Key Words

By Jake Trowbridge

Micro-organisms
Tiny living things that can only be seen
using a microscope. They may be a virus,
Bacteria, or Fungi. (AKA microbes)

Viruses
A tiny Micro-organism (0.0003mm) that
uses your cells as a home to live feed and
reproduce. Their waste products can be
harmful and make you ill. They are not
Bacteria or Fungi.

Bacteria
Single celled micro-organisms (0.001mm)
that can come in many shapes, sizes and
forms. They can be the cause of many
diseases including typhoid, cholera and
food poisoning.

Fungi
Some fungi are microbes (0.1mm) like
yeast and mould. They are used to make
beer yoghurt and bread as well as
antibiotics. They are also the cause of
athletes foot and ringworm.

Disease
A disease is a microbe that has
reproduced, using your body to help. The
effects can be fatal, but are mostly curable
if treated in time. However some of the
drugs used to treat disease have side
affects.

Infection
When a cut or wound becomes infected,
bacteria has entered your blood stream
through the opening and has caused a
disease.

Immunity
If you are immune to a disease, you cant
catch it, possibly because you have had a
vaccination or caught it before. This has
prepared your immune system for the
attack so it can get rid of it can even
reproduce.

Antibiotic
Drugs used to kill a disease inside the
body, usually made from other bacteria or
fungi that kill the disease or inhibit its
growth.

Vaccine
An injection that contains a diluted version
of a disease that prepares your body for
the full disease.