I was reading a book today. Parasite Rex by Carl Zimmer. The life and behaviour of liver and blood flukes and other parasites are interesting due to the way it is written. It’s a science book written in layman’s terms however I won’t be reading it while I’m eating.
He defines bacteria as pockets of scattered proteins and DNA. Which started me wondering how we get sick from certain bacteria. Is it due to our body having extra DNA? Or because of scattered molecules within our body? Or because the proteins are scattered?
Is there anyone scientifically-minded here that can explain this in simple terms?
This may have been already asked here but the search for bacteria turned up 21 pages here and forumosa and the pages googled are full of mostly scientific jargon.
[i]"Of the approximately 1,600 species of known bacteria, less than 200 are pathogenic (disease-causing). Pathogenic bacteria can cause illness in at least three different ways: by invasive action, directly invading and attacking a part of the body; by making toxins, chemical byproducts that act as poisons; or by multiplying into large clumps that block tiny blood vessels or interfere with the normal closing of heart valves. Depending on the type of bacteria and the illness it causes, bacteria can spread in the following ways:
through contaminated water and food
in the tiny fluid droplets of coughs and sneezes
through dirty hands
through contaminated surfaces
in a sick person’s body fluids"[/i]
[quote=“Bodo”][i]"Of the approximately 1,600 species of known bacteria, less than 200 are pathogenic (disease-causing). Pathogenic bacteria can cause illness in at least three different ways: by invasive action, directly invading and attacking a part of the body; by making toxins, chemical byproducts that act as poisons; or by multiplying into large clumps that block tiny blood vessels or interfere with the normal closing of heart valves. Depending on the type of bacteria and the illness it causes, bacteria can spread in the following ways:
through contaminated water and food
in the tiny fluid droplets of coughs and sneezes
through dirty hands
through contaminated surfaces
in a sick person’s body fluids"[/i]
Well I don’t know how your source has conceptualized bacteria, etc. Or I don’t understand it.
Bacteria have protein markers on their cell walls, the human body detects these protein markers, and recognizes them as NON-SELF - and attacks. Human cells also have cell walls and their own protein markers. The symptoms you get like pain, fever, swelling are actually from the human body’s immune response - sending white blood cells to the area with the non-self proteins, and then releasing chemicals which cause more reactions, etc.
DNA is simply the recipe for making more proteins and other cell parts.
[quote=“Matchstick_man”][quote=“Bodo”][i]"Of the approximately 1,600 species of known bacteria, less than 200 are pathogenic (disease-causing). Pathogenic bacteria can cause illness in at least three different ways: by invasive action, directly invading and attacking a part of the body; by making toxins, chemical byproducts that act as poisons; or by multiplying into large clumps that block tiny blood vessels or interfere with the normal closing of heart valves. Depending on the type of bacteria and the illness it causes, bacteria can spread in the following ways:
through contaminated water and food
in the tiny fluid droplets of coughs and sneezes
through dirty hands
through contaminated surfaces
in a sick person’s body fluids"[/i]
Bodo[/quote] Thanks for that but I don’t see where pockets of DNA and scattered protein fit in there other than being bacteria.[/quote]
I think that’s because the author characterises bacteria as merely bags of DNA and protein as a way of highlighting that our own cells are also: a bag holding DNA in the nucleus with some protein strands, etc.
The difference is that these bacteria (like viruses - think HIV for example -, or cancer cells) disrupt normal body functions i.e. illness by the examples stated above (cloggin vessels, attacking certain cells, producing harmful chemicals).
Put it another way, these foreign and native cancer cells aren’t in step with the master program that’s running and maintaining your body, and coordinating all the cells. These guys are off somewhere (in your body) trying to propagate themselves at your expense (probably eating your cells to get energy) under the orders of their master program (their DNA) making their own proteins, duplicate cells, etc. Contrast this with bacteria that live in our gut for e.g. and are symbiotic or non-threatening.