Bacteria’s Role in the World

1. Bacteria’s Role in the World Pgs. 29 - 32

2. Good for the Environment • Some bacteria can cause disease, but many are helpful to us. • Nitrogen-fixing bacteria consume nitrogen in the air and change it into a form that plants can use. • Decomposing bacteria make nutrients available again to living things that can use them.

4. Clean up Bacteria • Some bacteria have been used to combat pollution. • Bioremediation is the use of bacteria and other microorganisms to change pollutants into harmless chemicals. • This is used in industrial, agricultural and municipal wastes as well as oil spills.

5. Bacteria Good for People • People have been able to genetically engineer bacteria since 1973. • Researchers inserted genes from a frog into Escherichia coli and the bacteria reproduced frog genes. • Scientists can engineer bacteria for medicines, insecticides, cleansers, adhesives, foods and many other products.

6. Uses for Bacteria • Some bacteria are used to make antibiotics that kill bacteria. • Some make insulin, which is a substance needed by the body to properly use sugars and carbohydrates. • Cheese, yogurt, buttermilk, and sour cream are all made with bacteria. • Lactic-acid bacteria make lactic acid to use as a preservative for foods.

7. Harmful Bacteria • Pathogenic bacteria cause diseases by invading a host organism and obtain nutrients from the host’s cells. • These bacteria can be cured with antibiotics. • Some types of diseases from bacteria are: cavities, ulcers, strep throat, food poisoning, bacterial pneumonia, Lyme disease, Tuberculosis Leprosy, Typhoid fever, bubonic plague

8. Diseases for more than people • Pathogenic bacteria attack plants, animals, protists, fungi and other bacteria. • They can cause damage to fruit, grain, and vegetable crops.