1. Daniel Brandes

2.  Fleming was a Scottish pharmacologist and biologist who lived from 1881 to 1955.  Fleming is best known for his discovery of Penicillin, the “Wonder Drug.”

3.  Having fought in WW1, Fleming witnessed many soldiers die from bacterial infections to combat wounds.  As Professor of Bacteriology at St. Mary’s Hospital in Paddington, London, Fleming devoted himself to do much research on the topic of antibacterial agents.  He discovered that the antiseptics used to clean wounds in the army lowered immunological defenses as opposed to destroying bacteria.

4.  On September 3, 1928, Fleming made a world changing discovery.  His lab was often untidy, and he had stacked some petri dishes of Staphylococci (A harmful Bacteria) with some other dishes.  He discovered that the staphylococci had been contaminated with a fungus, and that the bacteria did not grow near the fungus.

5.  The fungus, Penicillium, destroyed all of the bacteria.  After years of trials and purification of the fungus, Penicillin was created– an antibiotic. By the end of WWII, Penicillin was being mass produced by the USA and England.  Penicillin affects all gram positive bacteria, such as those that cause scarlet fever and diphtheria.  However, when the antibiotic is used for too little time or in a too small dose, the bacteria that survives can gain resistance to the drug, rendering it less efficient.

6.  While we usually only consider the harmful bacteria, 99% of the billions of bacteria on earth do not cause disease.  And many of them are extremely helpful.  Human life would not have existed without bacteria.

7.  Many bacteria, such as Lactobacillus acidophilus aid in digestion. In fact, we depend on bacteria to digest food properly.  Lactobacillus acidophilus helps to digest lactose, and helps to prevent the growth of unwanted bacteria.  Many people buy samples of this bacterium to aid them in digestion. Lactobacillus acidophilus

8.  Bacteria are excellent decayers.  If bacteria didn’t exist, the world would be piled in dead and decaying matter.  Some bacteria break down oil as a source of energy, and are used as a “cleanup crew” for oil spills.

9.  Rhizobia are a helpful type of bacteria that form symbiotic relationships with legumes.  They attach to the roots of the plant, and when they enter, they begin a process called Nitrogen Fixation.  The bacteria absorb nitrogen from the soil, and convert it into ammonia that the plant uses. In return, the plant supplies the rhizobia with nutrients.

11.  Microbe: Group A streptococcus bacteria  Streptococcus bacteria can cause Strep Throat-- a painful, swollen throat with a fever when the bacteria is inhaled from water droplets in the air.  They can be killed using antibiotics, and are very common.  While Strep Throat is generally not dangerous, it can cause extreme discomfort.

12.  Only 1% of bacteria cause disease.  However, those harmful bacteria do cause serious problems.

13.  Vibrio cholerae is a bacterium that causes cholera.  Cholera is a disease that can kill in a day if untreated, with symptoms including diarrhea and vomiting.  The disease is caused when the bacteria is introduced after ingesting contaminated food or water.  Cholera is easily treated by rehydrating the body.

14.  Tetanus is caused by the bacterium Clostridium tetani.  Tetanus is caused by the toxins released by the bacteria which affect muscles. The disease can be fatal.  The bacteria are usually introduced by puncture wounds, and tetanus is not contagious.  A vaccine for tetanus is available.

15.  Some bacteria can develop resistance to antibiotics.  This happens when antibiotics are administered for too little time or too small a dose in a sick patient.  The surviving bacteria become immune to the antibiotic, and so are their offspring.  In this way, some antibiotics are becoming less affective, and new antibiotics have become necessary.

16. Fleming sources:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Fleming http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Fleming  http://www.nndb.com/people/696/000091423/ http://www.nndb.com/people/696/000091423/ Helpful sources:  http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/these-are-some-of-the-helpful- bacteria-found-in-the-environment-around-us-356913.html http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/these-are-some-of-the-helpful- bacteria-found-in-the-environment-around-us-356913.html  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lactobacillus_acidophilus http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lactobacillus_acidophilus  http://www.buzzle.com/articles/helpful-and-harmful-types-of-bacteria.html http://www.buzzle.com/articles/helpful-and-harmful-types-of-bacteria.html  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhizobia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhizobia Strep sources:  http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/strep-throat/DS00260 http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/strep-throat/DS00260  http://kidshealth.org/parent/infections/bacterial_viral/strep_throat.html http://kidshealth.org/parent/infections/bacterial_viral/strep_throat.html Harmful sources:  http://www.buzzle.com/articles/helpful-and-harmful-types-of-bacteria.html http://www.buzzle.com/articles/helpful-and-harmful-types-of-bacteria.html  http://www.emedicinehealth.com/tetanus/article_em.htm http://www.emedicinehealth.com/tetanus/article_em.htm  http://www.cdc.gov/nczved/dfbmd/disease_listing/cholera_gi.html http://www.cdc.gov/nczved/dfbmd/disease_listing/cholera_gi.html