Ch 2 – Microorganisms : Friend & Foe

You have seen several kinds of plants and animals. However, there are other
living organisms around us which we normally cannot see. These are called
microorganisms or microbes. For example, you might have observed that during the
rainy season moist bread gets spoilt and its surface gets covered with greyish white
patches. Observe these patches through a magnifying glass. You will see tiny, black
rounded structures. Do you know what these structures are and where do these come
from?

2.1 Microorganisms:
Do you find tiny organisms moving around? These observations show that water
and soil are full of tiny organisms, though not all of them fall into the category of
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. Some of these common microorganisms are shown in
Figs. 2.1 - 2.4.
Viruses are also microscopic. They, however, reproduce only inside the cells of
the host organism, which may be a bacterium, plant or animal. Some of the viruses are
shown in Fig. 2.5. 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.
You have learnt about some of these microorganisms in Classes VI and VII.

2.2 Where do Microorganisms Live?

Microorganisms may be single-celled like bacteria, some algae and protozoa, or
multicellular, such as algae and fungi. They can survive under 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 like amoeba can live alone,
while fungi and bacteria may live in colonies.

2.3 Microorganisms and Us:

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

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

Making of Curd and Bread:

You have learnt in Class VII that milk is turned into curd by bacteria. 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. Can you guess why? 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 or making breads, pastries and cakes.

Commercial Use of Microorganisms:

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.

Medicinal Use of Microorganisms :

Whenever you fall ill the doctor may give you some antibiotic tablets, capsules or
injections such as of penicillin. 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 disease causing 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.

Vaccine:
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.
So, if dead or weakened microbes are introduced in a healthy body, the body fights and
kills them by producing suitable antibodies. The antibodies remain in the body and we
are protected from the disease-causing microbes. This is how a vaccine works. Several
diseases, including cholera, tuberculosis, smallpox and hepatitis can be prevented by
vaccination.
In your childhood, you must have been given injections to protect yourself against
several diseases. Can you prepare a list of these diseases? You may take help from
your parents.
It is essential to protect all children against these diseases. Necessary vaccines
are available in the nearby hospitals. You might have seen the advertisement on T.V.
and newspapers regarding protection of children against polio under the 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.
Increasing Soil Fertility Some bacteria and blue green algae (Fig. 2.7) 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.
Cleaning the Environment Boojho and Paheli had observed the school gardener
making manure. Along with their friends, they collected wastes of plants, vegetables
and fruits from nearby houses and gardens. They put them in a pit meant for waste
disposal. After some time, it decomposed and got converted to manure. Boojho and
Paheli wanted to know how this had happened.
You often see large amounts of dead organic matter in the form of decaying
plants and sometimes dead animals on the ground. You find that they disappear after
some time. This is because the 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.

2.4 Harmful Microorganisms:

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. Let us
study more about their harmful activities.

Disease causing Microorganisms:

Table 2.1: Some Common Human Diseases caused by Microorganisms

 In Humans 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 through 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 dro plets of moisture
carrying thousands of viruses are spread in the air. The virus may enter the body of a
healthy person while breathing.
There are some insects and animals which act as carriers of disease causing
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. Female Aedes mosquito acts as carrier of dengue virus. How
can we control the spread of malaria or dengue?
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. Try to make a list of measures which help to avoid
the spread of malaria.
Some of the common diseases affecting humans, their mode of transmission and
few general methods of prevention are shown in Table 2.1.

Disease causing Microorganisms in Animals:

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.

Disease causing Microorganisms in Plants:

Table 2.2: Some Common Plant Diseases caused by Microorganisms

 Several microorganisms cause diseases in plants like wheat, rice, potato,
sugarcane, orange, apple and others. The diseases reduce the yield of crops. See
Table 2.2 for some such plant diseases. They can be controlled by the use of certain
chemicals which kill the microbes.

Food Poisoning :
Boojho was invited by his friend to a party and he ate a variety of foodstuff. On
reaching home he started vomiting and had to be taken to a hospital. The doctor said
that this condition could be due to food poisoning.
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.

2.5 Food Preservation ;

In Chapter 1, we have learnt about the methods used to preserve and store food
grains. How do we preserve cooked food at home? You know that bread left unused
under moist conditions is attacked by fungus. Microorganisms spoil our food. Spoiled
food emits bad smell and has a bad taste and colour change. Is spoiling of food a
chemical reaction? Paheli bought some mangoes but she could not eat them for a few
days. Later she found that they were spoilt and rotten. But she knows that the mango
pickle her grandmother makes does not spoil for a long time. She is confused.
Let us study the common methods of preserving food in our homes. We have to
save it om the attack of microorganisms.

Chemical Method:
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 the jams and
squashes to check their spoilage.

Preservation by Common Salt:

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. Preservation by Sugar Jams, jellies and
squashes are preserved by sugar. Sugar reduces the moisture content which inhibits
the growth of bacteria which spoil food. Preservation by Oil and Vinegar 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. Heat
and Cold Treatments You must have observed your mother boiling milk before it is
stored or used. Boiling kills many microorganisms.
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 [Link] process was
discovered by Louis Pasteur. It is called pasteurisation.

Storage and Packing:

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

2.6 Nitrogen Fixation:

You have learnt about the bacterium Rhizobium in Classes VI and VII. It is
involved in the fixation of nitrogen in leguminous plants (pulses). Recall that Rhizobium
lives in the root nodules of leguminous plants (Fig. 2.9), such as beans and peas, with
which it has a symbiotic relationship. Sometimes nitrogen gets fixed through the action
of lightning. But you know that the amount of nitrogen in the atmosphere remains
constant. You may wonder how? Let us understand this in the next section.

2.7 Nitrogen cycle:

 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 (Fig. 2.10).
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.

WHAT YOU HAVE LEARNT (SUMMARY):

1) Microorganisms are too small and are not visible to the unaided eye.
2) They can live in all kinds of environment, ranging from ice cold climate to hot springs
and deserts to marshy lands.
3) Microorganisms are found in air, water and in the bodies of plants and animals.
4) They may be unicellular or multicellular.
5) Microorganisms include bacteria, fungi, protozoa and some algae. Viruses, though
different from the above mentioned living organisms, are considered microbes.
6) Viruses are quite different from other microorganisms. They reproduce only inside the
host organism: bacterium, plant or animal cell.
7) Some microorganisms are useful for commercial production of medicines and
alcohol.
8) Some microorganisms decompose the organic waste and dead plants and animals
into simple substances and clean up the environment.
9) Protozoans cause serious diseases like dysentery and malaria.
10) Some of the microorganisms grow on our food and cause food poisoning.
11) Some microorganisms reside in the root nodules of leguminous plants. They can fix
nitrogen from air into soil and increase the soil fertility.
12) Some bacteria and blue green algae present in the soil fix nitrogen from the
atmosphere and convert into nitrogenous compounds.
13) Certain bacteria convert compounds of nitrogen present in the soil into nitrogen gas
which is released to the atmosphere.