Good Vs. Bad Bacteria
Good and Bad Bacteria living in the marine environment
The Good Bacteria
Bacteria are the oldest type of living organism on earth. Evidence of bacteria extends back at least 3.5 billion years. These early microbes filled Earth's atmosphere with oxygen over millions of years, allowing oxygen-breathing life to exist. Bacteria such as cyanobacteria carry out photosynthesis. They take carbon dioxide (CO2) from the air, turn it into organic parts of their own cells, and release oxygen (O2) just like plants. Half of the primary production, done on Earth is in the ocean, and half of that is done by bacteria! Bacterial decomposition is an important part ofnutrient cycling, and bacteria can decompose dead organisms as big as whales or as small as other microbes. Bacteria is part of the Microbial decomposers this also includes bacteria, Actinomycetes, Protozoa, and Fungi.
The Bad Bacteria
The ever-warming temperatures of ocean waters are giving rise to a proliferation of a type of harmful bacteria that can produce a host of medical problems and illnesses - including cholera. The bacteria, which are of the Vibrio genus, can also cause food poisoning, gastroenteritis and septicemia, is being transmitted through contaminated water and can be carried by several marine creatures, including crabs or prawns - making eating seafood a concern. Vibrio vulnificus is a bacterium in the same family as those that cause cholera. 26 cases have been reported in Florida this year. A group of bacteria that cause a multitude of diseases. Under a microscope, staphylococcus bacteria are round and bunched together. They can cause illness directly by infection or indirectly through products they make, such as the toxins responsible for food poisoning and toxic shock syndrome. The best-known member of the staphylococcus family is Staphylococcus aureus. Staphylococci are the main culprits in hospital-acquired infections, and they cause thousands of deaths every year. Also known as staph.