Comments

  • Photo: Claire

    Claire commented on :

    This is a great question! Not all microorganisms are bad—in fact, many are incredibly beneficial and essential to life on Earth. Harmful microorganisms (and the ones we tend to hear more about in the media) can cause disease in humans, animals or plants. Some examples you may have heard of are Bacteria (e.g., E. coli, Salmonella), viruses (e.g., influenza, HIV, COVID), fungi (e.g., Candida), and parasites (e.g. Malaria). We find these microorganisms in lots of places. They can be in air we breathe or in food and drink.

  • Photo: melissau

    melissau commented on :

    This is an excellent question! Some micro-organisms are good and, in fact, essential for healthy life – an example would be the micro-organisms which live inside a cow’s gut and are essential to help break down the cell walls of the grass and other plants which they eat. Humans also have (different) bacteria living inside our gut which are very important for helping to digest what we eat. If a doctor prescribes antibiotics for us to treat an infection, they are aware and we also need to be aware that it’s possible that the antibiotic may affect our gut micro-organisms too (unintentionally) so it’s important to let your doctor know if you have signs of gut upset (diarrhoea, abdominal pain etc) at this time.