Bacteria

What do you think when you hear "bacteria"? Illness? There are more than 20 million kinds of bacteria. By no means all of them make us ill. In fact, you have lots of bacteria within your body right now.

In the intestines of an adult are around 200 grams of bacteria. The bowel bacteria help us to digest food. Without them we would become ill. But it's true. There are also bacteria that are harmful to us.

We'll take a look at some of them. Bacteria are the cause of illnesses that attack people all over the world. Some are serious and lethal, like tuberculosis and tetanus. Others you recover from in a few days. Like food poisoning.

Have you ever had food poisoning? Then you know that you can start to feel sick very soon after the consumption of something infected. It might be just a few hours. Bacteria reproduce really fast. Those that entered your body with the food have already become much more numerous.

One bacterium can divide and become two in only one hour. After two hours there are four bacteria. After three hours, eight. After 24 hours, one single bacterium has become -- Over 16 million bacteria. When you're infected by illness bacteria, your immune system reacts.

The body launches several systems to fight the enemy. This war in the body is a big reason for you feeling sick. When you have a fever, it shows that your immune system is active. The fever occurs because the white blood cells, that are an important part of the defense, release substances that raise the body temperature. When it gets warmer, the bacteria do not thrive as well.

The substances produced by the white blood cells may also make you vomit... -- and they may make you sweat or cause muscle aches. Even though these substances make you feel sick, they are important, since they function as a weapon against the bacteria. It's not possible to avoid bacterial diseases completely. Many bacteria are spread in the air, from person to person. To stay alone, not to become ill, would be rather boring. -- Sometimes animals spread bacterial diseases.

But it is unusual. It would be both difficult and unnecessary to avoid animals. But there are things you can do to prevent the risk of diseases spreading. Be clean, and keep it clean, when you cook. Bacteria from the body should not end up in the food.

Bacteria from meat should not end up on the vegetables. Heat kills bacteria, and the meat, you will probably boil or fry. But the carrots, you might eat raw. Then they must not carry bacteria from meat. Cool down, or freeze leftover food.

If there are bacteria in the food, the coldness slows down their reproduction, or stops it. Avoid food that has been lukewarm for some hours. There, bacteria have probably begun to reproduce. Wash your hands thoroughly when you have been to the toilet, and before you're about to eat. -- Keep wounds clean, so that bacteria won't grow there. Avoid fingering your mouth, nose or eyes.

You might transfer bacteria in or out. -- Sneeze or cough in the crook of your arm, or in a handkerchief, so as not to spread bacteria, or viruses, in the air around you. If you become really ill from bacteria, you might need antibiotics. These kill the bacteria, or keep them from growing. Antibiotics have been in use for more than seventy years, and have saved millions of lives. Unfortunately, many bacteria around the world have started to resist antibiotics.

Bacteria resistant to antibiotics are a serious problem, which gets worse each day. We need new medicines and methods to fight dangerous bacteria. Hopefully, science will provide that for us.