Bacteria, Viruses and Toxins - Potential Use as Biological Warfare - Essay Example

BАСTЕRIА, VIRUSЕS АND TОХINS - АNАLОGIЕS, DIFFЕRЕNСЕS АND РОTЕNTIАL USЕ АS BIОLОGIСАL WАRFАRЕ АGЕNTS First1 aFirst bSecond Abstract Bacteria, viruses, and toxins are all microbes that can only be detected through the symptoms that result from their infection or under a microscope. There is ambiguity between toxins and bacteria because of the mutually beneficial relationship between bacteria and toxins and the manufacture of some types of toxins by bacteria. Toxins enable bacteria through their cell-destructive action which lets the bacteria consume the cellular components and multiply. Viruses, on the other hand, only survive in their hosts and die when taken out of their hosts, They are incurable and even vaccinations serve to weaken them to give time for the immune system to recover from viral infections without severe consequences. The three often cause similar symptoms depending on the type and nature of the immunity off the ill person. The nomenclature f the three is based on their structure and functionality. Keywords: 1.0 Introduction This essay is a discussion of bacteria, viruses, and toxins, and a little about their impact on the human body and immune system. It consists of the similarities, differences, and composition, their formation, existence in nature, and nomenclature. The essay discusses each-the bacteria, viruses, and toxins- in depth clarifying the ambiguities found among the three in relation to infections. The essay reveals the relationship between toxins and bacteria and the free existence of some toxins. It also explains that nature of viruses as genetic data rather than cellular substances that can survive and reproduce as do bacteria. The symbiotic relationship between bacteria and some toxins is also discussed. 2.0 Text Bacteria are prokaryotic organisms with single cells and occur in all areas of life. They can be found in living organisms, in soil, water, and in the air. There are useful and harmful bacteria upon their interaction with human beings, plants, animals, or other living things. Examples of useful bacteria are the plant growth promoting bacteria (Glick). As opposed to bacteria, viruses are acellular with no cellular structure. The survival of a virus is dependent on the host whereby its infestation onto the host is accompanies by rapid reproduction. It does not survive for long outside the host. All viruses are harmful to their hosts. They cause illnesses to the host unlike bacteria which vary in their impact on their hosts based on their nature. Whereas bacteria are living organisms, viruses are yet to be confirmed as living. Toxins, on the other hand, are non-living as they neither feed nor excrete. Theirs is to react to the environment where Almost all the infections that occur as a result of the harmful bacteria can be cured using antibiotics. However, most viral infections are incurable and they include such as the common cold and HIV. It takes the strength of the immune system of the patient to overcome the infection since only the symptoms are treated. Some viruses can be vaccinated against but their high mutation rate makes it difficult to keep up with the vaccinations. 2.1 Structural characteristics of viruses and bacteria Viruses contain no ribosomes, cell walls, nucleus, and cells. The main reason is because viruses are not cells and have no cells whereas bacterial are cells. Bacteria, on the other hand, contain ribosomes, and a single cell wall (a lipopolysaccharide). Although it is a living organism, it is unicellular and has no nucleus. Bacteria can be completely destroyed by the use of antibiotic. Viruses, however, may have vaccines which slow down the development enough for the human immune system to overcome them. While all bacteria have enzymes, only some viruses are characterized by enzymes. The infection of bacteria is localized whereas that of the viruses is systemic (Gonzales-Gustavson, Cárdenas-Youngs and Calvo). 2.2 Bacteria Most bacteria are characterized by asexual reproduction through mitosis or binary fission. As explained, they are multicellular, there are harmful and useful bacteria, they can be cured using antibiotics, and can survive and reproduce on non-living surfaces. Bacteria often liaise with toxins to obtain the much required energy for replication. Some bacteria have evolved to the point of the production of toxins through the process called toxigenesis (FordDoolittle). The characteristics exhibited by bacteria that best fir them into the category of all living things include feeding, excretion, and response to the environment. The bacteria that cause infections in human beings are less than 1% of the bacteria in the world. Bacteria can be classified according to their shape, staining, structure, and oxygen requirement (Zahra). Table 1: The classification of bacteria Classification group Categories Shape Cocci, bacilli, spirilla, vibrios, and sporichaetes. Staining Gram positive and gram negative. Structure Spore former, capsule former, and flagella,. Oxygen requirement Obligate aerobes, facultative anaerobes, aerotolerant anaerobes, obligate anaerobes, and microaerophiles. PH Acidophiles, neutrophiles, and alkalophiles. Osmotic pressure Osmotolerant and halophiles. Temperature Psychrophiles, psyhotrophs, mesophyles, stearothermophyles, hyperthermophyes 2.3 Viruses Viruses are essentially information particles that float around in the form of DNA or RNA until they find a suitable host onto which they dispose the information. Viruses can only carry information in the form of DNA or RNA and depend on the cellular properties of their host for reproduction. The virus injects its genetic material into the cell where it uses the machinery of the cell for reproduction of gets ingrained into the DNA or RNA of the host cell for replication later on (Lefkowitz). Viruses are classified into Bunya, Caudovirales, Herpesvirales, Ligamenvirales, Mononegavirales, Nidovirales, Picornavirales, andTymovirales. The rest are unassigned and cnsist of 85 families of viruses. The classification of viruses changes rapidly and often follow specific pre-set rules which require intensivee consultation before the implementation of any changes (ICTV; Fauquet and Martelli; Kuhn, Radoshitzky and Bavari). 2.4 Toxins Toxins are any substances created by organisms such as bacteria, plants, or animals that causes poisoning upon ingestion and is venomous upon injection into the body. There are numerous toxins in various different forms, sizes, and shapes. Based on their chemical composition, there are the proteins (manufactured and produced by the bacteria) and the lipopolysaccharides (mostly found on the cell walls of the bacteria). There is the ‘invasions’ category of toxins based on their function in the promotion of bacterial invasions (Ruzbahani). The name given to the cells that contain such toxins are endotoxins and exotoxins. The endotoxins are bacterial structural components that are associated with cells. Lipopolysaccharides (LPS) and lipooligosaccharides (LOS) are among the most common endotoxins. They are mostly found on the Gram-negative bacteria membrane. Examples of toxins are such as cholera, tetanus, the botuinum, shuga, and diphtheria toxins (Ruzbahani). 2.1.1 Endotoxins The Endotoxin, more accurately known as the Lipo-Poly-Saccharide (LPS) is one of the most abundant toxins in the realm of bacteria. It is highly potent and consists of a structure of fats and sugars as the name suggests. The Gram negative bacteria consist of LPS on its membrane as one of the membrane components. It is expressed as a spiky substance and plays the role of a protective shield of the bacteria and is found in the E-coli. The E-coli is commonly found in the human GI tract. It is the reason behind food poisoning. When the environment is conducive, the LPS attack the GT cells by killing them. The endotoxin in turn feeds on the destroyed cell, thus, making reproduction possible. 2.1.2 Exotoxins As a result of evolution, some bacteria even generate their own toxins. Examples of famous bacteria-generated toxins include Cholera and Anthrax. They are protein-based which makes it possible for the bacteria to optimize them for specific functions. The botulinum and tetanus toxins, for instance, exclusively target neurons. Their impact on the host benefits the reproduction of the bacteria. Endotoxins are minimally polypeptides and their action is enzymatic. Bacteria are denatured by high temperatures thus the need to thoroughly cook food and boil water to avoid bacterial infections. However, if bacteria contain LPS, heat has no impact on it thus the likelihood of food poisoning despite the level of cooking if it contains LPS. That is because LPS is made of sugars and fats which are not affected by high temperatures as are protein-based toxins. Table 1: A comparison and contrast of viruses, toxins and bacteria . Substance Bacteria Viruses Toxins Living Some are living, some are non-living Non-living Unicellular Contain no cells-DNA/ RNA genetic information Contain no cells Could be useful or harmful Are harmful Are harmful-poisonous when ingested, venomous when ingested Curable by the use of antibiotics Non-curable. Only preventable by the use of vaccines and treatable by the treatment of the symptoms Can be treated using various methods Are living organisms that could produce toxins Produced by living organisms Microbes are the causatives of bacterial infections Microbes are the causatives of vital infections Cause symptoms such as inflammation, fatigue, diarrhea, vomiting, sneezing, and coughing depending on the bacteria Cause symptoms such as inflammation, fatigue, diarrhea, vomiting, sneezing, and coughing depending on the virus 3.0 Conclusion In conclusion, the general similarity and viruses, toxins, and bacteria is in the expression of the infection of either. The symptoms alone do not give a clear idea of the cause of the infection and the assumption that bacteria are equal and can be equally destroyed by the use of antibiotics is wrong. The relationship between toxins and bacteria helps draw a clear distinction between the two and understand why some illnesses such as food poisoning are experienced despite the thorough preparation and cooking of food. 4.0 Works Cited Fauquet, Claude M and Giovanni P Martelli. Viral Classification and Nomenclature. New York: John Wiley and Sons, 2013. Web. . FordDoolittle, W. "Population Genomics: How Bacterial Species Form and Why They Don't Exist." Current Biology (2012): 451-453. Web. . Glick, Bernard R. "Plant Growth-Promoting Bacteria: Mechanisms and Applications." Hindawi Scientifica (2012): 1-15. Web. . Gonzales-Gustavson, Eloy, et al. "Characterization of the efficiency and uncertainty of skimmed milk flocculation for the simultaneous concentration and quantification of water-borne viruses, bacteria and protozoa." Journal of Microbiological Methods (2017): 46-53. Web. ICTV. Virus Taxonomy: 2016 Release. 1 1 2017. Web. 7 8 2017. . Kuhn, Jens H., et al. "The Internationall Code of Viirus Classification and Nomeenclature (ICVCN): Proposal for Text Changes for Improved Differentiation of Viral Taxa and Viruses." Arch Virol (2014): 1621–1629. Web. Lefkowitz, Elliot J. Manual of Clinical Microbiology. New York, 2015. Web. . Ruzbahani, Meisam. Bacterial Toxins and Toxin classification. 4 1 2014. Web. 7 8 2017. . Zahra, Maryam. "Classification of bacteria." 9 11 2013. Slideshare. https://www.slideshare.net/maryamzahra585/classification-of-bacteria. 6 8 2017. Read More