Microorganisms

Micro organisms A microorganism or microbe is an organism that is so small that it is microscopic (invisible to the naked eye). Microorganisms are found everywhere. In air, water and in the bodies of plants and animals. They can live in all kinds of environment ranging from ice-cold climate to hot springs and deserts to marshy lands. Microorganisms are often illustrated using single-celled, or unicellular organisms; however, some unicellular protists are visible to the naked eye, and some multicellular species are microscopic. They can be solitary or colonial. A protozoan like an amoeba might spend its whole life alone, cruising through the water. Others, like fungi, work together in colonies to help each other survive. They can reproduce sexually or asexually. Sometimes the DNA of two microbes mixes and a new one is created i.e. sexual reproduction. Sometimes a microbe splits into two identical pieces by itself i.e. asexual reproduction.

Bacteria:
A single-celled, often parasitic microorganism without distinct nuclei or organized cell structures। Various species are responsible for decay, fermentation, nitrogen fixation, and many plant and animal diseases. Lactobacillus is responsible for the curding of milk.



Fungi:
They are long thread-like unicellular as well as multi-cellular microorganisms. e.g. Rhizopus (bread mould) and Penicillium Yeast is used to produce alcohol.

Algae:
Aquatic, photosynthetic microorganisms। In simple terms they are called sea weeds e.g. Blue Green Algae, Chlamydomonas and Spirogyra.

Protozoan:
They are unicellular organisms having size ranging from 2 – 200 microns। For example -amoeba, paramecium. 

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.800000190734863px;">Virus:
<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.800000190734863px;"> Viruses are smallest microscopic organisms. They may be rod – shaped, polygonal, spherical or even cubical. There are four types of viruses

=Few useful videos:=

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Protists media type="custom" key="25297876"

Protist Rap media type="custom" key="25297952" Protozoa - Plasmodium media type="custom" key="25298108" media type="custom" key="25298114"

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.800000190734863px;">Usefulness of microorganisms in our lives:
<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.800000190734863px;">Microorganisms are very useful to us. Some of their usefulness is as follows:

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.800000190734863px;">1. They are used in the preparation of curd, bread and cake. Lactobacillus promotes the formation of curd and Yeast in the baking industry.

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.800000190734863px;">2. Commercially microorganisms are used for the large scale production of alcohol, wine and vinegar.

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.800000190734863px;">3. Yeast is used for commercial production of alcohol and wine while, Acetobacter bacteria cause conversion of alcohol to vinegar.

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.800000190734863px;">4. In medical industry antibiotics are made from microorganisms like – some fungi and bacteria.

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.800000190734863px;">5. Microorganisms are also used to prepare vaccines for various diseases.

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.800000190734863px;">6. Microorganisms (bacteria) help us in cleaning of our environment as they decompose the dead bodies of plants and animals and other organic wastes.

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.800000190734863px;">7. In agriculture, microorganisms are used to increase soil fertility by fixing nitrogen.

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.800000190734863px;">8. Some bacteria like – Rhizobium and some blue green algae are able to fix nitrogen from the atmosphere to enrich soil and thus increase its fertility.

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.800000190734863px;">9. It is due to the activities of microorganisms because of which we are able to prepare manure by decomposing organic wastes and dead bodies of plants and animals.

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.800000190734863px;">10. In food industry, they are used as preservatives for food items. Further, some fungi are eaten raw as food such as, Mushrooms.

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.800000190734863px;">Harms caused by microorganisms:
<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.800000190734863px;">Microorganisms can be very harmful to us, as they cause a number of human and animal diseases. Diseases in humans like common cold, tuberculosis, measles, chicken pox, polio, cholera, typhoid, hepatitis-B, malaria etc. all are caused by microorganisms. Some serious diseases like- Anthrax is a dangerous human and cattle disease caused by a bacterium. Microbes grow on food products and render them unfit for consumption. Consumption of such food causes food poisoning. Microbes also spoil clothes and leather products. Microorganisms cause diseases of plants like – blights in potatoes, sugarcanes, oranges then, rust of wheat citrus, canker etc. They also reduce the crop yield.

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<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.800000190734863px;">Antibiotics:
<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.800000190734863px;">Medicines taken to kill or stop the growth of harmful or disease causing microbes in human body are called antibiotics. Antibiotics are very useful as only antibiotics can save us from many microbial infections and diseases. Antibiotics are made from fungi and bacteria. Alexander Fleming discovered the first antibiotic called Penicillin in 1929. Now-a-days a number of antibiotics are used to cure a variety of human, animal and plant diseases. Streptomycin, Erythromycin, Tetracycline etc are some commonly used antibiotics.

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.800000190734863px;">Precautions for taking antibiotics: Antibiotics should only be taken when advised by a qualified physician. Moreover it should only be taken when needed otherwise; they became less effective for future use. Also antibiotics taken unnecessarily may kill the beneficial bacteria in the body.

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.800000190734863px;">Few diseases like <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif;">Cholera, tuberculosis, smallpox, hepatitis, polio, etc. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.800000190734863px;">can be prevented by vaccination.

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<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.800000190734863px;"> Food preservation: <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.800000190734863px; line-height: 0px; overflow: hidden;">media type="custom" key="25470652" media type="custom" key="25470716"