Some Of My Best Friends Are Germs Analysis

A healthy adult has over 1000 species of bacteria residing in the gut (1). There is great diversity in genera of these bacteria, however the most

Bacterial and fungi infections are easy to cure with the use of antibiotics, where as viruses can be hard to cure or vaccinate against, such as the common cold. Bacteria can be found everywhere and anywhere Soil, Water, Plants, Animals, material and even deep in the earth's crust. Bacteria feed themselves by making there food with the use of sunlight and water. We would not be able to live without Bacteria. The human body consists of lots of friendly bacteria which also protect us from dangerous ones by occupying places in the body. Some of the most deadly diseases and devastating epidemics in human history have

Analysts have been concentrating among the dynamic parts of supportive microorganisms inside the human body, and they found out that: “In fact, most of the cells in the human body are not human at all. Bacteria cells in the human body outnumber human cells 10 to one.” (Jennifer Ackerman, 2012, p. 38) Ackerman also expresses that

Bacteria can exist almost everywhere, some are harmless, and some are harmful. There are thousands of different types of bacteria and they fall

Bacteria is a single celled organism, bacteria have evolved to thrive in almost any environment and can be found in almost any substance/surface and also in the human body, only 1% of bacteria is actually harmful.

This indicates that anaerobic bacteria live in the human digestive system; some of those bacteria are harmful and others are not. Also, microbes can inhabit in the human digestive system without presenting any symptoms.

The gut microbiota is extremely diverse – consisting of over 1,000 identified unique species of bacteria. It is indeed difficult to wrap one’s head around it – despite bacteria being microscopically small, and having an undetectable mass, the bacteria of the gut in a human can weigh over 2 pounds! This incredibly diverse mass of bacteria is also mostly unique on an individual basis – over 70% of the bacteria per gut are unique to each person [1]. Thus, the gut microbiota of each individual can effectively function as a unique source of identity.

Before, biologists assumed all microbes are bad for the human body (automatically thought of pathogens), caused many diseases and harm our body fundamental systems. In addition, the biologists think that our body is already built which had all the functions required to maintain our health. However, the attitude has changed over the last decade. The biologists characterized the most prevalent species of microbes in the body, and found out that these collective microbes do not threaten us, and they also are important part of human bodies.

The human microbiome has received more attention in the last few years as scientists have begun to link health and mental wellbeing with these internal synergists. Murray and Manary (2015) define a microbiome as an “ecological community of commensal, symbiotic, and pathogenic microorganisms living inside the body…100 trillion organisms, including anaerobic bacteria, archaea, yeast and parasites.” Humans are born and immediately exposed to these microbes, creating their own microbiome within hours. The natural birth baby inherits microbes of the mother and caesarian section babies receive microbiota of those who handle them first (Ley, 2006). Genes, and the environment from which they are born into, shape their future microbiome (Ley, Peterson,

Both in and on our body, there are 10 bacterial cells for every single human cell. This collection of organisms that inhabit the human body is referred to as the microbiome and accounts for nearly 2% of our total body weight.

Since our early childhood we have always kept that inner voice in the back of our minds telling us not to touch certain things or to follow certain rules so we don’t become infected with germs or become ill. Our mothers and fathers kept a watchful eye on us as children and especially as toddlers because of our very curious minds and our driven power to explore. We continue to set the same rules for our younger siblings and will probably act the same as our parents did when we were young to our offspring. Well one individual named Jack Gilbert a father of two that studies microbial ecosystems at the University of Chicago decided to put these assumptions to the test.

Microbes are everywhere and anywhere. Microbes can be found from on surfaces of our daily lives to microbes we encounter and spread on. Microbes have been always since life started in this planet. According to a BBC article about Earth, “…an older microbe came to light…to be a remarkable 3.5 million years” (BBC). As stated, microbes may be considered to have been here long before any other living organism, which means these microbes have evolved through time as well. With evolving comes the different types of bacteria that may benefit us and also harm us. Harmful bacteria such as Lyme disease and the Plague which both derive from an infected insect with different bacterium. These two different disease made different approaches to our history

Is the key to disease prevention, treatment, and longevity found within us? For many illnesses pervading in American society today, our bodies may hold the answer. Each individual human has more than 100 trillion bacterial cells in their gastrointestinal tract. The commensal and mutualistic relationship between this multitude of bacteria and their host has been seen to prevent and treat disease, as well as provide insight to a long, healthy life (Koboziev, 2014). The diversity of these microorganisms and their relative abundance within the gastrointestinal tract provides protection against disease and metabolism of food (Nicholson, 2012). Due to the great diversity in gut microbiota, the composition can serve as a biological fingerprint (Sunagawa, 2013). Any significant change in an individual’s gut

Throughout the millions of years of human evolution, humans and microorganisms have evolved side by side. In fact the cells of microorganisms out number human cells in the body. Some of the relationships between these microorganisms are mutualistic like Lactobacillus that helps the human body digest lactose and competes with pathogenic bacteria which boosts the immune system. Other bacteria that live in the human body are not beneficial but pathogenic. Salmonella is a pathogenic bacterium in the body that can cause typhoid fever and food poisoning.