MICROBES ARE DETRIMENTAL TO HUMANKIND

INTRODUCTION

The human microbiome contains around 10-100 trillion microbes which have a symbiotic
relationship with human host (Ursell et al., 2012). The microbiota involves several types of microbes
including bacteria, archaea, viruses and eukaryotic microbes, all residing and interacting with our
body. These interactions can be mutualistic, commensal or pathogenic. Though they colonise various
sites in the human host including the skin, urogenital and respiratory tract, the symbiotic microbial
cells are primarily found in the human gut, also known as human gut flora. The human microbiota is
involved in key functions within the host, such as in metabolism and protection against foreign
organisms hence plays a huge role in the human immune system. Many host factors contribute to
the constant evolution of the human microbiome, factors such as health, age, lifestyle, hormonal
changes and underlying disease all act as contributing factors of changes of the human microbiome
(Ogunrinola et al., 2020). Thus, not only does the microbiome play a beneficial role in the human
host but microbes in the human microbiota can be detrimental to humankind. Single or multiple
alterations of the microbiota can result in life-threatening complications.

Microbes are small living micro-organism found all around us, inside the human body as well as in
the environmental surroundings (Cologne, 2022). They live in the soil, water and in the air, around
40 million bacteria in the soil and 1 million in water. These common types of microbes include,
bacteria, viruses and fungi, as well as parasites. Although some of these microbes may show its
benefits and share a mutual relationship with us, but many microbes also cause deuteriation of our
health. These microbes play a huge role in health and disease. For example, microbes such as
Mycobacterium tuberculosis, malaria, candida albicans, as well as SARS-CoV-2, in which all these
examples will be addressed in this essay.

MICROBES AND THE IMMUNE SYSTEM

The mammalian immune system includes the innate and adaptive immune, both systems involved in
the protection and immune responses against invasion of foreign microbes.

THE KING’S EVIL – TUBERCULOSIS

TROPICAL DISEASES – MALARIA

FRIEND OR FOE – CANDIDIASIS

REFERENCE:

Ogunrinola, G., Oyewale, J., Oshamika, O. and Olasehinde, G. (2020). The Human Microbiome and
Its Impacts on Health. International Journal of Microbiology, 2020 (1), 1-7. Available from
10.1155/2020/8045646 [Accessed 10 March 2022].

Ursell, L., Metcalf, J., Parfrey, L. and Knight, R. (2012). Defining the human microbiome. Nutrition
Reviews, 70 (1), S38-S44. Available from 10.1111/j.1753-4887.2012.00493.x [Accessed 10 March
2022].

Cologne (2022). What are microbes?. Ncbi.nlm.nih.gov. Available from

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK279387/#:~:text=Microbes%20are%20tiny%20living
%20things,are%20important%20for%20our%20health. [Accessed 14 March 2022].