Question

Discuss several ways in which bacteria are medically and ecologically important.

Answer 1

Medical importance of bacteria

·         For antibiotic production: Various bacteria produce antibiotics which control the infections in the human body. Most of the antibiotic produced by actinomycetes. Streptomycin, tetracycline, and rifamycin etc.

·         For the production of vaccines: we can be used bacteria as a vaccine by removing of virulence by the repeated culturing method or we can inactivate by adding the chemical (formaldehyde) after that we use as a vaccine for prevention of infectious BACTERIAL diseases.

·         Ex. BCG vaccine prepared from Mycobacterium bovis by repeated culturing in nutrient depleted media.

·         Probiotics: This bacteria is part of normal flora of human body and prevent the attachment of pathogen bacteria and further eliminates pathogens from body These are friendly bacteria which can be used to fight infections. They are specially used to treat diarrhea in children.

·         For genetic engineering: Bacteria have short reproduction cycle about 20 minutes it can divide. And produce new daughter cells. This factor of bacteria is used in biotechnology to produce biological compounds in the form of insulin, human growth hormone, erythropoietin, DNase, Factor VIII and vitamin-B12.

·         Protein A/G are immunoglobulin-binding bacterial proteins and are commonly used to purify, immobilize or detect immunoglobulins

·         Streptokinase is an enzyme produced by streptococci which can break down blood clots and is therefore used in the treatment of myocardial infarction.

Ecological Importance

• Nitrogen fixation- the rhizobium-nodulation in legume plants
• Phosphorus mineralization-Bacillus megatherium,
• Involved in the weathering process or soil formation or ecological succession by producing acids which act on stones, further converted into minerals the process known as mineralization
• Decomposition of organic matter
• Humous formation
• 25% rain formation because clouds are formed by ice crystal formation with dust particle and later they fall on the ground in the form of rainwater drops (pseudomonas Syringe)
• Degradation of various chemicals and xenobiotics and recalcitrant
• They can grow in various habitat (hot, cold and normal temperature, pH and pressure)
• Production of oxygen by cyanobacteria