Microorganisms and the Great Potato Famine in Ireland

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Microorganism means small organism which is often referred to as a microbe. A microbe is a single-cell organism which is so tiny that millions can fit into the eye of a needle. Microbes are known to be the oldest form of live on Earth, they can live individually or cluster together in communities. Microbes live everywhere. Anywhere you can think of, microbes live. They can be found in the air, soil, water and are present in and on our own body. Microbes are also known to live at temperatures less than -20 degrees Celsius to temperatures hotter than the boiling point.
These tiny organisms include Bacteria, Archaea, Fungi and Protists. Bacteria and Fungi are a commonly known form of microbe unlike Archaea which are similar to bacteria but appear to have some traits which are not present in any true bacteria. Protists include different types of mold and algae.
Fungi are eukaryotic organisms which are either single-celled or multi-cellular organisms, their DNA containing chromosomes are enclosed in a Nucleus inside their cells. Fungi cell structure is very similar to that of the plants however, Fungi do not perform photosynthesis. Fungi is often known to be a nuisance when found within a person’s house, whether on food, the walls or even the floor. People naturally find it disturbing and dirty, however there are good types of Fungi, often referred to as friendly fungi. In 1928 Penicillin, one of the most famous of antibiotic drugs was discovered having derived it from the fungi called Penicillium. This discovery has since has a huge impact on helping people across the globe. However, not all is it seems, there are some nasty fungi that can cause diseases in plants, animals and people. A famous one being Phytophthora infestans. This ...

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... to driving down the road to purchase a new, fresh loaf. Most people are unaware that the colourful spots visible on the food are just the surface spores which allow the mould to reproduce and that in fact just like plants, mould has roots which travel deep into the food. So, by scraping off this part of bread, it doesn’t stop the person from consuming a mouthful of fungus, which doesn’t seem too good. This fungus shouldn’t kill a person from consuming it, however, mouldy food may also have invisible bacteria growing along with the mould.
If the spores release into the air, they are small enough to be inhaled and breathing in large amounts of these spores can have a negative impacts on one’s health. Health risks can include; Eye, nose and throat irritation, coughing and phlegm build up, wheezing and shortness of breath, symptoms of asthma and allergic reactions.

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