It is stated on www.biologyinfo.com that, “Not all bacteria are harmful. In fact, less than 1 percent cause disease, and some bacteria that live in your body are actually good for you”. However there are some bad bacteria which cause diseases such as, MRSA, strep throat, tuberculosis, anthrax and urinary tract infections. Viruses are a great deal smaller than bacteria. They are contained in a protein coating which makes them more difficult to destroy.
Parasites A parasite is a tiny organism that lives in or on a host (A body) which they use in order to feed. Parasites can cause severe illness's, there are 3 main types of parasites: protozoa, helminths, and ectoparasites. Protozoa- They are single celled organisms that can be free-living or parasitic in nature. They are able to multiply in humans, which contributes to their survival and also gives way to serious infections to develop. Helminths- are large, multicellular organisms that are generally visible
Causes and spread of infection Understand the causes of infection Outcome 1 Identify the differences between bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites All 4 are different types of pathogens Bacteria is a single celled organism that multiply by themselves. They live within and on most living and non-living things. The majority of bacteria are harmless and beneficial to the human body but some can cause infectious diseases. A bacterium usually affects one part of the body and doesn’t spread across or through the body. Bacterial infections are normally treated with a course of antibiotics.
The symptoms are one Protozoa: Protozoa is not a pathogen; it is a single-celled organism. If food or water gets contaminated with protozoa then this could cause infections such as amoebic dysentery, of which severe diarrhoea is one of the symptoms. Also some protozoa are parasites, these organisms live on, or inside, and another organism and cause it harm. For example Malaria, Malaria is a disease caused by protozoa that live in the blood. It is passed to an individual by an insect vector, for example the
A con is the higher risk of destruction of normal body flora. Drug allergy, drug toxicity, and creation of resistant microorganisms are also facts that need to be taken into consideration. Narrow-spectrum antimicrobials can only target either Gram-negative or Gram-positive microorganisms or a small variety of microorganisms at the time used. A con is that the bacteria have to be indentified first, before treatment can start. The pros are the reduced risk of creating resistant microorganisms and less chance of harming the host.
They are found naturally in humans, as well as plants and animals. Bacteria multiply by themselves to spread. Bacteria rapidly reproduce and make toxins that kill or damage cells. They differ from viruses, fungi and parasites because they do not always cause harm, sometimes they can be beneficial. In fact only 1% of bacteria are harmful.
What is E. coli? Escherichia coli (E. coli) are gram-negative bacteria that can survive in an environment with or without air (facultative anaerobes) and, depending on the environment, may or may not produce thin hair-like structures (flagella or pili) that allow the bacteria to move and to attach to human cells. These bacteria commonly live in the intestines of people and animals worldwide. There are many strains (over 700 serotypes) of E. coli. Most of the E. coli are normal inhabitants of the small intestine and colon and do not cause disease in the intestines (non-pathogenic).
Antibiotics are produced by microorganism because they inhibit the growth of or kill other microorganisms; they are effective in low concentrations and act on specific species of microorganisms. 3. List four different ways that the antibiotics work to destroy or inhibit microorganisms and for each give named example of an antibiotic exhibiting this type of mechanism. (Note: you need to indicate the different processes or structures affected not simply variations or subsets of a process) Inhibit cell-wall formation: blocks a specific cross linking step in the bacteria in the process of reproduction. E.g.
1.1 & 1.2 Bacteria~ These are single cells that can divide and multiply rapidly and come in different shapes and divide anywhere such as M.R.S.A, septicaemia and gastro-enteritis. Viruses~ Are ready made stable D.N.A with a protective shell, they cannot invade without the assistance of another cell to do so, examples of these are the common cold, flu and hepatitis. Fungi~ Are simple plants such as yeasts and moulds or even rusts that thrive in moist, dark, unventilated areas like thrush, ringworm or athlete's foot. Parasites~ Are animals or plants living in or on the host, usually small creatures that are living on or within us such as lice, scabies, tapeworm or threadworm. 1.3 What is meant by….
Outcome1 Understand the causes of infection 1.1 Baceria is living annd can multiply, bacteria can be difficult to destroy and can survive for long periods. Viruses are smaller than bacteria, theey can only multiply in living cells. Viruses are not living. Fungibis an organism which lives by fedding on other organisms. Parasites survive by feeding from its host.