microorganisms in relation to human health: chapter 3

The Bacterial Infection

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  • bacteria = single-celled + prokaryote ( circular DNA)

  • consists of a cell envelope and cell contents

  • They have no cell organelles with separate functions. They only have ribosomes

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• %%How do they make us sick?%%

  1. Bacterial degradation enzymes can affect the host’s tissue
  2. When bacteria are massively present in the host’s body. They can cause an exaggerated reaction
  3. Toxins can disrupt the host’s metabolism

• %%How do they multiply?%%

  Binary fission = duplicating the genetic substance and then splitting to make two daughter cells that are identical to that of the parent. = asexual reproduction

  

• %%How to combat a bacterial infection?%%

  1. Antibiotics → disturb the metabolism by for example preventing the protein production of the bacteria
  2. The body has an immune system

-side note-

It is recommended to eat yoghurt when you are taking antibiotics.

antibiotics → also affect intestine bacteria

yoghurt = fermented food → helps improve gut health

The Fungal Infection

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  • fungi = wire-shaped + eukaryote (linear DNA) + aerobic organisms
  • plants, fungi, animals → fungi and animals have no chloroplasts → they both are heterotrophs → fungi have a cell wall
  • Most fungi consist of hyphens that branch out in or over a substrate and that’s the place where the fungi grow.

  

• %%How do they make us sick?%%

  fungi = heterotrophs → will use parts of the human body as food

  1. They secrete digestive enzymes
  2. These break down tissue cells and the host gets sick
  3. The fungus absorbs the released nutrients

• %%How do they multiply?%%

Fungi’s multiplication is very complex. 1/3 can reproduce in different ways (sexual or asexual). So we will limit it to the factors that can influence the process.

1. A warm and humid environment (think of foot fungi in pools)
2. A reduced functioning/resistance of the immune system
3. The disappearance of the biological equilibrium → disrupts the relationship between the body’s own bacteria and fungi

• %%How to combat a fungal infection?%%
  • Antimycotics → affect the cell wall → causes a leakage → the other cell parts to leak away → fungus dies

The Viral Infection

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  • A virus consists of the inside 2/3 parts
  • nucleic acid (DNA)
  • protein coat (capsid)
  • envelope (only by animal viruses)
  • They can come in a variety of forms → most common = helix form and regular polyhedron

  

• %%How do they make us sick?%%

  1. They bind to the protein coat of the host cell
  2. The host cell starts to multiply the virus
  3. This is at the expense of the hereditary material and proteins of the host cell, which itself dies

• %%How do they multiply%%

  1. The virus binds with specific protein molecules from the protein coat to specific receptor molecules of the host cell
  2. Certain proteins from the protein coat pierce a hole in the cell membrane of the host cell through which the viral genetic material is introduced.
  3. The viral hereditary material will now insert itself into the DNA of the host cell and thus force the cell to make viral hereditary material and viral coat proteins
  4. New viruses are created after combining viral genetic material and coat proteins
  5. New viruses are released massively from the ruptured host cell

• %%How to combat a viral infection?%%

  1. Antiviral medication can inhibit or stop the virus from multiplying
  2. The body can build up a resistance
  3. Vaccines can prevent an infection

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