Helpful Bacteria

Web Design Company Manchester
article writing services

How will you react if I tell you that your body consists of 1 to 2.6 kg of bacteria inside it? Shocked? Well, I can imagine your surprised face. Most of the people believe that bacteria are dangerous and are responsible for diseases and infections but this isn't true. In fact the truth is that, most of the bacteria are helpful in the functioning of a living body and are also capable of performing many other useful functions. These helpful bacteria are present in huge numbers inside as well as outside our body. Well let's check out all types of helpful bacteria which not only help in proper functioning of our body but also contribute in many other functions in and outside the body. Some of the helpful bacteria examples are Bifidobacterium, Rhizobium and E.coli, among many others.

Helpful Bacteria - to Humans

Human body has millions of helpful bacteria which participate in different functions of our body. As you know the amount of bacteria present in the body varies from 1 to 2.6 kg, this volume contains a huge number of bacteria. These bacteria can be present in all the parts of the body but mostly they are found in the intestine where they help in the process of digestion. They also play a very important role in helping preventing bacterial infections to genital parts, like yeast infections. Some beneficial bacteria to humans are helpful in maintaining the pH of the body normal and under control. Some are even involved in protecting the skin from many infections. They are also helpful in the production of vitamin K and have a role to play in immune system function.

Helpful Bacteria - to the Environment

One of the famous names of helpful bacteria in the environment is the Rhizobium. These bacteria are also called as nitrogen fixing bacteria. They are present in the root nodules of plants and fix the nitrogen present in the atmosphere. They are considered to be very helpful to the environment. The other most important work of the bacteria in the environment is to breakdown the organic waste material which helps maintain fertility of soil. Azotobacters are the group of bacteria which convert the gaseous nitrogen into nitrates which is further used by Rhizobium for nitrogen fixing.

Other Roles of Helpful Bacteria

There are many other functions of beneficial bacteria. Following are some of the helpful functions of the different types of bacteria.

* Bacteria are helpful in the process of fermentation. Hence in many industries which are associated with beer or wine preparation, yogurt and cheese preparation, etc use these bacteria for the process of fermentation. The bacteria used in fermentation are Lactobacillis.
* Bacteria are helpful in the sewage treatment. They are used to breakdown the organic material into methane gas. Hence they are used in many industries. Some bacteria are also helpful in cleaning oil spills.
* Some bacteria are used in the production of antibiotics like streptomycin and tetracycline. Streptomyces are soil bacteria used in the commercial production of antibiotics and are used in many well known pharmaceutical industries.
* E.coli which is present in the stomach of animals like cows, buffaloes, etc help them in the process of digestion.

Apart from these helpful bacteria there are few harmful bacteria too which may lead to infections, but they are few in number. I hope this article was able to make you understand the differences between helpful and harmful types of bacteria. So, don't associate bacteria with just harm; there are so many of them, which are of great help to humans and the environment.