Though there are many more good bacteria than bad, some bacteria are harmful. Harmful bacteria are called pathogenic bacteria because they cause disease and illnesses like strep throat, staph infections, cholera, tuberculosis, and food poisoning. Temperature is one of the ways you can kill pathogenic bacteria in your home. You can do this by boiling water and cooking food to the correct…. Gram-positive bacteria are bacteria with thick cell walls.
In a Gram stain test, these organisms yield a positive result. Experts say some antibiotics can kill healthy gut bacteria. They recommend people eat yogurt and other fermented foods while taking the medications. Antibiotics are a common and important type of medicine that treats bacterial infections.
We've rounded up a list of the most common antibiotics. Learn about the antibiotic tetracycline, including how it affects the teeth and what you can do about it. Sensitivity analysis, or susceptibility testing, helps doctors figure out treatment for infections and if they are resistant to antibiotics. If you miss a dose of antibiotics, take it as soon as you remember. Dairy products like milk, cheese, and yogurt contain calcium.
When calcium comes into contact with doxycycline, it triggers a chemical reaction that…. Should you drink alcohol while taking the popular antibiotic doxycycline? What will happen if you do? Get answers to these and other questions about…. Infections — bacterial and viral. Actions for this page Listen Print. Summary Read the full fact sheet. On this page. How bacteria and viruses enter the body To cause disease, pathogenic bacteria must gain access into the body. The range of access routes for bacteria includes: Cuts Contaminated food or water Close contact with an infected person Contact with the faeces of an infected person Breathing in the exhaled droplets when an infected person coughs or sneezes Indirectly, by touching contaminated surfaces — such as taps, toilet handles, toys and nappies.
Viruses are spread from one person to another by: Coughs Sneezes Vomits Bites from infected animals or insects Exposure to infected bodily fluids through activities such as sexual intercourse or sharing hypodermic needles. Bacteria types Bacteria that cause disease are broadly classified according to their shape. The four main groups include: Bacilli — shaped like a rod with a length of around 0.
Illnesses such as typhoid and cystitis are caused by bacilli strains. Cocci — shaped like a sphere with a diameter of around 0. Depending on the sort, cocci bacteria group themselves in a range of ways, such as in pairs, long lines or tight clusters. Examples include Staphylococci which cause a host of infections including boils and Gonococci which cause the sexually transmissible infection gonorrhoea. Spirochaetes — as the name suggests, these bacteria are shaped like tiny spirals.
Spirochaetes bacteria are responsible for a range of diseases, including the sexually transmissible infection syphilis. Vibrio — shaped like a comma. The tropical disease cholera, characterised by severe diarrhoea and dehydration, is caused by the vibrio bacteria. Characteristics of the bacterium Most bacteria, apart from the cocci variety, move around with the aid of small lashing tails flagella or by whipping their bodies from side to side. Curing a bacterial infection The body reacts to disease-causing bacteria by increasing local blood flow inflammation and sending in cells from the immune system to attack and destroy the bacteria.
Virus types A virus is a miniscule pocket of protein that contains genetic material. The four main types of virus include: Icosahedral — the outer shell capsid is made from 20 flat sides, which gives a spherical shape. Most viruses are icosahedral. Helical — the capsid is shaped like a rod. Enveloped — the capsid is encased in a baggy membrane, which can change shape but often appears spherical. Complex — the genetic material is coated, but without a capsid.
Curing a viral infection Antibiotics are useless against viral infections. Immunisation against viral infection is not always possible It is possible to vaccinate against many serious viral infections such as measles, mumps, hepatitis A and hepatitis B. Where to get help Your doctor Your pharmacist Things to remember Many human illnesses are caused by infection with either bacteria or viruses.
Most bacterial diseases can be treated with antibiotics, although antibiotic-resistant strains are starting to emerge. It is possible to be vaccinated against some of the major disease-causing viruses such as measles and polio , as well as bacterial diseases such as Hemophilus influenza Type b Hib , tetanus and whooping cough. All they need is an opening! For example, they can come into your body through your mouth, or your nose, or your ears.
Because bacteria are very small, they can even come in through very small openings, such as the pores of your skin! Your body has a lot of defenses to keep the bad bacteria from coming in too far through these openings. However, sometimes the bacteria can come in past the defenses. You might breathe in bacteria that are suspended in the air, or eat bad bacteria that is in your food.
This is why it's so important to cook your food well and live in a healthy and clean environment! Also, bad bacteria can enter very easily through cuts and other injuries, which is why it's important to keep wounds clean. Viruses may also enter in the same ways as bacteria , but viruses are different than bacteria in many ways. One key difference is that while bacteria just live on and inside your body, viruses actually go inside your cells!
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