The word microbe derives from the Greek: micro, small and bio, life, for which a microbe is a living being that can only be visualized using a microscope, the main tool of the microbiology, science that is dedicated to the study of microbes.
Microbes are also known as microorganisms, they are of different sizes and can be made up of one or more cells.
There are several types of microbe
Microbes can be of four fundamental types, these are:
Virus. They are the smallest living forms that exist, they are incomplete microorganisms since although they have their genetic material, which allows them to give rise to new viruses, they do not have the machinery to replicate it, so the only way to reproduce is by infecting a cell to use this machinery. Viruses are not normally found in the body unless there is an infection, in some cases there are chronic infections that do not produce symptoms that cause the person who suffers to be called an asymptomatic carrier, as occurs in infection by viruses such as the Hepatitis virus B.
Bacteria They are the most abundant type of life form on the planet. They are formed by a cell and are named according to the shape they take, and they can be cocci when they are spherical, bacilli when they are elongated, vibrios when they take the shape of a coma or spirillae when they are similar to a spiral.
Mushrooms. They are microorganisms that can be made up of one or more cells (yeasts or hyphae respectively), whose main distinctive element is their ability to produce spores, a way that allows them to survive in hostile environments. Many of them cause diseases in humans, such as Aspergillus, Histoplasma, Candida, etc.
Protozoa. They are more complex unicellular organisms than bacteria, they can have one or more nuclei, they are capable of living inside and outside their hosts and they have their own mechanisms of locomotion. Many are capable of producing serious diseases in humans such as the Amoebae, Giardias and Trichomonas.
Are all microbes harmful?
Microbe is generally thought of as a synonym for disease, which is not always true. While there is an important group of microbes capable of causing disease, called pathogenic microorganisms, the vast majority not only do not cause damage, but also play an important role in the metabolism of various substances and even help defend the body against pathogenic microorganisms, as in the case of bacterial flora.
A type of bacteria considered beneficial is lactobacillus, which is part of the intestinal flora preventing the intestine from being invaded by bacteria capable of producing diarrheal diseases, this type of bacteria is supplied as medical treatment in the form of probiotics.
Photos: Fotolia - science / rdonar
