KARAUNDA MASINA,SIDDHARTH NAGAR

 SUBMITTED TO: SIR. RAHUL

 SUBMITTED BY: DEVESH MADHAW
 CLASS: XII-BIO
 ROLL NO: …………………
 INTRODUCTION:
A microbe, or “microscopic organism,” is a living thing that is too small
to be seen with the naked eye. We need to use a microscope to see
them.
The term is very general. It is used to describe many different types of
life forms, with dramatically different sizes and characteristics:

 bacteria
 Archaea
 Fungi
 Protists
 Viruses
 Microscopic Animals

The human body is home to microbes from all of these

categories. Microscopic plants are also considered microbes, though
they don’t generally live on or in the human body.
1.BACTERIA
Bacteria are microscopic, single-celled organisms that have no nucleus
and a cell wall made of peptidoglycan. Bacteria are the direct
descendents of the first organisms that lived on Earth, with fossil
evidence going back about 3.5 billion years.
Most bacteria are much smaller than our own cells, though a few are
much larger and some are as small as viruses. They usually do not
have any membrane-wrapped organelles (e.g., nucleus, mitochondria,
endoplasmic reticulum), but they do have an outer membrane. Most
bacteria are also surrounded by at least one layer of cell wall.
Bacteria are a huge and diverse group. Its members have many
shapes, sizes, and functions, and they live in just about every
environment on the planet.
2.ARCHAEA
Archaea are microscopic, single-celled organisms that have no
nucleus and an outer membrane containing unique lipids. On the
surface, archaea look a lot like bacteria: they can have a similar size
and shape, their genetic material forms a circle, they lack organelles,
and they live in similar environments. But biochemically, archaea are
as different from bacteria as they are from us.
Archaea are surrounded by a membrane made up of a type of lipid that
isn’t found in any other organism. Most archaea also have a cell wall,
but theirs is very different from the peptidoglycan cell wall of bacteria.
Archaea are best known for living in extreme environments, but they
also live in non-extreme environments, including the human gut and
skin.
3.FUNGI
Fungi are single-celled or multicellular organisms with nuclei and with
cell walls made of chitin. They also have membrane-wrapped
organelles, including mitochondria. Unlike plants, fungi cannot make
their own food.
Familiar fungi include yeasts, molds, and mushrooms. Yeasts live as
small, individual cells, between the size of bacteria and our own cells.
Molds and mushrooms are actually the fruiting bodies of fungi that live
as long, microscopic fibers.
Fungi are important decomposers in most ecosystems. Their long,
fibrous cells can penetrate plants and animals, breaking them down
and extracing nutrients. Several species of fungi, mostly yeasts, live
harmlessly on the human body.
4.PROTISTS
Protists are single-celled or multi-cellular, microscopic organism with
cell nuclei, and which aren't plants, animals, or fungi. Multi-cellular
protists live as colonies, without specialization. Protists are a category
of leftovers and oddballs that don’t fit into other groups, and
taxonomists are continually reorganizing them.
Because protists are defined more by what they don’t have than what
they do, they’re a very diverse group. Some make their own food using
chloroplasts, but most don’t. They have many ways of moving around,
including flagella, cilia, and amoeboid action. They have multiple ways
of reproducing, and some have quite complex life cycles. But they
have membrane-wrapped organelles and an outer cell membrane.
Several parasitic protists can cause deadly diseases, including
malaria, amoebic dysentery, and giardia. But the human body is also
home to beneficial and neutral protists.
5.VIRUSES
Viruses are microscopic particles made of nucleic acids, proteins, and
sometimes lipids. Viruses can’t reproduce on their own. Instead, they
reproduce by infecting other cells and hijacking their host’s cellular
machinery. Viruses are specialized to infect a certain host, and often a
specific cell type within that host. HIV, for example, infects a certain
type of immune cell in primates. Other viruses infect plants, animals,
bacteria, or archaea.
Since the ability to reproduce is often listed as a requirement for life,
some consider viruses to be non-living. Regardless, viruses are an
important part of all ecosystems, including the human body.
In our bodies, viruses infect not only our cells, but also other microbes
that live in our bodies. Viruses that infect bacteria are called
baceriophage. Viruses that infect archaea come in unusual shapes:
some have two tails, others are shaped like bottles or flowers.
6.MICROSCOPIC ANIMALS
Microscopic animals are also counted as microbes. Animals are
multicellular, with different types of cells that carry out specialized
functions. Their cells have membrane-wrapped compartments,
including nuclei. Flexible membranes enclose each cell, but animal
cells do not have rigid cell walls. In contrast to plants, they cannot
make their own food. Microscopic animals include mostly arthropods,
crustaceans, and rotifers.
Mites are one type of microscopic animal that can live on our bodies.
These spider-like arachnids live in tight spaces, including hair follicles.
Most of us have them and don’t even know it.
7.MICROSCOPIC PLANTS
The "microbe" category includes microscopic plants. Most microscopic
plants are counted among the “green algae” (a general term), and they
live as single cells (sometimes with flagella) or long fibers. Plant cells
have membrane-wrapped compartments, they’re surrounded by both
an outer membrane and a cell wall made of cellulose, and they have
chloroplasts for making their own food.
Microscopic plants generally do not live in or on the human body, but
they are very important food sources for animals in both freshwater
and saltwater ecosystems. They also release oxygen, which is
essential for animal life.
USES
1. Production of dairy products:

Bacteria are the key players here. Bacteria help in fermentation which
helps in making different forms of dairy products from milk like curd,
buttermilk, butter, cheese. Streptococcus is the most common genus of
bacteria that are used in the commercial production of this product.

2. Bread Baking:
A species of Streptococcus is added to the dough before making bread
to bring about the required fermentation.

3. Alcoholic Drinks:
Alcoholic drinks are prepared or manufactured by the process of
fermentation. Each drink is derived from a different starting product such
as potato and grapes. Then it is fermented, distilled and alcohol is
prepared. The commonly used microorganism here is different types of
fungus like yeast. Some even use bacteria and fungus. Alcoholic drinks
include wine, rum, vodka etc.

4. Organic acids:
Organic acids are commercially prepared using fungi. Acetobacter,
Rhizopus, Penicillium are a few fungi that are used to ferment substrates
such as fruits and sugar-containing syrups. Examples of acids that are
derived and manufactured on a large scale using fungi are acetic acid,
citric acid, gluconic acid, fumaric acid and lactic acid.

5. Enzymes:
Many microbes are used in the derivation of enzymes such as lipase,
lactase, protease, peptidase to name a few.

6. Steroid production:
Some bacterial and fungal species are used in the preparation of
steroids that are then injected into the human body for different
purposes.

7. Help in sewage treatment:

Not only are microorganisms helpful to our body, they are also helpful to
the environment. They help in the secondary treatment stage of sewage
treatment.

8. Used as insecticides:
Certain bacterial and fungal species are used to keep certain insects
and pests away from crops.
9. Fertility of soil:
Microorganisms play a very important role in maintaining the fertility of
the soil. They help in the composting process which forms manure. Also,
microorganisms present in the soil help aerate it and enrich the soil with
nitrates and other nutrients. These nutrients are needed by the crops for
an abundant harvest.

10. Production of vitamins:

An essential vitamin that people need for proper digestion is Vitamin B
12. Fungi are responsible for manufacturing B12.

11. Production of antibiotics and antivirals:

Bacteria and viruses are isolated and their antigens and enzymes are
extracted. These antigens help in the development of antibiotics and
antivirals.

12. Biotechnology and research:

So many labs use bacteria, fungi and especially viruses for research
studies. Non- virulent forms of these microorganisms are injected into
subjects going through clinical trials. This in future helps in the
development of medicines, vaccinations and cure for diseases. And
DNA and RNA studies also make use of them.

It is important for us to know about microorganisms and its uses as they

are both beneficial as well as harmful to other life forms. They play a
crucial role in the ecosystem. Maintaining a balance between the ‘good’
and ‘bad’ microorganisms is the key to coexisting with them.
CONCLUSION

Most of the microbes in humans live a harmonious existence with

human cells, but disease and infection can be caused when this
balance is disrupted or when the body or immune system is weakened.
... Beneficial microbes have an important role to play in the
breakdown of human waste in sewage plants.
CONTENTS
1. INTRODUCTION
2. TYPES
3. USES
4. CONCLUSION
Acknowledgement
I would like to express my special thanks of gratitude to my teacher Sir
Rahul as well as our principal Sir Vishwabandhu Dubey who gave me
the golden opportunity to do this wonderful project on the topic
Microbes and its uses, which also helped me in doing a lot of Research
and i came to know about so many new things I am really thankful to
them.
Secondly i would also like to thank my parents and friends who helped
me a lot in finalizing this project within the limited time frame.