YOU ARE A WALKING ZOO - LETS TALK ABOUT THE 'ANIMALS' THAT LIVE ON YOU.

in #stemng7 years ago


The Human Stomach
Image Source: Pixabay

To begin with, take a closer look at your arm - A real close look. There are high chances that you don’t notice any creature on it, not even those microscopic critters. But the truth is your skin actually houses about 1,000 species of bacteria which, in total, make up your skin flora.

Amazing!

No doubt, some of these bacteria are responsible for our bad health. But we are bound to question if they are all ruinous to our health, if all they ever do is damage or health, and if fact, do we really need them at all?

Well, Here Is The Deal…

Bacteria are part of us, just like the air that we breath. They begin to settle and inhabit on our body the very moment we were born. No matter how many times you visit the shower, you just cannot get rid of them. On average, your body is composed of about 100 trillion microbes of them.

But hey! Don’t freak out. All of them joined together would actually fit into a ball the size of a pea.

Though, most of these bacterial pose adverse health issue to their host, i.e the human body, majority of them do not only proof to be harmless but are also beneficial to the human body.

So, is there anything good about being a walking zoo? And what kind of animals actually live there?

It may interest you to know that these bacterial are not just taking up residence for naught – majority of them are helping other important ones to survive on your body. Some just ensure that no harmful bacterial would settle on your body while others ensures that your immune system is alerted of incoming pathogens.

Pathogens, known to most people as germs, are viruses, bacteria and fungi that cause disease when they infect other organisms

Well, to be factual, there are millions of bacteria presently dwelling on your skin and though you can get their total count, yet there are just three of them that dominate.

  • Propionibacteria
  • Corynebacteria
  • Staphylococcus

As it is that we don’t build our homes evenly on the ground, so it is with bacteria; they do not envelop your skin evenly. While some prefer the cold part of your skin, other do prefer the warm places.

Propionibacterium acnes would always prefer to live in those oily surface of our body, i.e our faces. These places are mostly called the sebaceous zones and can really be densely populated - with up to 80 million bacteria over square cm (500 million per sq. inch). These bacteria are the ones that cause the irritating skin condition.

They inhabit in the hair follicles and the pores of the skin. But usually, they do not cause any skin irritation. Even if your skin looks smooth, perfect and free from any defect, be sure that they are crawling all over it.

They are known to live deep in the pores of the skin and feed on the oily secretion that moisturizes and protects the skin and hair. This oily secretion is known as sebum. Now, once your body starts producing too much of this, they bacteria have more than enough to feed upon. They begin to reproduce in larger quantity in order to balance the food supply with the increment in population. This unrestrained reproduction clogs the pores of the skin and causes the inflammation.

Corynebacteria are responsible for the mass production of amino acids. The moist zones of your skin are home to these bacteria. Zones like your armpit, places between your toes, the creases of your elbows.

Although some species of Corynebacteria can and do produce toxins and cause disphtheria, yet the non-pathogenic species are quite useful and essential to the human body. They even produce antibiotics.

Diphtheria is a serious bacterial infection that affects the mucous membranes of the throat and nose. Although it spreads easily from one person to another, diphtheria can be prevented through the use of vaccines.

Staphylococcus accounts for over 40 species of bacteria and the most common one of them is the staphylococcus epidemis. They live in those dry zones of your skin. They are typically harmless.

Conclusion


Earth Eastern Hemisphere
Image Source: Wikimedia

Well, say it is quite possible that the universe is oblivious of the existence of human? Say it is unmindful of our actions, deeds and misdeeds simply because we are really minute compared to what it actually contains; of other biological matters. Well, that’s quite untrue. To earth alone, you and I are both witnesses to what the humans are turning the planet into but that is not to say that all humans are destructive in nature.

This is exactly the case of bacteria and the human body. Sure, they (bacteria) are mostly looked upon in really bad light but in truth many of them are actually beneficial to our bdy. It is even claimed that half of the cells in our body are not really human cells but bacteria ones. And human is more of bacteria than human. They are part of us.

Amazing!


References
Microbes of the Skin - The Scientist Magazine
The Skin Flora - Wikipedia
The Ecology Of Your Skin - Science NetLink
What Are Pathogens - Invasives
What's On Your Skin? - Science Daily
Diphtheria - HealthLine

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