CLASS: VIII

SECTIONS: ALL
SUBJECT: SCIENCE
SESSION: 2022-23
CHAPTER: 2
MICROORGANISMS: FRIEND AND FOE
NOTES

The organisms which are too small to be seen by the naked eyes but can be seen only through a microscope
arecalled microorganisms or microbes.

GROUPS OF MICROORGANISMS
Microorganisms are classified into four major groups-
1. Bacteria
 These are unicellular organisms.
 Typhoid, cholera and tuberculosis (TB) are bacterial
diseases.
 E.g.- curd bacteria (Lactobacillus).
2. Fungi
 They can be unicellular and multicellular.
 They lack chlorophyll.
 E.g.- Penicillium, Bread mould, Aspergillus, Yeast.

3. Protozoa

 These are unicellular organisms.

 Usually found in water.
 Diseases like dysentery and malaria are caused by
protozoa(protozoans).
 E.g.- Amoeba, Paramecium.

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4. Algae
 They can be unicellular and multicellular.
 They contain chlorophyll pigment and carry out
photosynthesis.
 E.g.- Chlamydomonas, Spirogyra.

VIRUSES

 Viruses are microscopic but are unique; they can exhibit the
characteristics of both living organisms and non-living things.
 They reproduce only inside the cells of the host organism, which
may be a bacterium, plant or animal.
 Cold, influenza (flu), most coughs, polio and chicken pox are some
viral diseases.
 E.g.- Bacteriophage, Adenovirus, HIV.

WHERE DO MICROORGANISMS LIVE?

Microorganisms can survive in all types of environment such as ice-cold
climate, hot springs, deserts, marshy lands, inside the bodies of animals including humans and some exist freely.

MICROORGANISMS AND US
Microorganisms play an important role in our lives. Some of them are beneficial in many ways whereas some
othersare harmful and cause diseases.

A. Friendly Microorganisms
Microorganisms are useful to us in many ways such as:

1. Making of Curd and Bread:

 Curd contains several microorganisms. Of these, the bacterium, Lactobacillus promotes the formation
ofcurd. It multiplies in milk and converts it into curd.
 Bacteria are also involved in the making of cheese, pickles and many other food items.
 Bacteria and yeast are also helpful for fermentation of rice idlis and dosa batter.
 Yeast reproduces rapidly and produces carbon dioxide during respiration. Bubbles of the gas fill the
doughand increase its volume. This is the basis of the use of yeast in the baking industry for making
breads, pastries and cakes.
2. Commercial Use of Microorganisms:
 Yeast is used for commercial (large scale) production of alcohol and wine.
 The process of conversion of sugar into alcohol is known as fermentation.
 Louis Pasteur discovered fermentation in 1857.
3. Medicinal Use of Microorganisms:
 The medicines which kill or stop the growth of the disease-causing microorganisms are called antibiotics.
 Antibiotics are produced from microorganisms, usually bacteria and fungi.
 E.g.-Streptomycin, tetracycline and erythromycin.
 Alexander Fleming discovered the first antibiotic Penicillin from fungi Penicillium.
 Antibiotics are used to check microbial infection in animals and to control many plant diseases.

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Precautions to be taken while taking antibiotics-
1. Antibiotics should be taken only on the advice of a qualified doctor.
2. You must complete the course prescribed by the doctor.
3. If you take antibiotics when not needed or in wrong doses, it may make the drug less effective when
you might need it in future.
4. Antibiotics taken unnecessarily may kill the beneficial bacteria in the body.
5. Antibiotics are not effective against diseases caused by viruses.

4. Making of Vaccine:
 A vaccine is a chemical preparation of killed, dead or weakened disease-causing microbes.
 Vaccines against cholera, tuberculosis, smallpox, chicken pox and hepatitis are easily available.
 Edward Jenner discovered the vaccine for small-pox in 1798.
 Vaccines are made on a large scale from microorganisms to protect humans and other animals
fromseveral diseases.
5. Increasing Soil Fertility:
 Some bacteria are able to fix nitrogen from the atmosphere to enrich soil with nitrogen and increase
itsfertility. These microbes are commonly called biological nitrogen fixers.
 E.g.- Rhizobium, Azotobacter, Clostridium.
6. Cleaning the Environment:
 Microbes convert plant waste to manure and helps in recycling of nutrients.
 Microorganisms can be used to degrade the harmful and smelly substances and thereby clean up
theenvironment.
B. Harmful Microorganisms
Some microorganisms harm us by causing diseases, spoil food, clothing and leather.

1. Disease causing Microorganisms:

a) In Humans-
 Disease-causing microorganisms are called pathogens.
 Pathogens enter our body through the air, water, food, direct contact with an infected person
orcarried by an animal.
 Microbial diseases that can spread from an infected person to a healthy person through air,
water,food or physical contact are called communicable diseases. Examples- cholera, common
cold, chicken pox and tuberculosis.
 The agents which carry disease causing microorganisms from an infected person to a healthy
personare called carriers or vectors.

Disease Carrier or Vector Causative agent

1. Malaria Female Anopheles mosquito Protozoa (Plasmodium)
2. Dengue fever Female Aedes mosquito Virus (Dengue virus)

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 Table 1- Some common diseases caused by Microorganism

Causative Mode of Preventive Measures (General)

Human Organism Transmission
Disease
Tuberculosis Bacteria Air Keep the patient in complete isolation. Keep the
Measles Virus Air belongings of the patient away from those of the
Chicken Pox Virus Air/Contact others. Vaccination to be given at suitable age.
Polio Virus Air/Water
Cholera Bacteria Water/Food Maintain personal hygiene and good sanitary habits.
Typhoid Bacteria Water Consume properly cooked food and boiled drinking
water. Vaccination.
Hepatitis A Virus Water Drink boiled drinking water. Vaccination.
Malaria Protozoa Mosquito Use mosquito net and repellents. Spray insecticides
and control breeding of mosquitoes by not allowing
water to collect in the surroundings.
b) In Animals-
 Anthrax is a dangerous human and cattle disease caused by bacterium Bacillus
anthracis.(Discovered by Robert Koch)
 Foot and mouth disease of cattle is caused by a virus.
c) In Plants-
 Several microorganisms cause diseases in plants like wheat, rice, potato, sugarcane, orange,
appleand others.
 The diseases reduce the yield of crops.
 They can be controlled by the use of certain chemicals which kill the microbes.

Plant Diseases Microorganism Mode of Transmission

Citrus canker Bacteria Air

Rust of Wheat Fungi Air,seeds

Yellow vein mosaic Virus Insect

of bhindi (Okra)

2. Food Poisoning:
 Food poisoning could be due to the consumption of food spoilt by some microorganisms.
 Microorganisms that grow on our food sometimes produce toxic substances. These make the
food poisonous causing serious illness and even death. So, it is very important that we preserve
food to prevent it from being spoilt.

FOOD PRESERVATION

Any substance or chemical used to prevent the spoilage of food is known as food preservatives.

METHODS OF PRESERVING FOOD

1. Preservation by chemicals- Sodium benzoate and sodium metabisulphate are common preservatives. These
are also used in jams and squashes to check their spoilage.

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 2. Preservation by common salt- Meat and fish are covered with dry salt to check the growth of bacteria.
Salting is also used to preserve amla, raw mangoes etc.
3. Preservation by Sugar- Jams, jellies and squashes are preserved by sugar. Sugar reduces the moisture
content which inhibits the growth of bacteria which spoil the food.
4. Preservation by Oil and Vinegar- Vegetables, fruits, fish and meat are often preserved by using oil and
vinegar as it prevent spoilage because bacteria cannot live in such an environment.
5. Heat and Cold treatments-
a) Boiling- Milk can be preserved by boiling. Boiling kills many microorganisms.
b) Cooling- Low temperature inhibits the growth of microbes.
c) Pasteurization- The milk is heated to about 70⁰C for 15 to 30 seconds and then suddenly chilled and
stored. By doing so, it prevents the growth of microbes. This process was discovered by Louis Pasteur. It
is called pasteurization.

NITROGEN FIXATION
Conversion of atmospheric nitrogen (free nitrogen) into a nitrogenous compound (nitrates and nitrites) which can be
used by plants and is called nitrogen fixation. Bacterium Rhizobium lives in the root nodules of leguminous plants
such as beans and peas and is involved in the fixation of nitrogen.

NITROGEN CYCLE

1- Nitrogen is one of the essential constituents of all living organisms as part of proteins, chlorophyll, nucleic
acids and vitamins.
2- The atmospheric nitrogen cannot be taken directly by plants and animals.
3- Certain bacteria and blue green algae present in the soil fix nitrogen from the atmosphere and convert it into
compounds of nitrogen.
4- Once nitrogen is converted into these usable compounds, it can be utilized by plants from the soil through
their root system.
5- Nitrogen is then used for the synthesis of plant proteins and other nitrogen compounds.
6- Animals feeding on plants get these proteins and other nitrogen compounds.
7- When plants and animals die, bacteria and fungi present in the soil convert the nitrogenous compounds to
be used by plants again.
8- Certain other bacteria convert some part of them to nitrogen gas which goes back in to the atmosphere. As a
result, the percentage of nitrogen in the atmosphere remains more or less constant.

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EXTENDED LEARNING

1-COVID-19 is caused by infection with the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) virus
strain. It was first identified amid an outbreak of respiratory illness cases in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China.

2-Bacteria can be found virtually everywhere, from volcanic springs to arctic regions.

3-Mushrooms are edible fungi.

4- Algae have chlorophyll and can manufacture their own food through the process of photosynthesis.

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