Microbes and disease

Done by Alyazia Ahmad

 F
Mushrooms and
toadstools are
fungi, but these
are made of lots
of cells, so they
are not
microbes. Yeasts
are single-celled
fungi, so they
are microbes.
Fungi are usually
the biggest type
of microbe. If
there is just one
of them, we call
it a fungus.
Bacter
Bacteria
ia
are
usually smaller
than fungi. If
there is just one
of them, we call
it a bacterium.
Bacteria have
many different
shapes. Some
have 'tails'
(called flagella)
that let them
virus
Viruses are the
smallest type of
microbe. As a
virus can only
reproduce inside
a cell, some
people are not
convinced that
viruses are
really living
things.
 Differences between fungi,
bacteria
The table shows and
some of the similarities viruses
and differences between the three
types of microbe.
 Microbes - useful or not?
• Useful microbes
• Yeast cells are useful to
bakers and brewers. Yeast
cells can change sugar into
carbon dioxide, gas and
alcohol. This is useful to
bakers because the gas
helps the bread rise, and it is
useful to brewers because it
adds the alcohol needed for
their drinks.
Bacteria are also useful to
us. For example, certain
bacteria cause the changes
needed in milk to make
 Microbes - useful or not?
• Harmful microbes
• Many microbes can cause diseases. For
example, fungi can cause athlete's foot
and thrush.
Here are some diseases caused by
bacteria:
• tuberculosis, TB (affects the lungs)
• salmonella (causes food poisoning)
• whooping cough (affects the lungs)
Here are some diseases caused by
viruses:
• chicken pox (affects skin and nerves)
• common cold
• influenza, flu
• measles (affects skin and lungs)
Microbes cause disease when they are able
 Spreading microbes
Many harmful microbes can pass from one person to
another. Diseases caused by such microbes are said to
be infectious diseases. Here are some ways that
harmful microbes can be spread:

• in air
• through contact with animals
• through contaminated food
• through touch
• in water
Air
Droplets containing microbes fly into the air when people
sneeze or cough. The microbes they contain get into other
people if breathed in. Chicken pox, colds, flu, measles and
tuberculosis are spread like this.

Animals
Animals may carry harmful microbes. The microbes can get
into a person who is scratched or bitten by such an animal.
Malaria is a tropical disease spread by a tiny fly called a
mosquito.

Food
Food can have harmful microbes in and on it. The microbes
get into the body when the food is eaten, causing food
poisoning. Thorough cooking kills most microbes, but they can
survive under-cooking and careless handling of food.

Touch
Microbes can be passed from one person to another when
people touch each other, or when they touch something an
infected person has handled. Athlete's food is spread like this.
Bacteria on the skin can be killed by antiseptics, and bacteria
on surfaces can be killed by disinfectants. Washing your hands
reduces the chance of spreading microbes.

Water
Water can have harmful microbes in it. The microbes get into
the body when the water is swallowed. Cholera is a disease
 Defence against
• microbes
Natural barriers
• The body has natural barriers to
stop harmful microbes getting
inside the body. Here are some of
them:
• acid in the stomach kills many
microbes
• sticky mucus in the lungs traps
microbes, and then cilia sweep it
out of the lungs
• scabs form on the skin if you
get a cut, stopping microbes from
getting into your body
• the skin stops microbes from
getting into the body
• The immune system
• The body has an immune system
that kills microbes if they get past
the natural barriers. The white blood
cells are very important in the
immune system. There are different
sorts of these cells, but they can do
two main jobs.
Some white blood cells can engulf
microbes and kill them.
• Some white blood cells can make
substances called antibodies that
stick to microbes.
 Antibiotics and
• Antibiotics immunisation
• Antibiotics are substances used by doctors
when harmful microbes have made you ill.
They are substances that harm bacteria.
Some antibiotics stop the bacteria reproducing
and others kill the bacteria.

Antibiotics are helpful to treat diseases caused

by bacteria, such as tuberculosis and food
poisoning. They do not harm viruses, so
antibiotics cannot treat diseases such as colds
and flu, which are caused by viruses.
Immunisation
• When you are infected by a microbe, it takes
time for your body to start fighting the
infection by making enough white blood cells
with the correct antibody. During this time,