Bacteria: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

A “good bacteria” lies across its psychiatrist’s couch and says “Nobody understands me!!” Sounds like the beginning of a joke and if I were cleverer, it could have been one if this scenario were possible; it would probably have some truth in it.  

When people think of bacteria, they associate it with the 3 D’s: Dirt, Disease and Death. Though disease and death can be caused by bacteria, not all bacteria cause disease and death. Bacteria are often mistaken for viruses, which are not the same thing. Bacteria are independent, basically supporting and maintaining their own environment similar to the cells of the body. Viruses are dependent, multiplying by infecting already existing cells, changing their DNA structure thereby harming the cell. In short not all bacteria cause damage but all viruses do. 

ALL LIVING ORGANISMS NEED SOME FORM OF BACTERIA TO LIVE! 

There are three main families of bacteria which spread out into subsets, these f amilies and their claim to fame are:  

BACILLI: found in the human intestine; as a pathogen can be responsible for salmonella, whooping cough and E. coli

COCCI: mostly considered a pathogen to humans, can be responsible for staphinfections, strep throat, food poisoning, toxic shock syndrome and pneumonia.

SPIRILLA: Syphilis and Lyme disease can be a result when this pathogen comes to visit.

 are forms of bacteria at their worse but their subsets can be found in the human body, doing good things and making up for the evil deeds of their parents. Forty million beneficial bacteria can be found in 1 milliliter (10^-3) of saliva. That is smaller than the head of a pin. Keeping this in mind, research has found that it is not putting an unwashed hand in your mouth (though I wouldn’t advise it) that could cause a cold but rubbing your eyes. Your eyes have a lot less bacteria that could help kill the “cold bug.”

THE GOOD GUYS:

Bacteria help us digest food, produce vitamins and live in spaces that pathogens (bad bacteria) would use. Here are a few common ones:

Lactobacillus bulgaricus: Turns milk into yummy yogurt.

Lactic Acid Bacteria: Helpful in the transport of the oral vaccine for anthrax from the mouth to the small intestines where it is needed

Ruminoccoccus: Helps herbivores to be able to digest cellulose and grass necessary for their nourishment.

I could go on and on...but I won’t. Think of bacteria as Clint Eastwood, riding into a mining town on horseback, sometimes good, sometimes bad, and sometimes even ugly. It all depends on the script.

Image: biotech-weblog.com

http://www.actionbioscience.org/biodiversity/wassenaar.html