Article: Coincidental Killers
Link: https://aeon.co/essays/when-bacteria-kill-us-it-s-more-accident-than-assassination
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Date: 8-Feburary-2022
The article provides a basis for why microbes are both harmful and helpful to the human species. I also provide a brief and comprehensive overview of microbes and how they often are used to help control certain functions within and without the body. For example, the article describes Streptococcus pneumoniae as very common microbe within the nose that is ordinarily harmless, but on occasion can cause severe difficulties in humans. These difficulties can include pneumonia, sepsis, meningitis, and other harmful issues. These complications, as indicated by the article, are often the result of a very weak immune system. Although a weakened immune system can be a common cause of microbes infecting the human host, the article details a much more complex circumstance related to internal complications of humans (Abdelsalam, 2009). For example, the article describes the relationship between S.pneumoniae and Hemophilus influenzae. Here, both microbes share the same nasal and airways causing a conflict between the two microbes that often goes unnoticed during daily life. Here, Hemophilus influenzae has been know to level human white blood cells to attack Streptococcus pneumoniae. By defending itself, there are instances where Streptococcus pneumoniae can cause serious harm to the human host (Abbass, 2009).
From the article it becomes apparent that microbes and the variables that govern their behaviors are very complex. For one, microbes are everywhere, and their interactions can cause unexpected impacts on human beings. As a result, as the article indicates, it is important to be aware of these uncertainties and guard against the certainty of unexpected events.
References
1. Abbass, A., Sharifuzzaman, S.M. and Austin, B. (2009) Cellular components of probiotics control Yersinia ruckeri infection in rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss (Walbaum). Journal of Fish Diseases 33 , 3137.
2. Abdelsalam, M., Nakanishi, K., Yonemura, K., Itami, T., Chen, S.C. and Yoshida, T. (2009) Application of Congo red agar for detection of Streptococcus dysgalactiae isolated from diseased fish. Journal of Applied Ichthyology 25 , 442446
