Pathogenic and non pathogenic microorganism - Research Paper Example

Pathogenic and Non-Pathogenic Microorganism Introduction The term pathogen is derived from two Greek words “pathos” meaning disease and “genesis” meaning to cause. Therefore, the term pathogenic means to cause disease while non-pathogenic means not bringing disease. Microorganisms can be classified based on their beneficial or harmful qualities. Based on this, microorganisms are grouped into pathogenic and nonpathogenic microorganisms. Pathogenic microorganisms are microorganisms, which have virulence factors in that they are capable of causing disease in their hosts with normal defense capacity.

The virulence enables them to resist the nonspecific host defense mechanisms to cause disease. Nonpathogenic organisms are organisms that do not cause disease to hosts with normal defense capacity. However, most non-pathogenic bacteria tend to be opportunistic in that they can cause diseases if the host defense mechanisms or defense in insufficient or compromised. The Session Long Project will discuss Escherichia coli (E. coli) as the non-pathogenic bacteria and Mycobacterium tuberculosis as the pathogenic microorganism.

OverviewI choose E. coli because it is one of the most common bacteria found in humans. On the other hand, I choose Mycobacterium tuberculosis since it is a pathogenic bacteria that causes tuberculosis, which is a common opportunistic disease in immune-depressed disease. However, the causative agent is considered pathogenic. Moreover, tuberculosis causes several case of death especially in third world countries.Escherichia coliE. coli is a common type of bacteria that is found in the human gut but is generally non-pathogenic.

The bacterium is found as normal intestinal or bowel flora and has numerous strains. Moreover, Escherichia coli in the human intestines act as a source of Vitamin B complex and Vitamin K. The bacterial inhabits different regions of the body such as the lower and upper respiratory tract and the intestines where it is harmless. However, E. coli become harmful if it enters the blood system (Grover-Lakomia & Fong, 1998). Moreover, in immune-compromised individuals, E. coli is capable of producing toxics, which are harmful to humans.

The bacterium is also harmful if taken from foods or contaminated water. Although cases of E. coli poisoning are rare, successful control of the pathogen poisoning would still be considered a significant accomplishment in the field of microbiology and public health (Funnell, Koutoukidis, & Lawrence, 2008; Grover-Lakomia & Fong, 1998)Mycobacterium tuberculosis Mycobacterium tuberculosis is a non-motile, rod shaped bacterium, which causes tuberculosis. The bacterium grows in various body tissues depending on the stage of disease.

Mycobacterium tuberculosis is capable of growing in tissues such as bones, lymph nodes, in urinary tract, abdomen, and skin. The major location is usually in the lungs where it invades the alveolar (Pommerville, 2010).Successful control of Mycobacterium tuberculosis would be noteworthy accomplishment in the field of microbiology and public health since it commonly affects patients such as those with HIV and AIDs weakening them further. The bacterium is easily transmitted to other humans through aerosol droplets originating from lungs such as mucus (Funnell, Koutoukidis, & Lawrence, 2008).

Comparisons and ContrastsBoth microorganisms are grouped as bacteria. The first major comparison is that Mycobacterium tuberculosis is pathogenic while E. coli is non-pathogenic but can be opportunistic. Another difference is their location. Although M. tuberculosis can be found in other body regions, it mainly grows in the lungs. On the other hand, E. coli mainly inhabits the intestinal region. Another difference is the rate of multiplication. E. coli multiplies rapidly since it can undergo a division in every 20 minutes.

However, M. tuberculosis divides once in every 15-20 hours. Infections resulting from E. coli are less serious and tend to resolve themselves or fail to show symptoms. However, infections resulting from M. tuberculosis are serious and have to be treated with antibiotics often taken for a prolonged period (Funnell, Koutoukidis, & Lawrence, 2008; Pommerville, 2010).Conclusively, pathogenic bacteria, e.g. E. coli do not cause diseases but can be opportunistic but cause mild infections mainly in immune-suppressed persons.

However, pathogenic microorganisms such as M. tuberculosis cause serious infections even in individuals with normal immunity since they are able to evade the host defense mechanisms. ReferencesFunnell, R., Koutoukidis, G., & Lawrence, K. (2008). Tabbners Nursing Care: Theory and Practice. Queensland : Elsevier Australia.Grover-Lakomia, L., & Fong, E. (1998). Microbiology for Health Careers. New York: Cengage Leaning.Pommerville, J. (2010). Alcamos Fundamentals of Microbiology. New York: Jones & Bartlett Leaning .