Diseases Caused By Microorganisms
Microorganisms or microbes are microscopic organisms that exist as unicellular, multicellular, or cell clusters. They can be divided into six major types: bacteria, archaea, fungi, protozoa, algae, and viruses.
- While some microbes play an important part in our daily lives by keeping us healthy, others are nothing but disease-causing microbes and can make humans, animals and plants sick by causing infection and disease.
- Disease-causing microbes can also be called pathogens, germs or bugs and are responsible for causing infectious diseases. They can also contribute to chronic diseases and conditions, and are now being linked with coronary artery disease, diabetes, and certain types of cancer, multiple sclerosis and chronic lung disease.
- These disease-causing microbes belong to four major groups: bacteria, viruses, protozoa and fungi.
Viruses
Viruses are tiny infectious agents. They replicate only in the living cells of other organisms.
- Viruses can be seen only through an electron microscope.
- They are inactive outside a living cell.
- Once they are inside the host body, they take over the entire cellular activities of the organism.
- They cannot be destroyed by antibiotics.
- Common cold, Measles, Smallpox, Chickenpox, Dengue, Polio, Rubella, Rabies, Covid-19 are some of the diseases caused by viruses.
Bacteria
These are a diverse group of single-cell microorganisms. They display variety of shapes, including rods, spirals, or spheres. Bacteria divide and reproduce themselves through a process called binary fission.
- Not all bacteria cause diseases. The bacteria that infect organisms produce toxins that can cause diseases.
- These can be killed by antibiotics.
- Disease caused by bacteria: Cholera, Tuberculosis, Anthrax, Tetanus, Whooping cough (Pertussis), Typhoid fever, Leprosy, Plague .
Fungi
Fungi are microorganisms that are characterised by cell walls made from a substance called chitin.
- Fungi can grow in damp, moist areas on the body and lead to infections such as athlete’s foot, ringworm, etc.
- Diseases caused by Fungi: Athlete’s foot, Dhobie itch, Madura foot, Ringworm (tinea).
Protozoa
Protozoa are single-celled parasites. They invade or eat host cell, or gets into the bloodstream and quickly reproduce by copying themselves.
- Diseases caused by Protozoa: Amoebiasis (Amoebic dysentery), Kala Azar, Malaria and sleeping sickness.
List of microorganisms and infectious diseases caused by them:
| Disease | Causing Agent | Infection / Transmission |
|---|---|---|
| AIDS | Human T -cell Leukemia Virus HTLV-III | blood and sperms , thru sexual contact homo or heterosexual) |
| Ascariasis | Ascaris lumbricoides | raw vegetables infected with eggs |
| Athletes’ Foot | Trichophyton | bad foot hygiene |
| Bacillary Dysentery | Shigella Dysenterie | flies, food, faeces |
| Botulism | Clostridium botulinum | food poisoning |
| Chickenpox | Varicella Virus | contact |
| Cholera | Varibrio Cholerae | flies, food , faeces, carriers |
| Common Cold | Rhino Virus | contact |
| Dengue | Dengue Virus (arbovirus) | Aedes Mosquito |
| Diarrhea | Giardia intestinalis | contaminated stools |
| Diphtheria | Corynebacterium diptheriae ( Bacteria) | contact |
| Filariasis | Wuchereria bancrofti | mosquito, infection in lymph nodes and lymphatic vessels |
| Gonorrhoea | Diplococcus ( Neisseria gonorrhoeae) | sexual intercourse |
| Herpes | Herps Virus | contact |
| Hook worm disease | Ancylostoma Duedenale | faiseces and walking barefoot. |
| Influenza Flu | Orthomixovirus | contact |
| kala azar | Leishmania Donovani | infected sand fly |
| Leprosy | Mycobacterium Leprae | Long and close contact |
| Measles | Measles virus (ParaMyxoVirus) | contact |
| Mumps | Mumps Virus (Paramyxovirus) | contact, virus in saliva spreads |
| oriental Sore | Leishmania Tropica | infected sand fly |
| Pinworm Disease | Enterobius Vermicularis caecum | ingestion of eggs contaminated food |
| Plague | Yersinia Pestis | Rat Flea |
| Pneumonia | Diplococcus pneumoniae | bacteria transmission by contact. |
| Poliomyelitis | Polio Virus or Enterovirus | houseflies, food and water |
| Rabies | rhabdovirus | mad dog bites |
| Ringworm | Microsporum Trichophyton | cats and dogs |
| Septic Sore Throat | Streptococcus Bacteria | contact |
| Sleeping Sickness | Tryponosoma Brucei | reaches lymph nodes via transmission thru fly bites |
| Smallpox | Variola Virus | contact |
| Syphilis | Treponema Palladium | direct contact mainly sex |
| TB | Mycobacterium tuberculosis | Bacteria transmission by cough |
| Tetanus | Clostidium tetani | bacteria in soil thru wounds |
| Typhoid | Salmonella Typhi | Flies, food etc. |
| Vaginatis | Trichomonas Vaginalis | Female Vaginal tracts, Male Urinary Tract both may be infected during coitus |
| Viral Encephelitis | arbovirus | mosquito Bite |
| Whooping cough | Hameophilius Pertussis | coughing and sneezing |
Also refer :
- Download the pdf of Important MCQs From the History Of Ancient India
- List Of Important Inscriptions In India
