Question

Compare and contrast general structure of bacteria, fungi and viruses. Indicate both hazardous and beneficial impact they have on human life with giving one specific example for each.

1. Fungi

2. Bacteria

3. Viruses

- This is microbiology

Answer 1

Bacteria are single celled,lack of nucleus and have a cell wall made of peptidoglycan. they can be free living or they can be parasitic.bacterial infections can be treated and usually cured with antibiotics.they can cause disease like tetanus,TB, pneumonia,sore throats,food poisoning,cholera etc.beneficial impact are some bacteria degrade organic compounds for energy and without bacteria ,we cannot get fertile soil to grow plants. bacteria living in the gut can help animals break down food and also they are also some good bacteria which help in maintaining condition necessary for food digestion like E.coli bacteria that lives in the gut of warm blooded animals.bacteria is also useful in create food products such as cheese,yoghurt ,pickles ,soy sauce and vinegar.

Fungi can be single celled or multicellular, having a nucleus and cell wall made of chitin.they can be saprophytes or parasites. some types of fungi like aspergillus can infect humans and cause disease. Aspergillus secretes aflatoxins which are among the most potent carcinogens know to man.common fungal infections are athlete's foot and yeast infection.it can be treated with antifungals. fungi can be used as a food like Agaricus which are high protein content and also used in the production of alcohol,bread ,cheese ,enzyme and organic acids.

Virus are not living things.they cannot live independently like bacteria. viruses require host to survive.they are always parasites,viruses causes disease like measles,mumps,poli,Flu,cold sores,AIDS etc.some of viruses have beneficial properties for their hosts like they can be used to treat genetic disease as gene and cell therapy tools,modified viruses can be used to target and kills cancer cells.