What do bacteria survive on

How bacteria survive in oxygen-poor environments: Discovery could inform development of new therapies for cystic fibrosis infections.

Retrieved November 12, from www. Pseudomonas aeruginosa, which can cause pneumonia, typically infects infants or young children and Researchers have succeeded in revealing the dynamics of the pathogen's The pathogen is resistant to many antibiotics so treating those infections, particularly in patients with ScienceDaily shares links with sites in the TrendMD network and earns revenue from third-party advertisers, where indicated.

Print Email Share. Boy or Girl? Living Well. View all the latest top news in the environmental sciences, or browse the topics below:. So intestinal infections and other diseases they cause, like amebiasis and giardiasis , often spread through contaminated water. Some protozoa are parasites. This means they need to live on or in another organism like an animal or plant to survive. For example, the protozoa that causes malaria grows inside red blood cells, eventually destroying them.

Some protozoa are encapsulated in cysts, which help them live outside the human body and in harsh environments for long periods of time. Note: All information is for educational purposes only. For specific medical advice, diagnoses, and treatment, consult your doctor.

Search KidsHealth library. Germs: Bacteria, Viruses, Fungi, and Protozoa. What Are Germs? Set your location: Set Cancel. My Location: Loading Font Size:. By Topic. Some types, for example cyanobacteria, produce oxygen. Others, such as heliobacteria, do not produce oxygen. Those that use chemosynthesis are known as chemoautotrophs. These bacteria are commonly found in ocean vents and in the roots of legumes, such as alfalfa, clover, peas, beans, lentils, and peanuts.

There are bacteria in the stratosphere, between 6 and 30 miles up in the atmosphere, and in the ocean depths, down to 32, feet or 10, meters deep. Aerobes, or aerobic bacteria, can only grow where there is oxygen. Some types can cause problems for the human environment, such as corrosion, fouling, problems with water clarity, and bad smells.

Anaerobes, or anaerobic bacteria, can only grow where there is no oxygen. In humans, this is mostly in the gastrointestinal tract. They can also cause gas, gangrene , tetanus , botulism , and most dental infections. Facultative anaerobes, or facultative anaerobic bacteria, can live either with or without oxygen, but they prefer environments where there is oxygen. They are mostly found in soil, water, vegetation and some normal flora of humans and animals.

Examples include Salmonella. Mesophiles, or mesophilic bacteria, are the bacteria responsible for most human infections. This is the temperature of the human body. Examples include Listeria monocytogenes , Pesudomonas maltophilia , Thiobacillus novellus , Staphylococcus aureus , Streptococcus pyrogenes , Streptococcus pneumoniae , Escherichia coli , and Clostridium kluyveri. The human intestinal flora, or gut microbiome, contains beneficial mesophilic bacteria, such as dietary Lactobacillus acidophilus.

Extremophiles, or extremophilic bacteria, can withstand conditions considered too extreme for most life forms. Deep in the ocean, bacteria live in total darkness by thermal vents, where both temperature and pressure are high. They make their own food by oxidizing sulfur that comes from deep inside the earth.

Some bacteria produce endospores, or internal spores, while others produce exospores, which are released outside. These are known as cysts. Clostridium is an example of an endospore-forming bacterium. There are about species of Clostridium , including Clostridium botulinim C.

Difficile , which causes colitis and other intestinal problems. Bacteria are often thought of as bad, but many are helpful. We would not exist without them. The oxygen we breathe was probably created by the activity of bacteria. Many of the bacteria in the body play an important role in human survival.