Bacteria

• Most bacteria don't have anything to do with humans, and the ones that do actually help us
• Bacteria


  Single-celled organisms about 100 times smaller than our own cells
• Bacteria can replicate rapidly within our bodies because of the good food supply
• Bacteria might produce toxins which make us feel ill by damaging our cells and tissues
• Salmonella bacteria


  • Causes food poisoning
  • Can be caught from any food contaminated with the bacteria, most often by eating chicken that caught the disease
• In the UK, most chickens have to be vaccinated against salmonella, so it's relatively rare
• Symptoms of salmonella


  Fever, stomach cramps, vomiting, and diarrhea
• Salmonella generally passes by itself within a week, and people just need to stay well hydrated and have a sick bowl close by
• Gonorrhea


  A sexually transmitted disease (STD) passed on through sexual contact, such as unprotected sex
• Symptoms of gonorrhea


  Pain when urinating and a thick yellow-green discharge from the vagina or penis
• Prevention of gonorrhea is by avoiding unsafe sex and using barrier methods of contraception like condoms
• Treatment of gonorrhea used to be with a common antibiotic penicillin, but now many gonorrhea strains are resistant to penicillin, so rarer and more expensive antibiotics are used