History of the Bacteria - Free Essay Example

Introduction

In the twenty-first century, bacteria remain one of the leading causes of infections and deaths worldwide despite more innovation and medical treatment (Sundin et al., 2016). Some pandemics caused by bacteria led to the decline of the city population in the past.

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Cell Type

Bacteria are single-celled microscopic organisms that exist in millions in their habitats. Besides, they can live inside or outside the organism (Yang & Foley, 2018). Bacteria are capable of using organic and inorganic compounds as food. Moreover, others can survive in extreme conditions.

Structure of Bacteria Cells

Bacteria cells are very different from plants and animal cells in that bacteria cells lack a nucleus. Besides, the sections include the cell wall, which is peptidoglycan. Such a wall gives the bacteria its shape. Moreover, this cell wall is the outer plasma membrane.

The plasma membrane, which is in the bacteria's cell wall, produces energy and aids in the transportation of chemicals. Besides, this membrane is permeable, therefore allows substances to pass through it. Also, the bacteria cells have DNA that contains genetic instructions essential in the microbe's development and function. Inside the plasma, there is the cytoplasm, which contains genetic materials and ribosomes to synthesize materials.

Morphology of Bacteria

The morphology of bacteria resembles cocci, bacilli, vibrios, spirilla, and spirochaetes. Cocci are oval-shaped bacteria measuring about 0.8 micromillimeters in diameter. Bacilli are stick-like with square or swollen ends. Besides, they measure between 1 to 10 micromillimeters in length and a width of about 0.9 micromillimeters (Rau et al., 2018). On the other hand, vibrios are slightly curved with a rod shape measuring 3 to 4 micro millimeters in length and a width of 0.5 micro millimeters. Most of the vibrio's bacteria are motile and display rapid darting mortality. Spirilla bacteria are regularly coiled, measuring about 3 to 4 micromillimeters in length.

Metabolic Requirements

Bacteria requirements for development and growth include a source of energy like sugars, fatty acids, and metal ions like iron. Some bacteria will require optimal temperature and acidic ph. Bacteria cell is a specialized energy transformer (Cevallos et al., 2019). Moreover, the energy produced by the oxidation of substances is conserved by creating high-energy compounds. Such compounds are adenosine diphosphate and adenosine triphosphate.

Natural Reservoir of Bacteria

Among the natural reservoirs of bacteria is the population of organisms. Besides, it is where the bacteria live in and upon which the bacteria depend primarily on its survival. Similarly, the reservoir can comprise one or more species. It can be humans, beings, animals, and even poultry.

Diseases Caused By Bacteria

Common diseases caused by bacteria include cholera, tuberculosis, syphilis, and anthrax. Bacteria cause disease by secreting toxins internally. Besides, the toxins are released after the bacteria disintegrate or once it induces sensitivity to their antigenic.

Epidemiology of Bacterial Disease

Cholera is caused by Vibrio cholera, which is contributed significantly by the consumption of unclean water. On the other hand, tuberculosis is caused by a bacterium known as Mycobacterium, which attacks the lungs. Moreover, it can also affect any part of the body, for instance, kidney, spine, and even the brain.

Signs and Symptoms of Bacterial Diseases

Bloody urine and pain after frequent urination is a sign of bacterial infection. Besides, it can be an infection of syphilis bacteria or other bacterial infections. Another symptom can be nausea and vomiting, flu-like symptoms. For example, one feels fatigued and sometimes has a headache. Moreover, pain at the joint, ear, or even abdominal pain is a clear indication of bacterial infection.

Describe Factors Employed By Organism to Assist in Its Growth and Reproduction

Temperature

Bacteria require minimum, maximum, and optimum temperatures for their growth. Therefore, they can be classified as psychrophilic, which are bacteria that thrive well in a cold environment. Mesophilic, grows well in an environment with moderate temperatures. Besides, they require a temperature of 25 degrees Celsius.

Oxygen Requirement

Bacteria show variation in their oxygen requirements. For instance, most bacteria can be aerobes or anaerobes obligates. Aerobes grow where there is oxygen, while anaerobes obligate produce where there is no oxygen. Facultative anaerobes can survive with or without oxygen.

Binary Fission

Bacteria reproduce through the asexual process in which a single cell divides into two. Under suitable conditions, bacteria can split after every ten to fifteen minutes. Other eukaryotic microorganisms reproduce by both sexual and asexual processes. Moreover, others require multiple hosts to finish their life cycle.

Prevention and Treatment of Bacterial Disease

Most bacterial diseases can be treated with antibiotics like macrolide antibiotics, penicillin antibiotics, and sulfa antibiotics. Another way of treating bacterial conditions or infections is through vaccination through either mouth or injection (Xu et al., 2019). On the other hand, prevention of bacterial diseases can be done by always keeping hand clean. Hands should be washed well after visiting washrooms with a bar of soap and before eating. Moreover, the surroundings should be cleaned regularly as well as sanitary on uses. For instance, clean those surfaces touched severally with hands. Avoid bites by insects as much as possible by using insect repellent. Examples of vaccines used to treat bacterial disease include the meningococcal group B vaccine, the Vaxchora vaccine, which treats cholera, and Vivotif Berna, which treats typhoid.

References

Cevallos, S. A., Lee, J. Y., Tiffany, C. R., Byndloss, A. J., Johnston, L., Byndloss, M. X., & Bäumler, A. J. (2019). Increased Epithelial Oxygenation Links Colitis to an Expansion of Tumorigenic Bacteria. mBio, 10(5), e02244-19. https://mbio.asm.org/content/10/5/e02244-19/article-info

Rau, M., Rehman, A., Dittrich, M., Groen, A. K., Hermanns, H. M., Seyfried, F., ... & Geier, A. (2018). Fecal SCFAs and SCFA-producing bacteria in human NAFLD's gut microbiome are a putative link to systemic T-cell activation and advanced disease. United European Gastroenterology Journal, 6(10), 1496-1507. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6297934/

Sundin G. W., Castiblanco, L. F., Yuan, X., Zeng, Q., & Yang, C. H. (2016). Bacterial disease management: challenges, experience, innovation, and prospects: challenges in bacterial molecular plant pathology. Molecular plant pathology, 17(9), 1506-1518. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27238249/

Xu, C., Zheng, J., & Wu, A. (2019). Applications of iron oxide-based magnetic nanoparticles in the diagnosis and treatment of bacterial infections. Frontiers in bioengineering and biotechnology, 7, 141. https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fbioe.2019.00141/full

Yang, B., & Foley, S. (2018). First experience in the UK of treating women with recurrent urinary tract infections with the bacterial vaccine Uromune®. BJU international, 121(2), 289-292. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29171130/