The word "bacteria" in most people is associated with something unpleasant and a threat to health. At best, sour-milk products are recalled. At worst - dysbiosis, plague, dysentery and other troubles. But bacteria are everywhere, they are bad and good. What can microorganisms hide?
What are bacteria
Bacteria translated from Greek means "stick." This name does not mean harmful bacteria.
This name was given to them because of the form. Most of these single cells look like sticks. They also come in the
form of triangles, squares, star cells. For a billion years, bacteria do not change their appearance; they can only change internally. They can be movable and motionless. The bacterium
consists of one cell. Outside it is covered with a thin shell. This allows her to keep fit. Inside the cell there is no nucleus, chlorophyll. There are ribosomes, vacuoles, outgrowths of the cytoplasm, protoplasm. The largest bacterium was found in 1999. She was called the "Gray Pearl of Namibia." Bacteria and bacilli mean the same thing, only have a different origin.
Man and bacteria
In our body, a struggle is constantly ongoing, which is conducted by harmful and beneficial bacteria. Thanks to this process, a person receives protection against various infections. Various microorganisms surround us at every step. They live on clothes, 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 sore throats. If a woman's microflora is disturbed, she may begin to have gynecological diseases. Compliance with basic rules of personal hygiene will help to avoid such failures.
Human immunity completely depends on the state of microflora. Only in the gastrointestinal tract is almost 60% of all bacteria. The rest are located in the respiratory system and in the reproductive system. 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 previously not familiar. When the baby is first applied to the breast, the mother passes beneficial bacteria with milk that help normalize the intestinal microflora. No wonder doctors insist that the mother immediately after the birth of her baby breastfeed him. They also recommend prolonging such feeding as long as possible.
Beneficial bacteria
Useful bacteria are: lactic acid, bifidobacteria, E. coli, streptomycetes, mycorrhiza, cyanobacteria.
All of them play an important role in human life. Some of them prevent the occurrence of infections, others are used in the manufacture 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 the infected person through the air, food, touch. It is the harmful bacteria, whose names will be given below, spoil food. An unpleasant smell appears from them, rotting and decomposition occurs, they cause diseases.
Bacteria can be gram-positive, gram-negative, rod-shaped.
Names of harmful bacteria
Table. Harmful bacteria for humans. Names| Names | Habitat | Harm |
| Mycobacteria | food, water | tuberculosis, leprosy, ulcer |
| Tetanus stick | soil, skin, digestive tract | tetanus, muscle cramps, respiratory failure |
Plague wand (considered by experts as a biological weapon) | only in humans, rodents and mammals | bubonic plague, pneumonia, skin infections |
| Helicobacter pylori | the mucous membrane of the human stomach | gastritis, peptic ulcer, produces cytoxins, ammonia |
| Anthrax wand | the soil | anthrax |
| Botulism wand | food, infected dishes | poisoning |
Harmful bacteria are able to stay in the body for a long time and absorb beneficial substances from it. However, they can cause an infectious disease.
The most dangerous bacteria
One of the most resistant bacteria is methicillin. He is known more under the name "Staphylococcus aureus" (Staphylococcus aureus). This microorganism can cause 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, in open wounds and urinary canals of every third inhabitant of the Earth. For a person with strong immunity, this is not a danger.
Harmful bacteria for 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 in that they produce toxic substances that are extremely life-threatening. With 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 resistant to various external influences. It lives well in water, on vegetables, fruits and reproduces well in milk products.
The most dangerous bacteria include the bacterium Clostridium tetan. It produces a poison called tetanus exotoxin. People who become infected with this pathogen experience terrible pain, cramps and die very hard. The disease is called tetanus. Despite the fact that the vaccine was created back in 1890, every year on Earth, 60 thousand people die from it.
And another bacterium that can lead to human death is Mycobacterium tuberculosis. It causes tuberculosis, which is resistant to drugs. In case of untimely seeking help, a person may die.
Prevention of infection
Harmful bacteria, the names of microorganisms are studied from a student's bench by physicians of all directions. Health care annually seeks new methods to prevent the spread of infections that are dangerous to human life. Subject to preventive measures, you will not have to spend energy on finding new ways to combat such diseases.
To do this, it is necessary to timely identify the source of the onset of infection, to determine the circle of patients and possible victims. It is imperative to isolate those who are infected and disinfect the source of infection.
The second stage is the destruction of the pathways through which harmful bacteria can be transmitted. To do this, carry out appropriate propaganda among the population.
Under control take food, ponds, warehouses with food storage.
Everyone can resist harmful bacteria, strengthening their immunity in every way. A healthy lifestyle, observing basic hygiene rules, protecting yourself during sexual intercourse, using sterile disposable medical instruments and equipment, completely restricting communication with people in quarantine. When entering the epidemiological area 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 with bacteriological weapons.