The word "bacteria" in most people is associated with something unpleasant and a threat to he alth. At best, sour-milk products are remembered. At worst - dysbacteriosis, plague, dysentery and other troubles. Bacteria are everywhere, good and bad. What can microorganisms hide?
What is bacteria
Bacteria in Greek means "stick". This name does not indicate that harmful bacteria are meant.
This name was given to them because of the shape. Most of these single cells look like rods. They also come in the form of triangles, squares, stellate cells. For a billion years, bacteria do not change their appearance, they can only change internally. They can be mobile and immobile. A bacterium consists of one cell. Outside, it is covered with a thin shell. This allows her to keep her shape. Inside the cell there is no nucleus, chlorophyll. There are ribosomes, vacuoles, outgrowths of the cytoplasm, protoplasm. The largest bacterium was found in 1999. They called her"The Gray Pearl of Namibia". Bacterium and bacillus mean the same thing, only they have different origins.
Man and bacteria
In our body there is a constant struggle between harmful and beneficial bacteria. Through this process, a person receives protection from various infections. Various microorganisms surround us at every step. They live on clothes, they fly in the air, they are omnipresent.
The presence of bacteria in the mouth, and this is about forty thousand microorganisms, protects the gums from bleeding, from periodontal disease and even from a sore throat. If a woman's microflora is disturbed, she may develop gynecological diseases. Compliance with the basic rules of personal hygiene will help to avoid such failures.
The state of the microflora completely depends on human immunity. Almost 60% of all bacteria are found in the gastrointestinal tract alone. The rest are located in the respiratory system and in the genital. About two kilograms of bacteria live in a person.
The appearance of bacteria in the body
A newly born baby has a sterile intestine.
After his first breath, many microorganisms enter the body, with which he was not previously familiar. When the baby is first attached to the breast, the mother transfers beneficial bacteria with milk that will help normalize the intestinal microflora. No wonder doctors insist that the mother immediately after the birth of her child breastfeed him. They also recommend prolonging such feeding asas long as possible.
Good bacteria
Beneficial bacteria are: lactic acid, bifidobacteria, E. coli, streptomycents, mycorrhiza, cyanobacteria.
They all play an important role in a person's life. Some of them prevent the occurrence of infections, others are used in the production of medicines, and others maintain a balance in the ecosystem of our planet.
Types of harmful bacteria
Harmful bacteria can cause a number of serious diseases in humans. For example, diphtheria, anthrax, tonsillitis, plague and many others. They are easily transmitted from an infected person through air, food, touch. It is the harmful bacteria, whose names will be given below, that spoil food. They give off an unpleasant odor, rot and decay, and cause disease.
Bacteria can be Gram-positive, Gram-negative, rod-shaped.
Names of harmful bacteria
| Names | Habitat | Harm |
| Mycobacteria | food, water | tuberculosis, leprosy, ulcers |
| Tetanus bacillus | soil, skin, digestive tract | tetanus, muscle spasms, respiratory failure |
|
Plague Wand (considered by experts as a biological weapon) |
only in humans, rodents and mammals | bubonic plague, pneumonia,skin infections |
| Helicobacter pylori | human gastric mucosa | gastritis, peptic ulcer, produces cytotoxins, ammonia |
| Anthrax | soil | anthrax |
| Botulism stick | food, contaminated dishes | poisoning |
Harmful bacteria are able to stay in the body for a long time and absorb useful substances from it. However, they can cause an infectious disease.
The most dangerous bacteria
One of the most resistant bacteria is methicillin. It is better known under the name "Staphylococcus aureus" (Staphylococcus aureus). This microorganism is capable of causing not one, but several infectious diseases. Some types of these bacteria are resistant to powerful antibiotics and antiseptics. Strains of this bacterium can live in the upper respiratory tract, open wounds and urinary tracts of every third inhabitant of the Earth. For a person with a strong immune system, this is not dangerous.
Bacteria harmful to humans are also pathogens called Salmonella typhi. They are the causative agents of acute intestinal infections and typhoid fever. These types of bacteria that are harmful to humans are dangerous because they produce toxic substances that are extremely life-threatening. During the course of the disease, intoxication of the body occurs, a very strong fever, rashes on the body, the liver and spleen increase. The bacterium is very resistantto various external influences. It lives well in water, on vegetables, fruits and reproduces well in milk products.
The most dangerous bacteria is also Clostridium tetan. It produces a poison called tetanus exotoxin. People who become infected with this pathogen experience terrible pain, convulsions and die very hard. The disease is called tetanus. Despite the fact that the vaccine was created back in 1890, 60 thousand people die from it every year on Earth.
And another bacterium that can lead to human death is Mycobacterium tuberculosis. It causes tuberculosis, which is resistant to drugs. If you do not seek help in time, a person may die.
Measures to prevent the spread of infections
Harmful bacteria, the names of microorganisms are studied from the student bench by physicians of all directions. Every year, he althcare is looking for new methods to prevent the spread of infections that are dangerous to human life. With the observance of preventive measures, you will not have to waste your energy on finding new ways to deal with such diseases.
To do this, it is necessary to identify the source of the infection in time, to determine the circle of sick people and possible victims. It is imperative to isolate those who are infected and disinfect the source of infection.
The second step is to destroy pathways through which harmful bacteria can be transmitted. To do this, carry out appropriate propaganda among the population.
Food objects take controlreservoirs, warehouses with food storage.
Everyone can resist harmful bacteria by strengthening their immunity in every possible way. He althy lifestyle, observance of elementary hygiene rules, self-protection during sexual contact, use of sterile disposable medical instruments and equipment, complete restriction from communication with quarantined people. When entering the epidemiological region or the source of infection, it is necessary to strictly comply with all the requirements of the sanitary and epidemiological services. A number of infections are equated in their effect to bacteriological weapons.
