Helpful and Harmful Bacteria

A bacteria is a microscopic single celled organism that can only be viewed under a microscope. There are numerous types of bacteria. They can be classified as either helpful or harmful. In addition, they also come in different shapes and sizes. The different shapes include rod, sphere and spiral. Some bacteria depend on oxygen for their survival, these are called aerobic. Whereas, anaerobic bacteria thrive in the absence of oxygen. Bacteria are numerous in number and can be found everywhere including the air we breathe and the water we drink every day.

The two plates have blood cells infected with different types of bacteria. The plate on the left shows a positive staphylococcus infection. The plate on the right shows a positive streptococcus infection and with the halo effect shows specifically a beta-hemolytic group A.

It is very easy for bacteria to be passed on from one person to another and that is why the classification continues further to include both harmful and helpful bacteria. The helpful ones are found in the intestines of humans and animals. They aid in digestion, whereas other types of bacteria found in other parts of the body help in keeping out harmful microbes that can harm the body and cause diseases.

Harmful bacteria are the ones that cause a wide range of maladies including pneumonia, cholera, tuberculosis and even typhoid fever to name just a few. Not all types of bacteria cause these diseases but for every specific pathogen, there results a particular disease. They can also result in miscarriage and still birth in pregnant women. To get rid of harmful bacteria a person is treated with a dose of antibiotics, which help in stopping the growth of the cell walls of bacteria, preventing further reproduction.

It is important to note that, majority of food poisoning cases in human are as a result of bacteria. It is however not possible to avoid coming into contact with the various types of bacteria, therefore it is prudent to take some measures to reduce your chances of getting a pathogen into your body system. These measures include:

• Washing hands before handling food stuffs and also washing all food stuffs and fruits properly before preparation.

• Washing hands after every visit to the bathroom and after changing children diapers.

• Keeping all food covered before serving and also storing food at the correct temperatures.

• Eating properly cooked food and avoiding undercooked meat and sea food.

• Ensuring that drinking water sources are not contaminated by sewage or other contaminants. In addition to these measures, it is also highly important that you finish your given dose of antibiotics to ensure that the bacteria is unable to grow again and then dies off.

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Peter Gitundu Creates Interesting And Thought Provoking Content On Types Of Bacteria. Read More Of His Articles Here TYPES OF BACTERIA