Swimming with Bacteria
The original article talks about bacteria and how they affect and react to bacteria. Bacteria are minute microorganisms that can be seen in a compound microscope.
There are many types of compound microscopes: monocular compound microscopes, binocular compound microscopes, and trinocular compound microscopes. Binocular compound microscopes are much easier to use because they prevent eyestrain.
Bacteria, as discussed in the original articles, have positive and negative uses. In the negative side, bacteria causes disease that is why people need antibiotics, disinfectants, bleach and cleansers to kill or eliminate them. On the positive side, good bacteria can be found in some food products that humans consume. Good bacteria can be found in yogurt, cheese, and other dairy products. There are also good bacteria in our body.
What exactly are bacteria? Bacteria, as stated in the original article, are small, simple, single-cell organisms. Not all bacteria look the same. When seen under binocular compound microscopes, bacteria can be classified according to their shapes. For example, cocci are round-shaped bacteria, bacilli are rod-shaped, spiralla and spirochete are spiral-shaped.
Binocular compound microscopes are also useful in studying the movement, division and multiplication of bacteria. Bacteria move because of their flagella or by wriggling. They reproduce by dividing the cell into two identical cells. These two divided cells would then divide again into two cells, and so on. According to the article, a single bacterium could reproduce up to more than a billion bacteria in ten hours.
Bacterial attack begins by invading the human body. Because they exist all around us, there is a large probability that we could be infected by bacteria through breathing, touching, and tasting. Scientists and health professionals study the prevention and cure of the diseases caused by these bacteria through the use of microscopes like the binocular compound microscopes.
It was said in the original article that bacterial Strep throat is the most common disease caused by bacteria. This type of throat infection is caused by the bacterium Group A Streptococci (GAS). Symptoms of strep throat includes complaints of a painful throat, difficulty in swallowing, decrease in appetite, fever, malaise, body and head aches, abdominal pain, and nausea.
Antibiotics (antimicrobials) fights the infections caused by bacterial diseases. Most common antibiotics include penicillin, tetracycline, or amoxicillin.
Vaccines also help in the prevention of bacterial diseases by stimulating an immune response in order to prevent future infections which were caused by the same or similar bacteria from which the vaccine is derived on.
It was also discovered through the use of microscopes like binocular compound microscopes, that bacteria can cause food poisoning. Poorly prepared food can cause food poisoning because they are commonly contaminated with pathogens like bacteria. Raw foods, when studied under binocular compound microscopes, usually have either Salmonella or E. coli. Food-borne illnesses can be prevented by proper storage, cooking and handling of food. It was said in the original article that temperature between 40-140°F are very conducive for the rapid multiplication and reproduction of bacteria. That is why foods must be kept out of these temperatures and it is advisable that foods be refrigerated promptly.