1.
... That Dryland ecosystems cover over
40% of Earth's terrestrial landmass ?
Biocrusts — soil communities consisting of cyanobacteria, mosses, and lichens—can cover up to 70% of the
ground in these ecosystems. The crucial role played by
these and other very small organisms in nutrient,
carbon, and water cycles has become increasingly clear
in the past few decades. Soil stability and the composition and performance of vascular plant communities
also depend on biocrust health and activity. Yet, little is
known about the identity, biology, eco-physiology, or
distribution of the microbial components that dominate
biocrusts. (1)
2.
?
Did you know…?
Fascinating facts about Microbiology
3.
... That There are 10 times more bacteria in
the average human’s digestive system than
there are cells in the entire body ? This is
approximately 1kg of bacteria. Friendly bacteria in the
digestive system occur mainly in the colon, also called
the large intestine, and in the part of the small intestine
furthest away from the stomach. The oesophagus,
stomach and first section of the small intestine are
mostly bacteria-free because of the deterrent effect of
the strong stomach acid and the high level of digestive
enzymes. The number of individual species is thought
to be somewhere between 300 and 1000, about a third
of all bacteria in the gut are members of the Bacteroides
species. (3)
5.
...that previously insulin was extracted
from the pancreas of animals including
pigs ? Today, the gene for insulin production has
been incorporated into the Escherichia coli bacterium. E.
coli replicates every 20 minutes. Production of insulin is
rapid, requires less space, no pigs, and results in fewer
complications for the patients, such as those allergic to
porcine products.(5)
4.
? however this bacterium
is very specific in the types of food that it
contaminates. B. cereus is present in the outer
casing of rice and, because it is able to form
spores that are very resistant to low or high
temperatures, it can easily survive cooking
and less-than perfect refrigeration. The spores
are also known to be able to withstand
pasteurisation, so this bacterium is of special
concern for the food industry responsible for
the production of processed cook-chill
foods.(4)
Bibliography
1. Ferran Garcia-Pichel Virginia Loza, Yevgeniy Marusenko, Pilar Mateo, Ruth M. Potrafka ”Temperature
Drives the Continental-Scale Distribution of Key Microbes in Topsoil Communities”
2. Russell H. Vreeland, William D. Rosenzweig & Dennis W. Powers “Isolation of a 250 million-year-old
halotolerant bacterium from a primary salt crystal” Nature 407, 897-900 (19 October 2000)
3. B.D.Davis, H.N.Elsen, W.B.Wood, “ In Microbiology”, Harper&Row New York 1980
4. EFSA, “Opinion of the Scientific Panel on Biological Hazards (BIOHAZ) on Bacillus cereus and other
Bacillus spp in foodstuffs” http://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/efsajournal/pub/175.htm
5. Charce, R.E. and Frank, B.H. – “Research, Production and Safety of Biosynthetic Human Insulin”, 1993