Types of

Microorganism
Jared Laurent S. Tagupa
Luisa May Moralde
This tree of life shows
the different types of
microorganisms.
 BACTERIA
Bacteria are single called microbes.
The cell structure is simpler than that
of other organisms as there is no
nucleus or membrane bound
organelles. Instead their control
center containing the genetic
information is contained in a single
loop of DNA.
 Bacteria and Humans
Bacteria and humans have many important
relationships. Bacteria make our lives easier in
a number of ways. In fact, we could not
survive without them. On the other hand,
bacteria can also make us sick.
 Benefits of Bacteria
Bacteria provide vital ecosystem services. They are important
decomposers. They are also needed for the carbon and nitrogen cycles.
There are billions of bacteria inside the human intestines. They help
digest food, make vitamins, and play other important roles.
 Humans also use bacteria in many other ways, including:

● Creating products, such as ethanol and enzymes.

● Making drugs, such as antibiotics and vaccines.
● Making biogas, such as methane
● Cleaning up oil spills and toxic wastes.
● Killing plant pests.
● Transferring normal genes to human cells in gene therapy.
● Fermenting foods (see Figure below).
● Bacteria and Disease
● You have ten times as many bacteria as human cells in your body. Most of these
bacteria are harmless. However, bacteria can also cause disease. Examples of
bacterial diseases include tetanus, syphilis, and food poisoning. Bacteria may
spread directly from one person to another. For example, they can spread
through touching, coughing, or sneezing. They may also spread via food, water, or
objects.
● Another way bacteria and other pathogens can spread is by vectors. A vector is an organism that spreads
pathogens from host to host. Insects are the most common vectors of human diseases. Figure below shows
two examples.

● Bacterial Disease Vectors. Ticks spread bacteria that cause Lyme disease. Deerflies spread bacteria that cause
tularemia.
● Humans have literally walked into some new bacterial diseases. When people come into contact with wild
populations, they may become part of natural cycles of disease transmission. Consider Lyme disease. It’s
caused by bacteria that normally infect small, wild mammals, such as mice. A tick bites a mouse and picks up
the bacteria. The tick may then bite a human who invades the natural habitat. Through the bite, the bacteria
are transmitted to the human host.
● Controlling Bacteria
● Bacteria in food or water usually can be killed by heating it to a high temperature (generally, at least 71°C, or
160°F). Bacteria on many surfaces can be killed with chlorine bleach or other disinfectants. Bacterial
infections in people can be treated with antibiotic drugs. For example, if you ever had “strep” throat, you
were probably treated with an antibiotic.
● Antibiotics have saved many lives. However, misuse and over-use of the drugs have led to antibiotic
resistance in bacteria. Figure below shows how antibiotic resistance evolves. Some strains of bacteria are
now resistant to most common antibiotics. These infections are very difficult to treat.
 ARCHAEA
Archaea are single-celled
microorganisms with structure similar
to bacteria. They are evolutionarily
distinct from bacteria and eukaryotes
and form the third domain of life.
Archaea are obligate anaerobes living
in environments low in oxygen (e.g.,
water, soil).
 Harmful Effects of Kingdom Archaebacteria
There are only a few studies about archaebacterial
colonization inside the human body and its impacts on
human health. However, researchers agree that it can
potentially promote disease.

1. Producing Sulfuric Acid

As a sulfolobus, archaea produce a waste product in a form of sulfuric acid in sulfur
cycle in the sulfur-rich environment. Even if they release oxidizing sulfur compounds
for another organism, this sulfuric acid can contribute to acid mine drainage and
environmental damages. A moderate concentration of sulfuric acid can be dangerous
upon contact with skin and cause chemical burns.

The accumulated and evaporated sulfuric acid will end up as acid rain. Acid rain can
cause deforestation, corrosion of building and waterways acidifying. You may also
read: Acid in Water Reaction; Theories; Formula; Experiment.
 2. Producing Marsh Gas
Marsh gas is biogas that has methane as their main component. It is usually formed in wetlands
such as swamp. Marsh gas is more likely to have unpredictable spontaneous combustion. This will
lead to local damage to the environment and ecosystem.

Marsh gas is also called greenhouse gas as it associated with global climate change. This happens
due to methane property that will absorb the sun’s heat and warm the atmosphere. You may also
read about Health Benefits of Food Grade Hydrogen Peroxide.

3. Promoting Periodontitis
Periodontitis is a condition where tissues surround teeth have inflammation, these tissues are
including gum, alveolar bone, and periodontal ligaments. Untreated periodontitis can lead to bad
breath, bleeding gum, and tooth loss. There are several studies that associate the presence of
methanogenic archaea in human sub gingival to the incident of periodontitis. It is suspected to
increase the severity of chronic periodontitis.

The organism that plays this role is named Moralis. It possibly acts as a syntrophic partner for
other sub gingival flora. This will lead to alteration of flora in sub gingival biofilm or plaque and
increase their virulence.
4. Flatulence
Digestive flatulence is gas generated in the stomach. Although it is normal to release some bowel
gases by burping or farting, frequent flatulence can cause pain, bloating, and inconvenience. This
condition is associated with methanogens due to its metabolic byproduct, methane.

5. Ruminants Belching
Ruminants are estimated to emit 600 liters of methane every day, making them the main contributor
to the greenhouse effect. The methane is produced by methanogenic archaea inside animal’s gut and
get out by burping. The popularity of beef consumptions leads to expanding of ruminants husbandry.
Farmers have tried to reduce the incident of burping by trying alternative foods for the stock. You
may also read about Uses of Hydrogen Peroxide

6. Chronic constipation
As archaeal can be found in the human gut, studies found that there a possible connection between
methanogen and gut activities. The human gut extremely has low oxygen concentrations, this makes
normal gut’s microbiomes are 90% strict anaerobes. People that have lower methane excretion by
methanogens, tends to have episodically diarrhea. Meanwhile, as the opposite, methanogens bloom
may promote constipation. Untreated constipation will lead to anal fissure, hemorrhoids, and rectal
prolapse.
 7. Inflammatory Bowel Disease
M. stadtmanae is an abundant methanogen that depends on acetate as a carbon source. It can be
found in human and other mammalian colons. The release of strong pro-inflammatory cytokine that
prevalent in inflammatory bowel disease patients is induced by M. stadtmanae. Inflammatory
bowel disease is an intestinal disorder caused by a dysregulated immune response to host
intestinal microflora that leads to prolonged inflammation of the digestive tract. Patients that have
inflammatory bowel disease have increased the risk of colorectal cancer.

8. Obesity
The colonization of bacteria that enhances the production of short-chain fatty acid can be increased by
methanogens through a syntrophic interaction. The production of short-fatty acid can increase the caloric
contribution of the host. This unknown calorie intake will later lead to overweight and obesity. People with
excessive body weight is prone to various disease and health condition such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease,
sleep apnea and asthma. You may also read about Effects of Agricultural Chemicals on Human Health

9. Cardiovascular Disease
Trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO) that is oxidized from trim ethylene by M. Luminyensis utilization.
Trim ethylene is a metabolite product of gut microbiota. TMAO is associated with atherosclerosis in
mice. Atherosclerosis is a narrowed down artery due to accumulated plaque, it can result in stroke,
artery disease, and kidney problem.
10. Bacterial Vaginosis
Methanogenic archaebacterial have been found in vaginas with bacterial vaginosis.
Even if it doesn’t do the harm directly, this organism coexists with pathogen cells.
Bacterial vaginosis is a bacteria caused infection of the vagina. This condition happens
because of the colony alteration of normal vaginal microbiomes. This alteration makes
opportunist pathogen to rise up and causing infection.

While most of the disadvantages are caused by methanogenic archaebacterial due to

their metabolic product, there are still questionable pathologies on how the rest
archaeal groups do harms to the environment and human body.
The Role Archaebacteria in The
Environment
1. Play an important role nitrogen cycle. You
may also read: 8 Uses of Nitrogen in Soil for
Plants Growth (Nutrient Management)
2. Play an important carbon cycle.
3. Methane that produced by methanogenic
archaeal can be a useful biogas with a proper
handling.
4. Biomining metal.
5. Organic solvent, by using thermophilic
archaeal that can synthesize organic
compounds.
6. Sewage treatments.
7. A potential antibiotic (archaeocins).
FUNGI • Fungi are split into 3 groups
known as moulds, mushrooms
and yeasts.
• Most fungi are beneficial or
useful to us like yeast (bread,
beer and wine making),
mushrooms(food), those that
make antibiotics and those used
in composting.
• A few are harmful or pathogenic.
These include fungi that cause
diseases such as athlete’s foot,
thrush, ringworm, aspergillosis
and pneumocystis pneumonia.
 Humans and Fungi
Beneficial Effects of Fungi
• Decomposition- nitrogen and carbon recycling
• Biosynthetic factories. Can be used to produce drugs, antibiotics, alcohol, acids, foods(e.g., fermented
products, mushrooms)
• Model organisms for biochemical and genetics studies
• Food
• Long historical use of psychoactive fungi for spiritual purposes; modern use as entheogens and
treatment of psychiatric disorders and addiction

Harmful Effects of Fungi

• Destruction of food, lumber, paper
• Animal and human diseases/ infections, allergies
• Toxins produced by poisonous mushrooms and within food (e.g., grain, cheese, etc.)
• Plants diseases
 VIRUS
A virus is a biological agent that
reproduces inside the cells of living
hosts. When Infected by a virus, a
host cell is forced to produce many
thousands of identical copies of the
original virus, at an extraordinary
rate. Unlike most living things, viruses
do not have cells that divide new
viruses are assembled in the infected
host cell.
Benefits of Viruses
1. Genetic Engineering
Viruses can ve used to tasfer gees from one organism to nother in genetic
engineering. Such viruses are called vectors e.g. human insulin gene
transferred into E. coli.
2. Control of Infections
Bacteriophages may be used to control bacterial infections.

The physical effects on those

infected and the mental trauma and
the fear, which almost everyone
faces.

The fear of not knowing how

this pndemic is going to play out, in
terms of our economic, physical and
 Effects of Viruses
Harmful Beneficial
 Common illneses such as flu, cold and  Viruses can be used to produce
chicken pox. vaccines against serious viruses.
 More serioues illnesses such as AIDS,
SARS,measles and mumps.
 Thanks For
Watching!
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