Do you know there are very small organisms around you which are so tiny that it is not possible to see them with your naked eye? These are known as microorganisms, in other words, it's the smallest and simplest form of a living being which can be visible only with a microscope. And some of them are living in you too…
Isn’t it interesting!!!
Let’s talk about the microbes living in you and around your today. Microbes or microorganisms come in many different shapes varieties and sizes they make up the largest number of living organisms on the whole planet there are trillions of trillions of trillions of microbes all around the earth. Maybe more…
Scientists classify them into five types they are bacteria, viruses, fungi, algae and protozoa.
Microbes come in a huge variety of shapes — everything from rods to spheres, even corkscrew shapes. They’re all about the same size, with some a little bigger than others and smaller than others. They don’t have much colour unless we apply a stain to them, which we sometimes do to see them under the microscope.
But these microscopic creatures like bacteria, fungi and viruses can make you ill. But what you may not realize is that trillions of microbes are living in and on your body right now. Most don’t harm you at all. They help you digest food, protect against infection and even maintain your reproductive health. We tend to focus on destroying bad microbes. But taking care of good ones maybe even more important.
One of the most important things microbes do for us is to help with digestion. The mix of microbes in your gut can affect how well you use and store energy from food.
Some bacteria can be useful for example streptomyces is used in making antibiotics but some nasty kinds like staphylococcus can give you a bad tummy ache or a sore throat.
Viruses they're parasites and can only survive inside the cells of other living organisms they can cause infectious diseases like chickenpox or measles.
Fungi can be of various sizes ranging from a single cell like yeast that is used to make bread rise or other fungi such as to add stools or moulds.
Algae make much of the earth's oxygen which humans and other animals need to breathe they are most common in water bodies but some of them live in soil or on leaves stones and woods algae blooms can block light to organisms lower in the water bodies or even harm fish gills we use algae for medicine food and sometimes to combat climate change.
Protozoa hasten the decomposition of the remains of dead animals and plants but protozoa like cryptosporidiosis that spread through unclean water or food usually affect the digestive system.
So what can you do to protect against microbes that cause infection but take care of the ones that help you? We know that washing our hands is important for removing harmful microbes—for example, before eating or after using the bathroom.
Many researchers worry that some people are trying to get too clean. Blaser thinks that people are using sanitisers and antibiotic products too often these days. “obviously, there are many bad germs, but I think we’ve gone overboard, and it looks like trying to get rid of the bad guys has had a collateral effect on the good guys.”
You’re never alone when it comes to your microbes. But don’t get squeamish about it. Just remember how much you need them.