Understanding Bacteria Worksheet
Section 1
1. Pneumonia, meningitis, salmonella food poisoning, strep
throat, MRSA, bubonic plague, stomach flu, STDs, and
many more
2. less than 1%.
3. Artificial snow, remove stains from clothes, food
products such as yogurt and cheese and breads. Bacteria
are also used in genetic engineering and have
environmental applications like: cleaning up oil spills
and production of alternative fuels.
4. Viruses are 100 times smaller, live in hosts to survive,
and are not alive themselves.
5. A lethal condition caused by a toxin that is released by
Clostridium botulinum
6. Relax muscles using a very diluted dose (1/1000). This
treatment could help conditions such as Multiple
Sclerosis, Cerebal Palsy and Parkinson’s Disease and
even stuttering.
7. The secret is the “mother dough” added to the recipe.
This contains Lactobacillus bacteria.
8. Several people died and more became sick.
Undercooked hamburgers having Escherischia coli was
the cause.
9. The antibiotic known as Penicillin was harvested from a
bread mold by Alexander Flemming in 1928.
10. Bacteria exchange plasmids with each other. These
plasmids have bits and pieces of DNA they incorporate
into their everyday lives to help adapt to changes in their
environment.
Section 2
1. To promote growth. Less energy has to be devoted to
fighting off germs and more can be applied to
growing.
2. By doing so you select for antibiotic resistant strains
of the organism. It may also give other organisms an
opportunity to invade they might not otherwise have.
3. They used Pseudomonas bacteria to “eat” cyanide (a
poison), by breaking the compound apart.
4. To understand the genes responsible for growth and
disease, we can fight them. From understanding comes
new products such as antibiotics, vaccines and
industrial uses.
5. Bacteria can whiten paper and reduce the need for
chlorine, which pollutes fresh water supplies.
Some other points of interest to consider…..
- Hospitals are good for treating injuries and
immediate problems but are not good places to heal.
- Antibiotics can cause harm to organs while they are
trying to kill the what is making you sick.
- Airplanes are disease factories, so take certain
precautions: wear a face mask, boost vitamin C,
keep well hydrated, ask to move to a different seat.
- “Rub a little dirt on it”