Helpful Bacteria? Harmful Bacteria? (Bio Blog #5)

Although most people think of bad things once they hear the word 'bacteria,' not all bacteria is actually harmful to the body. One good bacteria for the human body is gut microflora. They are in the intestines and are also known as 'helpful bacteria.' After scientists studied the helpful bacteria in our gut, it led to the development of probiotics, which is a substance that encourages growth of the beneficial bacteria in our gut. Bifidobacteria and Lactobacilli are the 2 most common species of bacteria used as a probiotics. It is helpful to us because it can prevent many diseases and sicknesses such as different infections and Chron's Disease. Furthermore, it helps lower blood pressure and cholesterol. It may even relieve allergies! Info from:    http://www.buzzle.com/articles/beneficial-bacteria.html    and   http://biomedme.com/biomed-articles/gut-microflora-probiotics-and-gastrointestinal-health_3769.html   

Bad bacteria of course, also exists. It is known as pathogenic bacteria and it can be so harmful that it can cause death. 'Pathogenic' means 'disease carrying' which, as you can tell, is NOT good. They are usually called germs and there are 3 different categories of germs called coccus, bacillus, and spirillium. Coccus produces pus and boils on the skin which can lead to infections of a wound. Bacilli causes much more horrible diseases, the most common being tuberculosis and influenza. Lastly, spirilla causes diseases also such as syphilis, a sexually transmitted disease that can produce skin ulcers, weakness and skeletal damage. Info from: http://www.wisegeek.com/what-are-harmful-bacteria.htm