The Role of Biochemical Components of Bacteria in Pathogenesis.
The Role of Biochemical Components of Bacteria in Pathogenesis.
The fundamental unit of life on the planet earth gets composed of organic matter. The organic material is made up of a relatively small handful of elements. A cell contains over 97% of Oxygen, Carbon, Hydrogen, Sulfur and Nitrogen. Todar Kenneth (2008) projects the key elements of bacteria as follows; Hydrogen 8%, Oxygen 20%, Nitrogen 15%, Phosphorus 3%, Sulfur1% and Carbon 50%. Carbon has the highest percentage component in bacteria which causes the advance increase the role in the pathogenesis.
A chemical compound is formed when two of more elements get into contact with each other and achieve stability. The Molecule is the negligible part of the amalgam that retains the chemical properties of the compound. Furthermore, the atom in a molecule gets joined to one another by some sort of chemical bond. Hence, two atoms of nitrogen (N) joined together form nitrogen gas (the predominant gases in earth’s atmosphere) while two atoms of Oxygen (O) joined together form molecular Oxygen gas. Carbon (C) joined or bonded with two atoms of Oxygen form carbon dioxide; while carbon bonded with 4atoms of hydrogen (methane) – the two most predominant greenhouse gases.
On the other hand, two atoms of hydrogen (H) bonded to an atom of Oxygen form a molecule of (H2O) or water, which gets to be the most predominant liquid on the planet earth. All microbes have various structural and functional components of macromolecules that explain for almost every facet of their survival and behavior as cells. Some of these cells are the same cells which contain bacterial microorganisms that play a role in pathogenesis (Todar Kenneth, 2008).
The bacteria cell structure are unrelated to human beings as living things can be, but bacterial are fundamental to human life and life on the planet earth. However, bacteria get notorious since they cause several types of diseases humans and animals experience. Some of the diseases include; tooth decay to the black plague, there are beneficial bacterial species that get fundamental to better health. For example, the species that live symbiotically in the large intestine generates vitamin K, vital for blood clotting. Other bacteria species get beneficial indirectly. For example, bacterial make it possible for ruminant animals like sheep, cows and goats to digest plant cellulose and for some plants (alfalfa, soybean, peas) to convert nitrogen to a more utilizable form.
Comprehensive studies indicate that bacteria were in existence as long as 3.5 billion years ago; hence making them the oldest living organisms on earth. Surprisingly, there are even older organisms known as archeans (also known as archaebacteria) tiny prokaryotic organisms that exist in some of the most severe environments; supper salty pools, boiling water, acidic water, deep in the Antarctic ice and sulfur-spewing volcanic vents.
Many scholars believe that the archaea and bacteria organisms originated from the same ancestor, but they later became different in characteristics depending on the environmental changes they got exposed during their cellular metamorphosis. As mentioned earlier, there are bacteria components, which generate energies that break down other components such as the bacteria used in decaying of fermenting other organisms. These procedures play a key role in the pathogenesis since they create pathogens-causes of diseases. Some of these organisms form toxic elements, which generate pathogens, enabling the pathogenesis process.
Motility or the spontaneous movement of microorganisms enables the bacteria organism to move spontaneously in the humans white blood cells; hence eating up the cells used in securing the body from disease causing pathogens. The bacterium moves from the host and makes a motile behavior towards the security cells and antibodies eating them up; thus causing the infections or conditions in the human body. Quorum sensing in bacteria causes fluctuation in cell-population density.
This means that the quorum sensing bacteria produce and release chemical signal molecules (autoinducers) that raise the concentration as a function of the cell density. This process leads to an increased concentration of bacteria cells in the antibodies; thus causing or playing the role of pathogenesis. Furthermore, the release of the molecules causes the movement of the bacterial from low concentrated areas to high autoinducers concentrated areas. Secretion systems such as anus sweat pore and urethras can be strategic hideouts for disease causing bacteria. These areas of the human body provide better channels for bacterial organisms, which facilitate the role of causing the pathogen organisms in the body.
The pathogens move to the cellular organisms of the body (antibodies, blood cells) weakening then and therefore, causing diseases in the human body. The immune-system consists of the white blood cells, which produce antibodies responsible for killing and eliminating pathogens. When the immune system fails to protect the body from the disease causing organisms, they play a role in pathogenesis process. Toxics and adhesion factors also contribute in creating freeway for pathogenesis. Thus, the toxic elements such as poison produce elements which help in stimulating the disease causing organisms. This process place a comprehensive role in effecting the pathogenesis process within the body.
Reference:
Davidson W. Michael (1995) Bacteria cell structure retrieved on 11/12/2012 from http://micro.magnet.fsu.edu/cells/bacteriacell.html
Todar Kenneth (2008) Chemical and Molecular composition and microbes retrieved on 11/12/2012 from http://textbookofbacteriology.net/themicrobialworld/chemoc.html
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