How may people be exposed to harmful micro-organisms?

Answer 1

Firstly it needs to be explained in answering your question that a microorganism means a tiny single celled living organism, and the ones that people principally need to avoid being exposed to are what are termed pathogenic or disease causing bacteria commonly called germs, even though they constitute a relatively small minority of the vast numbers of microorganisms known to exist, which humans may be exposed to without suffering harm.

But these harmful microorganisms can get into you through your lungs if droplets are breathed, coughed or sneezed out by somebody else near you. Or they can get into you by your digestive tract becoming infected if you eat contaminated food pr brought on to your food by flies or by somebody preparing it with contaminated hands. They can get into your genitourinary system such as when having sex with an infected person or they can penetrate your skin in various ways like through cuts and abrasions or through hair follicles.

Amomng harmful microorganisms, both human and animal excrement (often called "poop") can be particularly harmful to you if it is on your hands. So to avoid getting very ill from these harmful microorganisms getting into you, washing your hands properly after using of the lavatory, changing nappies, handling animals and particularly before and after you handle food is extremely important particularly in stopping you getting any of the various forms of gastroenteritis. It is imperative to use soap and warm running water and wash hands for at least 10 seconds preferably using liquid soap.

Overall the Pathogenic bacteria, which can make you ill if you are exposed to them, are classified on the basis of their shape into 3 main groups

1. Cocci bacteria which are spherically shaped. among the wide range of human diseases you can get if exposed to them are tonsillitis, pneumonia, meningitis and various skin disorders.

2. Bacilli, bacteria which are rod shaped, cause whooping cough, tetanus, tuberculosis, typhoid, , diphtheria, salmonellosis, dysentery, legionaries disease and botulism.

and

3. Spirilla bacteria, which are spiral shaped can cause you to get syphilis, yaws, leptospirosis and Lyme disease.

If a pathogenic bacterium gets into you, the problem is it can colonize your body and that is what will make you ill by it getting into you. Because each bacterium inside you will reproduce itself by dividing into 2 cells which in turn divide and so on, so under ideal conditions this cell division may take place every 20 minutes. So after 6 hours a single bacterium that got into you van have multiplied to create a colony of over 250,000 bacteria.

So that is why it is so important that appropriate precautions need to be taken at your workplaces and elsewhere to try to avoid you getting exposed to these. But you also need to try to avoid dust mites in your bed affecting your breathing and Asthma causing microorganisms at your workplace, depending on the nature of your employment and what you might be exposed to.

If you do get exposed and so you get ill, you then need to be treated to stop the illness. Generally speaking today bacterial infections may be treated with a doctor prescribing antibiotic drugs which either kill bacteria or prevent bacterial growth. There are many types of antibiotics and each class inhibits a process that is different in the pathogen from that found in the host.

Infections from harmful microorganisms can also be prevented by antiseptic procedures like sterilizing the skin before piercing it with the needle of a syringe as well as by proper care of indwelling catheters. Surgical and dental instruments are also sterilised to prevent infection and disinfectants like bleach may be used to kill bacteria or other pathogens on surfaces to prevent contamination and further reduce the risk of infection. In food preparation harmful Bacteria may be killed by cooking to temperatures above 73C.

That is just the briefest summary of the issues that we all may encounter and need to address during our lives to avoid the consequences of exposure to harmful microorganisms wherever we may go and whatever we may do during our life.