MICROORGANISMS:

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Living organisms around us which cannot be seen normally are called microorganisms or microbes.
Microorganisms are classified into four major groups: bacteria, fungi, protozoa, and some algae. Viruses
are also microscopic but are different from other microorganisms and reproduce only inside the host
organism: bacterium, plant, or animal cell.

Characteristics of Microorganisms:
· Microorganisms may be unicellular (bacteria, some algae, and protozoa), or multicellular (many algae
and fungi).
· Microorganisms live in all types of environment, ranging from ice cold climate to hot springs, and
deserts to marshy lands.
· Microorganisms are found in air, water and in the bodies of plants and animals.
· Some microorganisms grow on other organisms while others exist freely.

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.

Friendly Microorganisms:
Microorganisms are used for various purposes. Some of these are:

Making of Curd and Bread:

· The bacterium, Lactobacillus promotes the formation of curd.
· Bacteria are also involved in the making of cheese, pickles, and many other food items.
· Yeast is used in the baking industry for making breads, pastries, and cakes.

Commercial Use of Microorganisms:

Yeast is used for commercial production of alcohol and wine. It is grown on natural sugars present in grains

MICROORGANISMS: FRIEND AND FOE

like barley, wheat, rice, crushed fruit juices, etc. This process of conversion of sugar into alcohol is known as
fermentation.

Medicinal Use of Microorganisms:

The source of many antibiotic tablets, capsules, or injections (such as penicillin) is microorganisms. These
medicines kill or stop the growth of the disease-causing microorganisms and are called antibiotics.
· Streptomycin, tetracycline, and erythromycin are some of the commonly known antibiotics which are
made from fungi and bacteria.
· Antibiotics are even mixed with the feed of livestock and poultry to check microbial infection in
animals.
· Antibiotics are also used to control many plant diseases.

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 Words of Caution
If antibiotic is taken unnecessarily, it may kill the beneficial bacteria in the body.
Antibiotics 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. This forms the basis for vaccine manufacturing.
· Several diseases, including cholera, tuberculosis, smallpox, and hepatitis can be prevented by
vaccination.
· Polio drops given to children is a vaccine.
· A worldwide campaign against smallpox has led to its eradication from most parts of the world.

Increasing Soil Fertility: Some bacteria can 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: Some microorganisms decompose the organic waste and dead plants and
animals into simple substances and clean up the environment. (vermicomposting)
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.
Disease causing Microorganisms in Humans: Microbial diseases that can spread from an infected person to
a healthy person through air, water, food, or physical contact are called communicable diseases. Some
insects and animals act as carriers of disease-causing microbes (pathogens). For example,
· Female Anopheles mosquito carries the parasite of Malaria (Plasmodium),
· Female Aedes mosquito acts as carrier of Dengue virus.
Some of the common diseases affecting humans, their mode of transmission and few general methods of
prevention are shown in the following Table:
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Disease causing Microorganisms in Animals: Several microorganisms cause diseases in 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: 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 using certain chemicals which kill the microbes. Some such plant diseases are shown below:

MICROORGANISMS: FRIEND AND FOE

Food Poisoning: Microorganisms sometimes produce toxic substances and make the food poisonous
causing serious illness and even death. Various methods used to protect food from being spoilt are termed as
Food Preservation techniques. Most common methods are:
· Chemical Method: Salts and edible oils are the common chemicals generally used to check the growth
of microorganisms. Therefore, they are called preservatives. For example,
Ø Salt or acid is added to pickles.
Ø Sodium benzoate and sodium metabisulphite are used in jams and squashes.
· Preservation by Common Salt: Common salt has been used to preserve meat and fish for ages.
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. Vegetables,

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 fruits, fish, and meat are often preserved by this method.
· Heat and Cold Treatments: Boiling kills many microorganisms while Low temperature inhibits the
growth of microbes. The milk is heated to about 700 C for 15 to 30 seconds and then suddenly chilled
and stored. This process was discovered by Louis Pasteur. It is called pasteurisation.
· Storage and Packing: Dry fruits and even vegetables are sealed in airtight packets to prevent the
attack of microbes.

Nitrogen Fixation
Some microorganisms reside in the root nodules of leguminous plants (pulses) and can fix nitrogen from air
into soil and increase the soil fertility such as bacterium Rhizobium forms symbiotic relationship with
legume plants. Circulation of nitrogen in nature occurs in various forms and is termed as Nitrogen cycle.

Nitrogen Cycle:
· 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 constant.
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Fig. 2.1: Nitrogen Cycle

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 Interesting points

· In 1857, Louis Pasteur discovered fermentation.

· In 1929, Alexander Fleming discovered the antibiotic Penicillin.
· In 1798, Edward Jenner discovered the vaccine for smallpox.
· In 1876, Robert Köch discovered the Anthrax disease causing bacterium (Bacillus anthracis).

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