Microorganisms play an important role in our life: helps us to digest our food, decompose wastes and participate in various life cycles. They are diverse and have adapted to inhabit different environments including extreme conditions, such as hot vents under the ocean to ice caps; hence known as extremophiles. There are more microorganisms present in us than there are cells, and the various microorganisms are bacteria, viruses, fungi and protozoa. Many people associate microorganisms as death and diseases causing agents; also frequently compared to dirt. Although some microorganisms are responsible for causing diseases, most microorganisms’ original hosts are not the human body so are not pathogenic, but commensal. This essay will discuss the numerous beneficial microorganisms that carry out processes in biotechnology, agriculture, industries and environment; necessary to sustain life. First of all, essential uses of microorganisms are seen in the environment, as they play a vital role in many of the nutrient cycles. For instance, carbon fixation from the atmosphere during the carbon cycle by autotrophic bacteria, such as cyanobacteria; synthesizes organic molecules for other organisms and release oxygen for our consumption. In addition, microorganisms are vital participants of the food chain since they act as decomposers; breaking down dead organisms and organic materials and releasing minerals for uptake by living organisms and CO2 back into the atmosphere for photosynthetic organisms. Microorganisms, known as methanogens, influence the carbon cycle by converting CO2 in their cells to methane and releasing it into atmosphere; thus increasing methane concentration whereas methanothrophs consume methane from the atmosphere, lead...
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...ate minerals from ores containing low-levels of minerals (Hofkin, 2010). Microorganisms have been beneficial to humans in the past too - the Weil-Felix test for typhus. A patient infected with Rickettsia prosecute will have antibodies to this bacterial species circulating in their blood which can bind to Proteus OX19, harmless soil bacterium. Physicians used to diagnose typhus by mixing patient's blood serum with Proteus OX19, positive test for typhus is confirmed when Proteus OX19 is clumped together (Hofkin, 2010). Overall, microorganisms are vital for life on Earth and are more than disease causing agents. Few microorganisms are pathogenic, but many more has an important role in various ecological and industrial processes, maintaining human health; and every day new discoveries are made that shows microorganisms are crucial for scientific advances to be made.
Jennifer Ackerman's main focus in her article The Ultimate Social Network, is that of the functions concerning bacteria within humans. Although scientists have had presumptions about humans being proficient in governing their body’s innermost structure, they soon come to recognize the sophistication of our inner space which holds an extensive plethora of bacteria and other microorganisms that lie within each and every one of us. Moreover, scientists' new and emerging view of how the human body operates, and the cause of increasing present-day diseases (i.e. obesity and different autoimmune disorders) are uncovered by analyzing effects of certain microbe species in our bodies. By italicizing on points such as the above, in conjunction with bacteria's genetic variations, and modern computing technology, the author proves that scientists are quickly progressing with the characterization the most prevalent species of microbes, which, in her opinion, is definitely paying off.
4. Although iron is a critical nutrient, and can be beneficial to your body, too much iron can allow infections to develop quicker. When Dr. Weinberg tested tetracycline by adding a bit of it to Petri dishes with bacteria and various other nutrients, Dr. Weinberg concluded that the dish that contained iron, even though the antibiotic was present, fostered an extreme amount of development of bacteria. The control variable in this experiment would be just the ...
Microorganisms play an important role in our life: helps us to process our nourishment, break down squanders and take an interest in different life cycles. They are various and have adjusted to occupy distinctive situations including outrageous conditions, for example, hot vents under the sea to ice tops. In “Bugged” by Rinku Patel aims that we know little about microbes, however there is a big part of unknown and we should learn more about these microbes that could benefit our health wise. Therefore, the author tries to emphasize on the effect of microbes in our life while engaging the reader to see things through the advantages of microbes, the disadvantages and defining useful bacteria.
We live in an environment full of microorganisms. These organisms may be pathogenic causing serious infections to humans and other living organisms, some just commensals while others are helpful in the food industry. The harmful effect of these organisms is a function of the condition that surrounds them at a particular time. For example, a favorable temperature, and the acidity or alkalinity of the medium in which they find themselves are some of the key factors that helps them multiply well enough to cause infection.
...standing the nature of relationship between the residing microbes inside human cells and about their function is very important to put an end to this war and to live in peace with the natural organisms that are benefitting human body and their survival has become our primary importance.
Bacterial cells, like plant cells, are surrounded by a cell wall. However, bacterial cell walls are made up of polysaccharide chains linked to amino acids, while plant cell walls are made up of cellulose, which contains no amino acids. Many bacteria secrete a slimy capsule around the outside of the cell wall. The capsule provides additional protection for the cell. Many of the bacteria that cause diseases in animals are surrounded by a capsule. The capsule prevents the white blood cells and antibodies from destroying the invading bacterium. Inside the capsule and the cell wall is the cell membrane. In aerobic bacteria, the reactions of cellular respiration take place on fingerlike infoldings of the cell membrane. Ribosomes are scattered throughout the cytoplasm, and the DNA is generally found in the center of the cell. Many bacilli and spirilla have flagella, which are used for locomotion in water. A few types of bacteria that lack flagella move by gliding on a surface. However, the mechanism of this gliding motion is unknown. Most bacteria are aerobic, they require free oxygen to carry on cellular respiration. Some bacteria, called facultatibe anaerobes can live in either the presence or absence of free oxygen. They obtain energy either by aerobic respiration when oxygen is present or by fermentation when oxygen is absent. Still other bacteria cannot live in the presence of oxygen. These are called obligate anaerobes. Such bacteria obtain energy only fermentation. Through fermentation, different groups of bacteria produce a wide variety of organic compounds. Besides ethyl alcohol and lactic acid, bacterial fermentation can produce acetic acid, acetone, butyl alcohol, glycol, butyric acid, propionic acid, and methane, the main component of natural gas. Most bacteria are heterotrophic bacteria are either saprophytes or parasites. Saprophytes feed on the remains of dead plants and animals, and ordinarily do not cause disease. They release digestive enzymes onto the organic matter. The enzymes breakdown the large food molecules into smaller molecules, which are absorbed by the bacterial cells. Parasites live on or in living organisms, and may cause disease. A few types of bacteria are Autotrophic, they can synthesize the organic nutrients they require from inorganic substances. Autotrophic bacteria are either photosynthetic or Chemosynthetic. The photosynthetic bacteria contain chlorophyll that are different from the plant chlorophyll. In bacterial photosynthesis, hydrogen is obtained by the splitting of compounds other than water.
They’re out there! You can’t see them but they can see you. Right at this very moment they are living on and in your body, and there is nothing you can do about it!
Environmental pollution produces bacteria which results as diseases and disorders in humans, animals, agricultural plantations. The process of pollution occurs when toxins are released into the ground water from landfill sites, this pollution stays in the environment for hundreds of years, while they break dow...
Microbes are everywhere in the biosphere, and their presence invariably affects the environment in which they grow. The effects
“People can become infected with antibiotic bacteria from a variety of resources. [such as] meat or other foods. if not properly cooked [and] workers who have contact with animals at factory farms.” (Gale, 2013). The fact that there are chances for people to get sick from their most desired foods shows how bad factory farming can be.
A biofilm is a layer consisting of various combinations of many different organisms, autotrophic and heterotrophic. They are dense, organized communities of cells, encased in a self-produced slime. The bacteria grow together in water like atmospheres, attaching to a solid surface, forming a small ecosystem. Biofilms are known as a micro-environment, a micro-habitat, or a slime matrix. They help decompose dead organisms and recycle carbon and nutrients.
The term “microbiology” refers to the branch of study that deals with microorganisms. Microbiology is extremely important in today’s time for the crucial information that the study provides. Human’s have had a long and cruel history of disease and sickness, for example the bubonic plague, but microbiology gives scientists the ability to observe, study, and prevent sickness like the bubonic plague to ever happen again. At the center of microbiology lies the bacterial cell, one that differs from those of a plant or animal because it lacks a nucleus and membrane-bound organelles which, in turn are traded for pili, flagella, and in some cases a cell capsule. Bacteria that are capable of causing illness or disease are called pathogens, pathogens work by releasing toxins in the body or directly damaging the host’s cells. An article by Lise Wilkinson explains that the earliest categorizations of bacterial cells first occurred in the late eighteen-hundreds to the early nineteen-hundreds by scientists (at the time) O. Muller and C. Ehrenburg (Wilkinson, 2004). The observation and identification of unknown bacteria that emerge is crucial because these new bacteria might be pathogenic and cause illness so it is very important that the bacteria is identified as soon as possible in order to either prevent the upcoming illness or treat it. While the common person is unable to identify if they are carrying bacteria (which is very likely), specialized tests that are ran in a lab can identify different types of bacteria and can even help
Micro- and macro-organisms are habitually associated with interactions shaping contrasting environments between different host-microbial communities {{59 Hughes-Martiny, J.B. 2006;}}. These interactions are microbial dominated as microbes outnumber host cells by many orders of magnitude {{68 Savage, D.C. 1977;}} and provide metabolic functions lacking from the host {{69 Gill, S.R. 2006;}}. Naturally occurring populations can also include interactions between host-pathogens colonization {{16 Critzer, F.J. 2010;}} or health and disease states{{20 Frank, D.N. 2007; 21 Ley, R.E. 2005;}}. Interactions may elude to the importance of symbiotic or mutualistic relationship in community structure {{22 Ley, R.E. 2008; 40 Walter, J. 2010; 38 Oh, P.L. 2010; 39 Frese, S.A. 2011;}}.
Microbes are major key components in both are homes and industrial food preparation. There are number of lactic acid which is a form of bacteria which is a large group of beneficial bacteria used in certain foods while they are getting prepared such as yogurt, cheese, sour cream, butter milk and other type of fermented milk products. Things such as vinegars are produced by bacterial acetic acid fermentation. Yeast is also major use in the making of beer and wine and also for the leaving of breads. This also involves fermentations to convert corn and other vegetable carbohydrates to also make beer, wine or gasohol but also bacteria is the agents of are other foods. Other fermented foods will include things such as soy sauce, olives and cocoa. (Microbes and human life, 2013) Single cell proteins are known as dried cells of microbes which are used in protein supplement shacks. They are also called “novel food” and “minifood”. The production of this requires micro-organisms which then serve as the protein source and then the substrate which is biomass which they grow on them. There are a number of both these sources that we are able to use for the production of single cell protein (SCP). The micro-organisms used belong to the following groups of Algae, Fungi and bacteria. (Slide Share, 2012)
Knowledge is power when discussing the classes you have taken in college and how it affects your everyday life. Microbiology is one of those important classes where although for a majority of majors you do not have to take it and therefore will not learn the information discussed in it, other majors such as biology and nursing require you to take it. They will require you to take it because you will encounter some of the information being taught in it in the work field. As a nurse practitioner I have worked in the field with many patients who were diagnosed with Leprosy, Escherichia coli, Salmonella and other bacterial diseases. All of these diseases that I have encountered in patients were ones I was familiar with due to learning about them as a student in microbiology at CSUB. My children plan on