms, are molds, mildews, rusts, smuts, truffles, and yeasts. Toadstool is another name for mushroom. Some people use the name toadstool only when referring to poisonous mushrooms, but botanists make no such distinction. A general scientific term for fungi is mycota, from the Greek word for mushroom, mykes, and the study of these organisms is called mycology.
Lab Manual Introductory Biology (Version 1.4) © 2010 eScience Labs, LLC All rights reserved www.esciencelabs.com • 888.375.5487 2 Table of Contents: Introduction: Lab 1: The Scientific Method Lab 2: Writing a Lab Report Lab 3: Data Measurement Lab 4: Introduction to the Microscope Biological Processes: Lab 5: The Chemistry of Life
When reflecting back to experiment 3, Aseptic Technique and Culturing Microbes, I realized the large amount of microorganisms that can be found in everyday life. Many different types are found with in the human body. Theses experiments focused on two types of bacteria. First was Staphylococcus epidermidis, found on the skin, and second was Lactobacillus acidophilus, found in the gastrointestinal tract. Both have similar needs for growth when it comes to temperature, however, different growth environments are used.
Antibiotics have played a major role in our society thanks to Sir Alexander Fleming's careful observations in 1928. Without it, many lives would be in danger due to infectious diseases. Antibiotics are chemical substances produced by various species of microorganisms and other living systems that are capable in small concentrations of inhibiting the growth of or killing bacteria and other microorganisms. These organisms can be bacteria, viruses, fungi, or animals called protozoa. A particular group of these agents is made up of drugs called antibiotics, from the Greek word anti ("against") and bios ("life").
Life History and Characteristics: Staphylococcus aureus is a gram positive bacterium that is usually found in the nasal passages and on the skin of 15 to 40% of healthy humans, but can also survive in a wide variety of locations in the body. This bacterium is spread from person to person or to fomite by direct contact. Colonies of S. aureus appear in pairs, chains, or clusters. S. aureus is not an organism that is contained to one region of the world and is a universal health concern, specifically in the food handling industries.
Purpose: Being able to learn how to correctly use a microscope and the oil immersion lens to be able to see the prepared slides. Also to learn how to prepare my own yogurt and blood slides.
2. Introduction: Each student was given unknown bacteria and was instructed to perform a variety of experimental tests that would help to identify their bacteria. During the process of identification, the unknown bacteria was added to many different testing medias using aseptic technique. They are as follows: lactose fermentation on eosin methylene blue (EMB), TSI (Triple Sugar Iron agar), Phenol red sucrose, the SIM test, H2S by SIM, IMViC (indole, motility, voges-proskauer, and citrate), Urease (urea broth), PDase (Phenylalanine Deaminase), Lysine Decarboxylase, and Ornithine Decarboxylase. Colonial morphology on EMB was used to
Introduction: Through the conduction of numerous experiments, the identity of two bacterial isolates was determined. The tested specimen was an unknown sample of a mixed culture of two different species of bacteria. The first step that was taken was obtaining a pure culture of each species of bacteria by isolating one species from the other. Once isolation was complete, the isolated cultures were tested using procedures that had been performed during previous lab sessions. A gram stain was performed on the two isolates. The isolate which had tested gram negative was then tested for the presence of cytochrome C and lactose fermentation. For the gram positive isolate, cell shape was determined and a catalase test was performed.