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Microbes (1)

Microorganisms, or microbes, are tiny organisms studied in microbiology, including bacteria, protoctists, fungi, and viruses. They can be beneficial, such as in fermentation and antibiotic production, or harmful, causing diseases in humans, animals, and plants. Pathogens are disease-causing microorganisms that can be transmitted through direct or indirect contact, and the body has various defenses against infections.

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9 views23 pages

Microbes (1)

Microorganisms, or microbes, are tiny organisms studied in microbiology, including bacteria, protoctists, fungi, and viruses. They can be beneficial, such as in fermentation and antibiotic production, or harmful, causing diseases in humans, animals, and plants. Pathogens are disease-causing microorganisms that can be transmitted through direct or indirect contact, and the body has various defenses against infections.

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Microorganisms are also known as microbes.

Microbes are tiny organisms which cannot be


seen by naked eye, it can be seen by
Microbes microscopes.

The study of microorganisms are called


microbiology.
Algae (Protista) Bacteria Viruses Yeast (Fungi)

Types of microorganisms
• Bacteria
• Protoctists (Algae and protozoa)
• Fungi
• Viruses
Protozoa (Protista)
• Single cell organism
• Prokaryote (No nucleus)
Bacteria • Autotrophs or heterotrophs
• Asexual reproduction by binary fission
Useful and harmful bacteria

• Some bacteria cause diseases in animals and plants.


• Salmonella bacteria caused stomach upsets
• Tuberculosis, cholera,
• Bean blight in plant
Useful
• Making decompose Bean blight
• Making cheese, yoghurt, wine, vinegar as well as for treating sewage
Protoctists
• Eukaryote
• Unicellular or multicellular
• Autotrophs or heterotrophs
• Asexual or sexual reproduction
• 200000 species
• E.g. algae and protozoa
Fungi
• Eukaryote
• Unicellular or multicellular
• Heterotrophs, Decomposer
• Asexual or sexual reproduction
• Eg. Yeast and mold
• Yeast are unicellular that has no
hyphae.
• Reproduction by budding.
• Mold are multicellular has hyphae that
absorb nutrients from their
surroundings.
• Reproduction by spore formation.
Extracellular digestion

• Hyphae attach to the dead materials and


secrete digestive enzyme onto the dead
materials, and which break down the food
into small molecules and absorb it for
growth.
• It is called extracellular digestion.
Viruses

• Tiny (0.0001mm long), acellular


organism that can replicate only inside
the living cells of organisms.
• Viruses are parasitic that can’t live
without host.
• Viruses are not alive.
• Viruses cause diseases such as cold,
influenza, chickenpox, measles, polio
and HIV.
Useful microorganisms
• Alcoholic fermentation is the anaerobic transformation of glucose (sugars) into
ethanol and carbon dioxide.
• Occurs in yeast and many bacteria
• Bread making ( using CO2), wine, beer, alcohol, biofuel
• Lactic acids fermentation is the anaerobic transformation of glucose
(sugars) into lactic acid.
• Occurs in certain fungi and bacteria, and humans.
• Glucose → lactic acid
• C6H12O6 → 2C3H6O3
• Yoghurt, cheese, vinegar
Use of microorganisms
Production of Antibiotics

• Antibiotics are metabolic products of several harmless microorganisms.


• They are used to treat many bacterial diseases.
• E.g. Penicillin, Streptomycin
Production of Enzymes

Many microbes are used in the derivation of enzymes such as lipase, lactase, protease,
amylase.

Microorganism and decomposition


Decomposers are organisms (bacteria and fungi) breakdown dead or decaying organisms and
provide nutrients for plants.
Disease causing microorganisms are called
pathogens.

Transmissible disease is a disease that can be


transmit from one host to another.

Host: an organism in which a pathogen lives and


Pathogens reproduces

Infection: The entry of pathogen into the body of a


host.

Types of pathogens: viruses, bacteria, fungi and


protoctists
Types of pathogens Diseases

Viruses Influenza, poliomyelitis, AIDS

Bacteria Cholera, tuberculosis, tetanus

Fungi Athlete’s foot, ringworm, Thrush

Protoctists Malaria, Amoebic dysentery


Microorganisms and
disease in plants
• Bacteria Xanthomonas cause citrus
canker.
• Mosaic virus caused yellowish patches
and leaves curl downward
• Fungi - Fusarium wilt cause reddish-
brown discolouration of the water
conducting tissue (xylem) of the stem
and roots
Transmission Methods

• Direct contact- the pathogen is passed directly from one host to another by
transfer of body fluids such as blood or semen (eg HIV, gonorrhea, hepatitis B &
C), sharing a towel and comb

• Indirect contact - the pathogen leaves the host and is carried in some way to
another, uninfected individual

• E.g. air droplets by coughs or sneeze, contaminated foods and water, touching
contaminated surface area, by vectors.
Body defenses

• Mechanical barriers – nose hair to trap dust particles and pathogens

• Skin to prevent infection from pathogens

• Chemical barriers – Mucus to trap dust and pathogens

• Stomach acids (Hydrochloric acids) – to kill pathogens

• White blood cells – Lymphocytes produce antibodies to destroy the pathogens

• Phagocytes for engulfing and digesting pathogen by phagocytosis.


Antibiotics
• Antibiotics treat only bacterial infection.
• Antibiotics breakdown the cell wall and cell membrane of bacteria.
• Antibiotics doesn’t treat viral infection because viruses doesn’t have
cell wall and cell membrane.

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