Published: 2015-09-30 years Updated: 2018-04-01
Author: Thomas C. Weiss | Contact: Disabled-World.com
Peer-reviewed publications: N / A
Move in: Main announcement | Publications
Summary: Information regarding Infectious Microbial Diseases, including methods of bacterial protection and transmission.
According to medical experts, infectious diseases caused by bacteria are responsible for more deaths around the world than any other single cause. It is estimated that the annual cost of medical care to treat infectious diseases in the US alone is about $120 billion. The science of microbiology explores how microorganisms work and how to control them.
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Main announcement
According to medical experts, infectious diseases caused by bacteria are responsible for more deaths around the world than any other single cause. It is estimated that the annual cost of medical care to treat infectious diseases in the US alone is about $120 billion. The science of microbiology explores how microorganisms work and how to control them.
Microbiologists pursue knowledge to prevent and treat diseases caused by microorganisms. The 20th century saw an amazing increase in human knowledge regarding microorganisms. Microbiologists and other researchers have had some success in understanding how microorganisms cause certain infectious diseases and how to fight those bacteria.
Bacteria are much better able to adapt to new environments than humans. They have existed on Earth for billions of years. Bacteria constantly challenge humans with new ingenious survival tactics. Some bacteria are developing new properties to resist drug treatments that used to be effective at killing them. Nowadays, drug resistance has become a serious problem worldwide.
Changes in the environment have exposed some human populations to newly identified bacteria that cause diseases that have never been seen before, or previously occurred only in isolated populations. Emerging diseases are a growing global health concern; Since 1976, scientists have identified about 30 new pathogens, including HIV.
Ways bacteria are transmitted:
A person can transmit the bacteria to another person through the air by sneezing or coughing. These are common ways to get the virus that causes colds or flu, or the bacteria that cause tuberculosis. International air travel can expose a person to germs that are not common in their home country. Other ways bacteria are transmitted include:
Shaking hands or touching surfaces: A person can catch the cold virus by shaking someone’s hand or touching contaminated surfaces such as a computer keyboard or doorknob.
Having sex: Bacteria like the herpes simplex virus type 2 that causes genital herpes, HIV, or Neisseria gonorrhoea are examples of germs that one person can pass on to another person during sex.
Close contact: Close contact can transmit germs to others. For example; through the kiss. Scientists have identified more than 500 types of bacteria that live in the human mouth. Some keep the oral environment healthy, while others cause problems like gum disease.
Fecal transmission: A common way for some bacteria to enter the human body, especially when caring for young children, is through the fecal-oral route from the hands to the mouth or mouth of a young child. Diarrhea in infants is often spread this way. Nursery workers; for example, rotavirus or Giardia lamblia that causes diarrhea can be passed from one child to another between diaper changes or other child care practices.
A classic example of bacterial transmission:
The story of ‘Typhoid Mary’ is a classic example in the history of medicine of how one person can pass germs on to another, yet remain unaffected by those germs. The germ in this case is, ‘Salmonella typhi,’ the bacteria that causes typhoid fever. Germs are usually spread through water or food.
Early 20th century finds Mary Mallon, an Irish immigrant, working as a cook for several families in New York City. More than half of the first family Mary worked for had typhoid fever. Through inference, a researcher determined that the disease was caused by Mary, the family’s cook. The researcher concluded that while Mary had no symptoms of the disease, she most likely had a mild case of typhoid at some point in the past. Although she is not sick, she still carries Salmonella bacteria and spreads it to others through the food she has prepared.
Transmission of bacteria and pets:
A person can get a variety of germs from animals, especially pets. The rabies virus, which can infect dogs and cats, is one of the most deadly bacteria. Fortunately, rabies vaccines prevent animals from contracting rabies. Vaccines also protect people from getting viruses from animals. For example, vaccines prevent people who have been exposed to the virus from getting sick through an animal bite.
Dog and cat saliva can contain any of the more than 100 different types of germs that can make a person sick. ‘Pasteurella’ bacteria are the most common and can be transmitted through a bite that cuts a person’s skin, causing serious and sometimes fatal illnesses such as meningitis. Meningitis involves inflammation of the lining of a person’s spinal cord and brain.
It is important to note that warm-blooded animals are not the only species that can be harmful to humans. Pet reptiles such as snakes, turtles or iguanas can transmit Salmonella bacteria to their owners.
Microorganisms and bacterial transmission:
Mosquitoes are possibly the most common carriers or ‘transmitters’. Anopheles Plasmodium, which causes malaria, from the blood of an infected person can be transmitted to another person. Fleas obtain Yersinia pestis bacteria from rodents that can transmit plague to humans. Ticks are another common vector. A deer tick can infect Borrelia burgdorferi, the bacterium that causes Lyme disease in humans. Ticks get this bacteria from mice.
Transmission of bacteria through food or water:
Every year, millions of people around the world get sick from eating contaminated food. While some cases of foodborne illness go unreported, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates there are 76 million cases of such illness in the US each year. The CDC also estimates 325,000 hospitalizations and 5,000 deaths related to foodborne illnesses each year. Bacteria can cause these illnesses, some of which can be fatal if they are not treated appropriately.
Poor food production or processing can allow bacteria to grow in food and continue to infect people. Escherichia coli bacteria sometimes persist in food products such as unpasteurized juice or undercooked meat. Bacteria can have deadly consequences in vulnerable people, especially children and the elderly.
Cryptosporidia are bacteria found in human and animal feces. Bacteria can enter rivers, lakes, and oceans through animal waste, sewage overflow, or runoff. Millions of them can be shed from infectious faeces. People who swim in, drink, or play in infected water can get sick. Adults and children with diarrhea caused by Cryptosprodia or other diarrhea-causing bacteria such as Salmonella or Giardia can spread it to others by using a water park, pool, spa, or hot tub.
Transplanted animal organs and bacterial transmission:
Transplanted animal organs can contain germs. Researchers are exploring the potential of transplanting animal organs such as pig hearts into humans. Researchers must always be on the lookout for the risk that organs can also transfer bacteria that are harmless to animals into humans, where they can cause disease.
Protect yourself from bacteria:
Humans become immune to germs through natural and man-made means. As far back as the 5th century BC, Greek doctors noticed that people who had recovered from the plague would never get sick again. They seem to have become resistant or immune to the germs. A person can become immune or develop immunity to the bacteria in a number of ways. The first time the T cells and B cells in a person’s immune system encounter an antigen, such as a bacteria or virus, they prepare the person’s immune system to destroy the antigen.
Naturally acquired immunity:
Due to the fact that a person’s immune system can usually remember its enemies, those cells become active if they encounter that particular antigen again; something called, ‘naturally acquired immunity.’ Another example of naturally acquired immunity occurs when a pregnant woman transmits antibodies to her unborn child. Babies are born with a weak immune response, although they are protected from some diseases for the first few months of life thanks to the antibodies they receive from their mother before birth. Breastfed babies also receive antibodies from breast milk that help protect their digestive system.
Artificial immunity:
Artificial immunity can come from vaccines. Vaccination is one way to gain protection from germs. Some vaccines contain weakened or killed microorganisms or parts thereof. If a person receives this vaccine, the microorganisms or parts of them will initiate the person’s immune response, which will destroy the foreign invader.
Immunity can be weak or strong, short-lived or long-lasting, depending on the type of antigen, the amount of antigen, as well as the way it enters the patient’s body. When faced with the same antigen, some people’s immune systems react weakly, others react strongly, and some do not. The genes a person inherits can also affect their chances of getting the disease. The genes a person gets from their parents can affect how their body responds to certain bacteria.
Author credentials:
Thomas C. Weiss is a researcher and editor for Disabled World. Thomas attended college and university courses for a Master’s, Bachelor’s and two Associate’s degrees, as well as studying Disability Studies. As a Nursing Assistant, Thomas has supported people of many racial, religious, gender, class and age groups by providing care to people with all forms of disabilities. disability from Multiple Sclerosis to Parkinson’s; paralysis and quadriplegia for spina bifida.
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• Citation of this Page (APA): Thomas C. Weiss. (2015, September 30). Microbial diseases: transmission and general overview. The world of people with disabilities. Accessed October 22, 2022 from www.disabled-world.com/health/microosystem.php
• Permalinks: Microbial diseases: transmission and general overview
