Tiny Bugs: Some Interesting Things About Microorganisms

 Microorganisms - viruses, bacteria, protists, and fungi - are all around us. They are so small that you need a microscope to see them. We battle these microbes (aka germs) on a daily basis. As we can't normally see these tiny bugs we probably don't give them much thought. Here are some interesting facts about the types of microorganisms we encounter every day:

1. Viruses are non-living.

Viruses are not alive... but they're not dead either. They are non-living microorganisms; this is because they lack cellular structure, metabolic processes, and cannot reproduce independently. Viruses reproduce by hijacking host cells and using their resources to replicate.

2. Coronavirus.

Coronavirus is a term we are all familiar with, but did you know it refers to a type of virus, not an individual one? Each coronavirus has a similar shape and causes upper respiratory illness. Currently there are seven known coronaviruses.

3. Gram-positive vs Gram-negative.

There are two types of bacteria: gram-positive and gram-negative. Gram-positive bacteria have a thick peptidoglycan layer in their cell wall, while gram-negative bacteria have a thinner peptidoglycan layer and an outer membrane. A technique called a gram stain is used to determine the type of bacteria, as gram-positive bacteria retain the stain (and appear purple) and gram-negative retains the counterstain (and appears pink).

4. Paramecium.

Some protists are covered in hair-like projections called cilia. Paramecium has cilia that beat rhythmically to push food molecules to its oral groove (mouth).

5. We use some fungi for medicine.

The antibiotic penicillin is derived from penicillium mold. Penicillin interferes with bacterial cell wall synthesis which causes the cell to lyse (burst).

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