Brief Summary

Bacteria are found everywhere. Did you know that bacteria are living microorganisms that survive in many different environments? Many bacteria are beneficial, but some can be harmful. Beneficial bacteria serve many vital roles. Harmful bacteria attach using protrusions to our cells, intestines, and/or teeth and damages the cells in our bodies, which causes disease. To fight off these disease-causing bacteria our body’s immune system removes the bacteria through bodily fluids. Disease-causing bacteria have evolved to become deadlier and more resistant to antibiotics due to our interventions of antibiotic use. Nonharmful bacteria are used to create probiotics through fermented foods. The medical industry uses bacteria to create antibiotics, vaccines, synthetic insulin, and enzymes. There may be hidden dangers when using bacteria medically that are yet to be identified. Also, when scientists modify the DNA of bacteria it has unknown and/or unexpected effects.


 

Section 1

What is bacteria?

Bacteria are single-celled microorganisms that are defined as living because they “can generate energy, make its own food, move, and reproduce” (Merriam-Webster, n.d.). It’s one of the simplest, most abundant life forms, and oldest living things on the earth. “Bacteria comes in many forms, including spheres, cylinders, threads, rods, or chains” (Fooks, 2020). According to Fook (2020) the cell walls in correlation to their unique shapes help to distinguish the different species of bacteria. Bacteria is found everywhere and can live in many environments even in an environment of extreme heat or cold (Tosh (2020).

 


 

How bacteria live

Fooks (2020) explains that there are many different types of bacteria that survive in many ways which include the following:

  • Aerobic - this type requires oxygen to survive.

  • Anaerobic - when exposed to oxygen they die.

  • Autotrophs - make their own energy through a chemical reaction or light.

  • Heterotrophs - obtain energy by consuming/breaking down complex organic compounds.

Furthermore, bacteria attach to structures (such as cells, intestines, and teeth) through protrusions called pili (Fooks, 2020). Bacteria move and sense by using flagella (a hair-like structure). Fimbriae help bacteria to attach to each other.


 

(Bacterial Cell Image, Vedantu, n.d.)


 

Section 2

How bacteria affect us

Bacteria can be beneficial or harmful to our health depending on the type and “serve many vital roles in nature outside of being infectious” to the earth’s ecosystem and our health (Merriam-Webster, n.d.). “Inside our bodies, we have tens of trillions of bacteria making up our gut microbiome, and trillions more living, usually harmlessly, on our skin” (Fook, 2020). In fact, Fook (2020) explains that less than one percent of bacteria can infect/cause disease within our bodies when it attaches to our cells. “Disease occurs when the cells in your body are damaged as a result of infection and signs and symptoms of an illness appear” (The National Academy of Science, n.d.).

According to Medical News Today (n.d.), general symptoms and signs of an infection include:

· Fever

· Chills

· Fatigue

· Headache

· Swollen lymph nodes

· Skin swelling, flushing, soreness, or pain

· Gastrointestinal symptoms (nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal pain).

Moreover, some of the infections diseases that bacteria cause include (Tosh, 2020):

  • Strep throat - Streptococcus pyogenes

  • Tuberculosis (TB) - Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB)

  • Urinary tract infection (UTI) - Escherichia coli (E. coli), Klebsiella pneumoniae, or Staphylococcus saprophyticus

  • Diphtheria - Corynebacterium diphtheriae

  • Meningococcal disease - Neisseria meningitidis

  • Pertussis (Whooping cough) - Bordetella pertussis

  • Tetanus (Lockjaw) - Clostridium tetani

  • Pneumonia - Streptococcus pneumoniae (pneumococcus)

  • Sepsis (Septic shock) - Streptococcus pneumoniae, Neisseria meningitidis, and Staphylococcus aureus

  • Food poisoning - Escherichia coli (E. coli), Salmonella, Listeria, and Campylobacter


 

What do we do to treat disease-causing bacteria?

Our body’s immune system removes disease-causing bacteria through “coughing, sneezing, vomiting, and diarrhea, and removal through bodily fluids such as saliva, blood, mucous, and urine” (Kaiser, 2021). Antibiotics are often used to treat bacterial infections. The problem with antibiotics is that bacteria with biofilms (a protective outer layer) are resistant to antibiotics (Kaiser, 2021).


 

Section 3

What we do with bacteria

Nonharmful bacteria are used to create probiotics. An example of probiotics is fermented foods. Antibiotics are also produced with bacteria, so are vaccines, and other medical enzymes used in medicine. More recently, “researchers are exploring the possibility of using bacteria themselves as a weapon against bacterial infection… through genetic engineering” (Novella, 2021). Biotechnology, specifically recombinant DNA technology, uses bacteria to create synthetic manufactured insulin (NIH, n.d.). Scientists believe that bacteria can be modified and used for many possible therapeutic interventions (Novella, 2021).


 

Positive and negative outcomes of what we do with bacteria

Probiotics are known to have many positive side effects which include:

  • Regulating bowel movement

  • Assist in the formation of vitamins

  • Enhance the immune system

  • Regulate hormone levels

  • Control cholesterol levels

Probiotics can have negative side effects as well such as (Julson, 2017).):

  • “People with severe acute pancreatitis should not take probiotics, as this may increase the risk of death” (Julson, 2017).

  • Yeast-based probiotics may cause constipation

  • Gas and bloating can occur

  • Diarrhea

  • Biogenic amines that form when protein-containing foods fermentation can trigger headaches

  • Some bacterial strains can produce histamine and trigger allergy symptoms

  • “Histamine-producing probiotic strains include Lactobacillus buchneri, Lactobacillus helveticus, Lactobacillus hilgardii and Streptococcus thermophilus” (Julson, 2017).

  • Research shows that taking too many probiotics can lead to an increased risk of colon cancer.

Most importantly, it should be noted that there may be hidden dangers that are yet to be identified when dealing with bacteria. Lastly, modifying the DNA of bacteria could have unknown and/or unexpected effects.


 

Reference

Fooks, C. (2020 April 13). What’s the difference between bacteria and viruses?. https://www.drugs.com/medical-answers/difference-between-bacteria-virus-3503840/

Julson, E. (2017 December 17). 5 possible side effects of probiotics. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/probiotics-side-effects

Kaiser, G. (2021 January 03). The Ability to Adhere to Host Cells and Resist Physical Removal. Community College of Baltimore Country (Cantonsville). https://bio.libretexts.org/@go/page/3161

Medical News Today. (n.d.). What are the symptoms of a bacterial infection?. https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/bacterial-infection-symptoms#general-symptoms

Merriam-Webster. (n.d.). ‘Virus’ vs. ‘bacteria’. https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/virus-vs-bacteria-difference

National Library of Medicine (NIH). (n.d.). How did they make insulin from recombinant DNA?. https://www.nlm.nih.gov/exhibition/fromdnatobeer/exhibition-interactive/recombinant-DNA/recombinant-dna-technology-alternative.html

Novella, S. (2021 October 06). Using bacteria to fight bacteria. https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/using-bacteria-to-fight-bacteria/

The National Academy of Science. (n.d.). How pathogens make us sick. http://needtoknow.nas.edu/id/infection/how-pathogens-make-us-sick/

Tosh, P. (2020 November 14). Bacterial vs. viral infections: how do they differ?. Mayo Clinic. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/infectious-diseases/expert-answers/infectious-disease/faq-20058098

Vedantu. (n.d.). Bacteria. [Image]. https://www.vedantu.com/question-sets/f2281c1b-eaa5-4a55-a2e2-0f9eaf2320d76146776870887023186.png


 


 


 

Side notes/moreover

“Bacteria even know how to work as a team through something called quorum sensing.” https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/virus-vs-bacteria-difference