Everything today is a product of evolution. From apes to Homo sapiens, humans have evolved from crawling on all fours to walking on two, flat feet. Mammals have grown from tiny rodents to a diverse category of cats, horses, dogs, elephants, dolphins, and many others. However, there wouldn't be evolution without natural selection; it's what sets everything apart and gives unique genes a purpose. Without this, species would not have the chance to adapt and thrive in the various, ever-changing climates of the world. Polar bears have thick coats to keep them warm in the arctic, cactus have spikes to protect them from the harsh, desert environments, and dolphins use sonar to communicate and detect objects underwater. However, the traits that …show more content…
The first antibiotic, penicillin, was introduced in the 1940s and since then antibiotics have become the most widely used medicine against bacterial infections in Western Europe and the Americas (Emanuele 363; Gill and Hyman 2). When a doctor is determining which antibiotic to use, Gerri Kaufman emphasizes several factors that should be considered: is the bacteria Gram-positive or Gram-negative, does it need water or is it anaerobic, can the antibiotic be used for more than one bacteria, and does the bacteria need to be killed or slowed down (49-50). To determine if the bacteria is Gram-negative or –positive, scientists will use “Gram-staining” which stains Gram-positive bacteria because they possess small holes, or entrances into the bacteria, therefore allowing the “crystal violet stain” through the cell wall; Gram-negative bacteria possess an extra layer on the cell wall that gives it a defensive advantage over Gram-positive bacteria and is not colored by the staining agent (Kaufman 50). Another factor to consider is whether the bacterium is aerobic, which needs oxygen to survive, or anaerobic, meaning it can live without oxygen (Kaufman 50). According to Kaufman, “organisms that require oxygen to live… are disadvantaged because oxygen is poorly soluble in water, where they are mainly found” (50). However, he further notes that some bacteria, such as E. Coli, that were once
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
I have always found human evolution very fascinating. I think it is incredible how we have evolved from caveman to complex modern-day humans. The fact that such an enormous change did not occur overnight, but through a slow process that took place over hundreds of thousands of years, gives me the urge to continue researching. I am curious about how we have evolved dramatically in terms of appearance, characteristics, lifestyle, and many other aspects. Not only are these adaptations interesting, they are also essential to our entire existence. Without evolution, humans would’ve died out due to the various diseases we are exposed to daily. Evolution is a constant undergoing process as our surroundings continue to change. We must adapt to these changes in order to successfully survive. I want to
Pathogens are everywhere. They are in people, animals, and the environment. Pathogens come in a wide variety. The types are fungal, bacterial, viral, and other parasites. All pathogens can be dangerous, but two of them are more dangerous. These two types that more dangerous are fungal and bacterial. While both fungal and bacterial pathogens cause illness, they differ in the way they are transmitted, the way they are treated, and the diseases they cause.
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
Natural selection is the process in which heritable traits that make it more likely for organisms to survive and successfully reproduce become more common in a population over successive generations. Each of us individuals is specifically shaped and formed by our own genetic pattern. We inherit this pattern half from are mother and half from are father. The cause of this is the proximate cause that led it’s phenotype to ultimate causes. Much of we know today about evolution derives from the late great pioneer, Charles Darwin. Charles Darwin was an english naturalist that even from an early age was very interested in outdoor pursuits. Early in his prep career his father tried sending him to the University of Edinburg to pursue his medical
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.
According to Dr. James Krupa of The University of Kentucky “evolution is the foundation upon which all biology rests.” In biology, evolution is the genetic change in characteristics over generations and is dependent on the process of natural selection. ‘The theory of evolution is based on the idea that all species are related and gradually change over time’ (Genome Campus, 2017). Genetic variation is vital to evolution as it affects the physical characteristics or phenotypes of morphology. Natural Selection is affected by environmental factors that act upon a population and result in the mutation of organism through offspring. These mutations enable individuals to adapt to their environments in order to survive, find food, avoid predators and
One environment where bacteria are regularly exposed to antibiotics is in large livestock operations, where producers very often treat their cows and other animals with drugs to prevent epidemics in the unsanitary and overcrowded conditions, which are common in the livestock industry. The simple reason for this is that in the short term it is cheaper to drug up the animals with antibiotics than to keep a clean living environment for them. Another big reason for these producers to drug up the animals is the fact that feeding antibiotics to the livestock makes for larger animals. The problem occurs when bacteria in these animals survive the bombardment of antibiotics, and some always do, the
Hospital acquired infections are one of the most common complications of care in the hospital setting. Hospital acquired infections are infections that patients acquired during the stay in the hospital. These infections can cause an increase number of days the patients stay in the hospital. Hospital acquired infections makes the patients worse or even causes death. “In the USA alone, hospital acquired infections cause about 1.7 million infections and 99,000 deaths per year”(secondary).
Nosocomial infections refers to infections acquired during hospitalization, with symptoms usually occurring within forty-eight hours after admission.
According to Darwin , the sole agent of the causes of evolution is natural selection . Natural selection is the " process of preserving nature in favorable variations and ultimately Eliminating those that are ' injurious ' " .
Infection control is very important in the health care profession. Health care professionals, who do not practice proper infection control, allow themselves to become susceptible to a number of infections. Among the most dreaded of these infections are: hepatitis B (HBV), hepatitis C (HCV), and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Another infection which has more recently increased in prevalence is methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). These infections are all treated differently. Each infection has its own symptoms, classifications, and incubation periods. These infections are transmitted in very similar fashions, but they do not all target the same population.
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").
According the World Health Organization (WHO), antibiotic resistance is one of the world’s greatest health threats to date (Haddox, 2013). In the article, The Health Threat of Antibiotic Resistance, Gail Haddox (2013) discusses the danger antibiotic resistance poses in today’s society and strategies to prevent the expansion of antibiotic resistance. In Europe alone, an estimated 25,000 deaths have been attributed to multi-resistant infections (Haddox, 2013). Common infections are now harder to treat due to the increased resistance to antibiotics across the world, in fact some are becoming untreatable. Antibiotics should be treated like oil, a non-renewable resource (Haddox, 2013).