Micro- organisms The word MICRO means very small. (So you need a Microscope to see it!) Micro-organism Man!

Micro- organisms Micro- very small Organism- a living thing. So Micro-organisms are very small living things! N.B Viruses are often classed as micro- organisms but technically they are NON-Living so call them Microbes instead! Micro- organism man

Bacteria The good the bad and the ugly! Bacteria are small living single celled organisms that can come in good (beneficial) forms and bad (pathogenic) forms that cause disease. Some different shapes of bacteria

Structure of bacteria Flagellum (Tail for movement) Cell wall Cell membrane Slimy capsule Strand of DNA Cytoplasm

Bacteria can double in number every 20 minutes!

The motility (movement) of some bacteria in culture. Pseudomonas aeruginosa How fast!

During this lesson we are going to grow some of the bacteria that are found in this room on a petri dish ……. (exciting stuff huh!)

Good bacteria Did you know Farts are made from methane gas which is produced by the bacteria in your gut?

Good bacteria Bacteria help to break down faeces (poo) in sewage works.

Bad bacteria in the mouth cause teeth to rot. Mouth bacteria Mouth bacterium

MRSA- the bacterial superbug! M ethicillin R esistant S taphylococcus a ureus Methicillin (an antibiotic) WON’T Work to cure this infection!

Viruses Viruses are extremely small (much smaller than bacteria) NON-LIVING microbes that need a host cell so that they can reproduce and survive. NON-LIVING because they do not fulfil all of the MRS GREN criteria. It’s not popcorn! It’s a picture of a virus!

Structure of viruses

How viruses replicate inside cells

Examples of viruses A T4 bacteriophage. This infects only bacterial cells, in this case only E. coli The HIV virus. This attacks T4 lymphocytes. It is responsible for AIDS.

One sneeze can transmit many cold virus particles

Bird flu virus

Measles virus Electron microscope picture of the measles virus Boy with measles

Viruses cause cold sores, warts and verucae

Foot and mouth disease is caused by a virus and is VERY infectious for cows To this From this

Treatment of viral infections

Fungi Fungi are organisms that produce spores and come in the form of moulds, yeasts, mushrooms and toadstools. They also help things to rot and breakdown which is an essential process in the cycle of life. Why did the mushroom want to go out with the toadstool? Because he was a Fungi to be with!

Examples of fungi Mould growing a bread bun Yeast cells budding There can be good forms of fungus (used to make bread/beer) and bad forms (Mould, Athletes foot and thrush).

Mould and fungus causes things to breakdown

Fungus taking over

Athletes foot

Oral thrush Thrush yeast cells

(So a pathogen is the scientific name for a germ!) A Pathogen is something that causes disease

Some micro-organisms are VERY pathogenic and DANGEROUS So you have to be super careful!

How well do you wash your hands?