Germs?

Hello fellow Germ Buster! Now, we want to discuss with you a little bit about germs. Germs (the catchall name for bacteria, viruses, and other microorganisms) are everywhere—at home, in the office, even in your car. But before we talk about how germs are practically everywhere, We want to tell our fellow Germ-Buster a brief explanation about germs. In a simple biology definition, germ is a very small living thing that causes disease. Further definition for germ is a small mass of living substance capable of developing into into an organism or one of its part.

Germs are so small they cannot be seen without the help of a special instrument called a microscope. Many of these germs will cause disease in humans and other animals. According to history, the ‘Germ’ word has two origins, the first one comes from Middle French which is germe that have meanings like bud, seed, fruit; offering. The second one comes from Latin germen with spring, offshoot; sprout, bud as its meaning. So basically, germs is a small living things that can’t be seen with naked eyes and can causes harmful things to our body. But remember fellow Germ Buster, not all germs are harmful to our body. Some of them are actually good for our body for example, the Lactobacillus germ which turns milk into yoghurt, or the many types of germs which help break down vegetable matter into compost.

There are two main types of germs which can cause disease in humans and animals. These are bacteria and viruses. Bacteria are larger than viruses.

• Bacteria

Bacteria are tiny, one-celled creatures that get nutrients from their environments in order to live. In some cases that environment is a human body. Bacteria can reproduce outside of the body or within the body as they cause infections. Some infections that bacteria can cause include ear infections, sore throats (tonsillitis or strep throat), cavities, and pneumonia.

Some bacteria are good for our bodies — they help keep the digestive system in working order and keep harmful bacteria from moving in. Some bacteria are used to produce medicines and vaccines.

• Viruses

Viruses need to be inside living cells to grow and reproduce. Most viruses can't survive very long if they're not inside a living thing like a plant, animal, or person. Whatever a virus lives in is called its host. Once they've moved into someone's body, though, viruses spread easily and can make a person sick. Viruses are responsible for some minor sicknesses like colds, common illnesses like the flu, and extremely serious diseases like smallpox or HIV/AIDS.

Antibiotics are not effective against viruses. Antiviral agents have been developed against a small, select group of viruses. Because some viruses can live for a short time on something like a doorknob or countertop, be sure to wash your hands regularly!

Besides bacteria and virus, there are two types more of germs, which is Fungi and Protozoa.

• Fungi

Fungi are multi-celled (made of many cells), plant-like organisms. Unlike other plants, fungi cannot make their own food from soil, water, and air. Instead, fungi get their nutrition from plants, people, and animals. They love to live in damp, warm places, and many fungi are not dangerous in healthy people. An example of something caused by fungi is athlete's foot. Many, such as athlete's foot and yeast infections causes itchy rash that teens and adults sometimes get between their toes that are not dangerous in a healthy person. People who have weakened immune systems (from diseases like HIV or cancer), though, may develop more serious fungal infections.

• Protozoa

Protozoa are one-cell organisms that love moisture and often spread diseases through water, like bacteria, and many are able to move on their own. Protozoa love moisture, so intestinal infections and other diseases they cause are often spread through contaminated water. Some are also encapsulated in cysts, which help them live outside the human body and in harsh environments for long periods of time. Some protozoa cause intestinal infections that lead to diarrhea, nausea, and belly pain.

Wel folks, that’s the brief explanation about Germs. Because we already know a bit about germs, we know the danger about them. To prevent those germ causing disease to us, make sure to always wash your hands because a healty life stars from clean hand.

Well, see you on the next topic! stay tune on our blog guys and remember, “Be Aware, Wash With Care”

sources : http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=germ, http://kidshealth.org/en/parents/germs.html, http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/germ