There are living organisms around us which we normally cannot see.

These are
called microorganisms or microbes

These microorganisms or microbes are so small in size that they cannot be seen
with the unaided eye. Some of these, such as the fungus that grows on bread, can
be seen with a magnifying glass. Others cannot be seen without the help of a
microscope. That is why these are called microorganisms or microbes.
Microorganisms are classified into four major groups. These groups are bacteria,
fungi, protozoa and some algae.

Viruses are also microscopic but are different from other microorganisms. They,
however, reproduce only inside the cells of the host organism, which may be a
bacterium, plant or animal. Common ailments like cold, influenza (flu) and most
coughs are caused by viruses. Serious diseases like polio and chicken pox are also
caused by viruses. Diseases like dysentery and malaria are caused by
protozoa(protozoans) whereas typhoid and tuberculosis (TB) are bacterial
diseases.

Microorganisms may be single-celled like bacteria, some algae and protozoa, or

multicellular, such as many algae and fungi. They live in all types of environment,
ranging from ice cold climate to hot springs; and deserts to marshy lands. They
are also found inside the bodies of animals including humans. Some
microorganisms grow on other organisms while others exist freely.

Microorganisms play an important role in our lives. Some of them are beneficial in
many ways whereas some others are harmful and cause diseases.

Microorganisms are used for various purposes. They are used in the preparation
of curd, bread and cake.

Microorganisms have been used for the production of alcohol since ages.
They are also used in cleaning up of the environment. For example, the organic
wastes (vegetable peels, remains of animals, faeces, etc.) are broken down into
harmless and usable substances by bacteria. Recall that bacteria are also used in
the preparation of medicines. In agriculture they are used to increase soil fertility
by fixing nitrogen.

Curd contains several microorganisms. Of these, the bacterium, Lactobacillus

promotes the formation of curd. It multiplies in milk and converts it into curd.
Bacteria are also involved in the making of cheese, pickles and many other food
items. An important ingredient of rava (sooji ) idlis and bhaturas is curd.

Bacteria and yeast are also helpful for fermentation of rice idlis and dosa batter.

Yeast reproduces rapidly and produces carbon dioxide during respiration. Bubbles
of the gas fill the dough and increase its volume (Fig. 2.6). This is the basis of the
use of yeast in the baking industry for making breads, pastries and cakes.

Microorganisms are used for the large scale production of alcohol, wine and
acetic acid (vinegar). Yeast is used for commercial production of alcohol and wine.
For this purpose yeast is grown on natural sugars present in grains like barley,
wheat, rice, crushed fruit juices, etc

This is the smell of alcohol as sugar has been converted into alcohol by yeast. This
process of conversion of sugar into alcohol is known as fermentation.

The source of these medicines is microorganisms. These medicines kill or stop the
growth of the disease-causing microorganisms. Such medicines are called
antibiotics. These days a number of antibiotics are being produced from bacteria
and fungi. Streptomycin, tetracycline and erythromycin are some of the
commonly known antibiotics which are made from fungi and bacteria. The
antibiotics are manufactured by growing specific microorganisms and are used to
cure a variety of diseases. Antibiotics are even mixed with the feed of livestock
and poultry to check microbial infection in animals. They are also used to control
many plant diseases.

In 1929, Alexander Fleming was working on a culture of diseasecausing bacteria.

Suddenly he found the spores of a little green mould in one of his culture plates.
He observed that the presence of mould prevented the growth of bacteria. In
fact, it also killed many of these bacteria. From this the mould penicillin was
prepared.

It is important to remember that antibiotics should be taken only on the advice of

a qualified doctor. Also you must complete the course prescribed by the doctor. If
you take antibiotics when not needed or in wrong doses, it may make the drug
less effective when you might need it in future. Also antibiotics taken
unnecessarily may kill the beneficial bacteria in the body. Antibiotics, however,
are not effective against cold and flu as these are caused by viruses.

When a disease-carrying microbe enters our body, the body produces antibodies
to fight the invader. The body also remembers how to fight the microbe if it
enters again. If dead or weakened microbes are introduced into a healthy body,
the body fights and kills the invading bacteria by producing suitable antibodies.
The antibodies remain in the body and we are protected from the disease-causing
microbes for ever. This is how a vaccine works. Several diseases, including
cholera, tuberculosis, smallpox and hepatitis can be prevented by vaccination.

Pulse Polio Programme. Polio drops given to children are actually a vaccine. A
worldwide campaign against smallpox has finally led to its eradication from most
parts of the world. These days vaccines are made on a large scale from
microorganisms to protect humans and other animals from several diseases.

Some bacteria are able to fix nitrogen from the atmosphere to enrich soil with
nitrogen and increase its fertility. These microbes are commonly called biological
nitrogen fixers.
microorganisms decompose dead organic waste of plants and animals converting
them into simple substances. These substances are again used by other plants
and animals. Thus, microorganisms can be used to degrade the harmful and
smelly substances and thereby clean up the environment.

Microorganisms are harmful in many ways. Some of the microorganisms cause

diseases in human beings, plants and animals. Such disease-causing
microorganisms are called pathogens. Some microorganisms spoil food, clothing
and leather.

Pathogens enter our body through the air we breathe, the water we drink or the
food we eat. They can also get transmitted by direct contact with an infected
person or carried by an animal. Microbial diseases that can spread from an
infected person to a healthy person through air, water, food or physical contact
are called communicable diseases. Examples of such diseases include cholera,
common cold, chicken pox and tuberculosis. When a person suffering from
common cold sneezes, fine droplets of moisture carrying thousands of viruses are
spread in the air. The virus may enter the body of a healthy person while
breathing and cause infection.

There are some insects and animals which act as carriers of diseasecausing
microbes. Housefly is one such carrier. The flies sit on the garbage and animal
excreta. Pathogens stick to their bodies. When these flies sit on uncovered food
they may transfer the pathogens. Whoever eats the contaminated food is likely to
get sick. So, it is advisable to always keep food covered. Avoid consuming
uncovered items of food. Another example of a carrier is the female Anopheles
mosquito (Fig. 2.8), which carries the parasite of malaria (Plasmodium). Female
Aedes mosquito acts as carrier of dengue virus.
All mosquitoes breed in water. Hence, one should not let water collect anywhere,
in coolers, tyres, flower pot, etc. By keeping the surroundings clean and dry we
can prevent mosquitoes from breeding

Several microorganisms not only cause diseases in humans and plants, but also in
other animals. For example, anthrax is a dangerous human and cattle disease
caused by a bacterium. Foot and mouth disease of cattle is caused by a virus.

Robert Köch (1876) discovered the bacterium (Bacillus anthracis) which causes
anthrax disease.

Several microorganisms cause diseases in plants like wheat, rice, potato,

sugarcane, orange, apple and others. The diseases reduce the yield of crops. They
can be controlled by the use of certain chemicals which kill the microbes.
Food poisoning could be due to the consumption of food spoilt by some
microorganisms. Microorganisms that grow on our food sometimes produce toxic
substances. These make the food poisonous causing serious illness and even
death. So, it is very important that we preserve food to prevent it from being
spoilt.

Microorganisms spoil our food. Spoiled food emits bad smell and has a bad taste
and changed colour.

Salts and edible oils are the common chemicals generally used to check the
growth of microorganisms. Therefore they are called preservatives. We add salt
or acid preservatives to pickles to prevent the attack of microbes. Sodium
benzoate and sodium metabisulphite are common preservatives. These are also
used in jams and squashes to check their spoilage.

Common salt has been used to preserve meat and fish for ages. Meat and fish are
covered with dry salt to check the growth of bacteria. Salting is also used to
preserve amla, raw mangoes, tamarind, etc.
Jams, jellies and squashes are preserved by sugar. Sugar reduces the moisture
content which inhibits the growth of bacteria which spoil food.

Use of oil and vinegar prevents spoilage of pickles because bacteria cannot live in
such an environment. Vegetables, fruits, fish and meat are often preserved by this
method.

Low temperature inhibits the growth of microbes.

Pasteurised milk can be consumed without boiling as it is free from harmful

microbes. The milk is heated to about 700C for 15 to 30 seconds and then
suddenly chilled and stored. By doing so, it prevents the growth of microbes. This
process was discovered by Louis Pasteur. It is called pasteurisation.

Dry fruits and even vegetables are sold in sealed air tight packets to prevent the
attack of microbes.

Our atmosphere has 78% nitrogen gas. Nitrogen is one of the essential
constituents of all living organisms as part of proteins, chlorophyll, nucleic acids
and vitamins. The atmospheric nitrogen cannot be taken directly by plants and
animals. Certain bacteria and blue green algae present in the soil fix nitrogen from
the atmosphere and convert it into compounds of nitrogen. Once nitrogen is
converted into these usable compounds, it can be utilised by plants from the soil
through their root system. Nitrogen is then used for the synthesis of plant
proteins and other compounds. Animals feeding on plants get these proteins and
other nitrogen compounds. When plants and animals die, bacteria and fungi
present in the soil convert the nitrogenous wastes into nitrogenous compounds
to be used by plants again. Certain other bacteria convert some part of them to
nitrogen gas which goes back into the atmosphere. As a result, the percentage of
nitrogen in the atmosphere remains more or less constant.