Diseases

What causes diseases?

 Germs are tiny organisms that humans cannot see.
 Germs are everywhere and they can cause sickness and disease.
 There are four types of germs: bacteria, viruses, protozoa and fungi.
 Bacteria

 What happens to milk if you leave it outside the fridge? It turns sour.
 This change is caused by bacteria –
 Bacteria are all around us.
 There is good bacteria and bad bacteria.
 Good bacteria live in our intestines and they help us to digest the nutrients in the
food we eat.
 Bad bacteria causes diseases like sore throats, ear infections, tooth decay and food
poisoning.
 Viruses

 Viruses are even smaller than bacteria.

 They cause diseases such as chicken pox, measles,
flu, HIV/AIDS, rabies and covid19
 Fungi
 Most fungi live in damp, dark places.
 Fungi grows and feeds on food or on dead plants and
animals.
 Bread moulds and mushrooms are examples of fungi.
 Some fungi are useful but others cause diseases like
ringworm and Athlete's foot.
 Food with fungi must be thrown away as it can make
you very sick.
 Protozoa
 Protozoa are micro-organisms that can live in:-
 Humans
 Animals
 Freshwater
 Seawater
 The soil
 Malaria is caused by protozoa that lives in
mosquitoes
 Activity
1. Copy the table into your book and complete it by filling in the diseases that these germs cause.

Germs

Bacteria
Viruses
Fungi
Protozoa

2. Experiment : Grow some fungus on a slice of bread.

Take one slice of bread, sprinkle a little bit of water on it the put it in a see through plastic packet and tie it
tightly. Put it somewhere dark and warm like under the sink and leave it there for 5 days. After 5 days have a
look at the packet. DO NOT OPEN IT.
Throw it away when you have seen the mould on the bread.