Everything you need to know about bacteria, its kinds, shapes, prevention and medication

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What are Bacteria?
Bacteria aremicroscopic, single-cellorganismsthat livealmost everywhere.
Bacteria livein every climateand locationon earth. Some areairborne
while others live in water or soil. Bacteria liveon and inside plants,
animals, and people. The word "bacteria" hasa negativeconnotation, but
bacteriaactuallyperform manyvital functionsfor organismsand in the
environment. For example, plants need bacteria inthesoil in order to grow.
The vast majorityofbacteriaareharmlessto people and some strainsare
even beneficial. In the humangastrointestinaltract, good bacteria aid in
digestionand producevitamins. Theyalso help with immunity, making the
body less hospitabletobad bacteria and other harmfulpathogens. When
considering all the strainsof bacteriathat exist, relativelyfew are capableof
making people sick.
What Is a Bacterial Infection?
A bacterialinfectionisa proliferationofa harmfulstrainof bacteria onor
insidethe body. Bacteria caninfect anyarea of the body. Pneumonia,
meningitis, and food poisoning arejust a few illnesses that maybe caused
by harmfulbacteria. Bacteriacomeinthree basic shapes: rod-shaped
(bacilli), spherical(cocci), or helical(spirilla). Bacteria mayalso be
classified as gram-positiveor gram-negative. Gram-positivebacteriahavea
thickcell wall while gram-negativebacteriadonot. Gram staining, bacterial
culturewith antibiotic sensitivitydetermination, and other testsare used to
identifybacterialstrainsand help determinetheappropriatecourseof
treatment.
Bacteriavs. Virus
Bacteria and viruses are different types of pathogens, organismsthat can
causedisease. Bacteria arelarger thanvirusesand arecapableof
reproducing ontheir own. Virusesaremuch smaller thanbacteria and
cannot reproduceon their own. Instead, viruses reproduceby infecting a
host and using the host's DNA repair and replicationsystemsto make
copiesof itself.

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The symptomsof a bacterialor viral infectiondepend on the area of the
body that is affected. Sometimesthesymptomsof the two canbe very
similar. For example, runny nose, cough, headache, and fatigue canoccur
with the commoncold (virus) and with a sinus infection(bacteria). A
doctor may use the presenceof other symptoms(such as fever or body
aches), the length of theillness, and certainlab teststo determineif an
illness is due to a virus, bacteria, or some other pathogenor disease
process.
Bacterial Skin Infections
Bacterialskininfectionsareusually caused by gram-positivestrains
of Staphylococcus and Streptococcusor other organisms. Common
bacterialskininfectionsinclude:
 Cellulitiscausesa painful, red infectionthat isusually warm to the
touch. Cellulitis occursmost often on the legs, but it can appear
anywhereon the body.
 Folliculitis isan infectionof the hair follicles that causesred,
swollen bumpsthat look like pimples. Improperly treated pools or hot
tubscan harbor bacteria thatcausefolliculitis.
 Impetigo causesoozing sores, usually in preschool-aged children.
The bullous form of impetigocauseslargeblisterswhilethe non-
bullous form has a yellow, crusted appearance.
 Boils are deep skin infectionsthat start inhair follicles. Boils are
firm, red, tender bumpsthat progressuntilpus accumulates
underneath theskin.
Bacterialskininfectionsaretreated with oral or topicalantibiotics
depending on the straincausing theinfection.
Foodborne Bacterial Infections
Bacterialinfectionsareone causeof foodborneillness. Nausea,
vomiting, diarrhea, fever, chills, and abdominalpain arecommon
symptomsof food poisoning. Raw meat, fish, eggs, poultry, and

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unpasteurized dairymayharbor harmfulbacteriathat cancauseillness.
Unsanitaryfood preparationand handling canalso encouragebacterial
growth. Bacteria that causefood poisoning include:
 Campylobacterjejuni (C.jejuni) is a diarrhealillness often
accompanied bycrampsand fever.
 Clostridiumbotulinum(C.botulinum) is a potentiallylife-
threatening bacterium thatproducespowerfulneurotoxins.
 Escherichiacoli (E. coli) O157:H7 is a diarrheal(oftenbloody)
illness that maybe accompaniedbynausea, vomiting, fever, and
abdominalcramps.
 Listeriamonocytogenes(L. monocytogenes) causesfever,
muscle aches, and diarrhea. Pregnant women, elderly individuals,
infants, and those with weakened immunesystems aremost at risk
for acquiring thisinfection.
 Salmonellacausesfever, diarrhea, and abdominalcramps.
Symptomstypicallylast between4 and 7 days.
 Vibrio causesdiarrhea wheningested, but it can also causesevere
skin infectionswhen it comes in contact with an open wound.
SexuallyTransmitted BacterialInfections
Manysexually transmitted diseases(STDs) arecaused by harmfulbacteria.
Sometimes, theseinfectionsaren't associated with anysymptomsbut can
still causeserious damagetothe reproductivesystem. CommonSTDs
caused by bacterialinfectionsinclude:
Chlamydia is an infectionin men and women caused by an organism called
Chlamydia trachomatis. Chlamydia increasestheriskof pelvic
inflammatorydisease(PID) in women.

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Gonorrhea, also known as "clap" and "the drip," iscaused by Neisseria
gonorrhoeae. Men and women can be infected. Gonorrhea also increases
the risk of pelvic inflammatorydisease(PID) in women.
Syphiliscan affect men and women and is caused by the bacteria
Treponema pallidum. Untreated, syphilisispotentiallyvery dangerousand
caneven be fatal.
Bacterialvaginosis, which causesanovergrowth of pathogenic bacteriain
the vagina (theCDC does not consider this a STD; see second text
reference).
Other Bacterial Infections
Harmfulbacteria canaffect almost anyarea of the body. Other types of
bacterialinfectionsinclude:
 Bacterial meningitis isa severe infectionof the meninges, the
lining of the brain.
 Otitis media isthe officialnamefor an infectionor inflammationof
the middleear. Both bacteriaand virusescan cause ear infections,
which commonly occur inbabiesand small children.
 Urinary tract infection (UTI) is a bacterialinfectionofthe
bladder, urethra, kidneys, or ureters.
 Respiratorytract infections include sore
throat, bronchitis, sinusitis, and pneumonia. Bacteria or virusesmay
be responsiblefor respiratorytract infections. Tuberculosisisa type
of bacteriallower respiratorytractinfection.
Antibiotics
Antibioticsaremedicationsthatfight bacterialinfections. Theywork by
disrupting theprocessesnecessaryfor bacterialcellgrowth and
proliferation. It'simportant totakeantibioticsexactlyasprescribed. Failure
to do so could makea bacterialinfectionworse. Antibioticsdon't treat
viruses, but they're sometimesprescribed inviralillnesses to help prevent a

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"secondarybacterialinfection." Secondaryinfectionsoccur whensomeone
is in a weakened or compromised statedue toan existing illness.
Antibiotic Resistance
Overuse and misuseof antibioticshasled to a risein antibioticresistance.
Antibiotic resistanceoccurswhenbacteriaareno longer sensitiveto a
medicationthat should eliminateaninfection. Antibiotic-resistantbacterial
infectionsarepotentiallyvery dangerousand increasethe risk of death.
About 2 millionpeople in the U.S. suffer from antibioticresistant infections
each year and 23,000 diedue to the condition. TheCDC estimates14,000
deathsalone are due to Clostridium difficile(C. difficile) infectionsthat
occur becauseof antibioticsuppressionofother bacteriaallow C.difficileto
proliferate. Most deathsdue to antibiotic resistant infectionsoccur in
hospitalized patientsand thosewho are in nursing homes.
Good Bacteriaand Probiotics
Beneficialbacterialive in thehumangastrointestinal(GI) tract and play an
important rolein digestionand immunity. Most peopleknow it'ssmart to
eat yogurt after completing a courseof antibioticstorepopulatethe GI tract
with helpful bacteriathat werewiped out from the antibiotics.
Some studieshave shown probiotics canshortenthedurationof infectious
diarrhea. Theymayalso reducethe risk of developing diarrhealillness due
to antibiotic use. Probioticsseem to reducegas, bloating, and abdominal
painassociated with irritablebowelsyndrome (IBS). Ongoing research
seeks to determinethe types and dosagesof bacteriathat aremost
beneficialtohumanhealth.
Courtesy: https://www.onhealth.com/content/1/viral_infections