Antibiotics or Viruses. Which do you prefer?

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Photo from Twisted doodle on Pinterest

Hiiii. I want to tell you a story.

Once upon a time that might come, we will take virus as antibiotics. Doctors will hand out prescription on what type of virus to use as medications . And we will willingly accept virus into our body to survive bacterial infections!

You may  “wow” or “OMG”, but don’t “it’s a lie”. Seriously, don’t, because it is true. Even bacteria can be infected by virus! Viruses that kill bacteria are called “Bacteriophages”.

Did you know that using virus to kill bacteria was the first method of killing bad bacteria in the body? I know how you feel, I was shocked too.

It was discovered in 1917, over a decade before the first known antibiotics “Penicillin" was discovered. And since the discovery of antibiotics, the use of phages was put on hold.

But our time with antibiotics is running out! Bacteria resistant to colistin, an antibiotic of last resort , has been discovered on pig farms in China! And so, a promising way to kill bacteria is to use bacteriophages

You should know that it is not the kind of virus you’re scared of, but the ones that have been worked on in the lab for use. The question is : is it safe to have virus in our bodies? We’ll get to that. 

Now, let’s  look at how these phages operate.

First, phage recognizes and attachs itself to a bacteria. Next, it injects its DNA into the bacteria. Instead of the bacteria’s DNA to copy, the virus DNA copies itself, make more shells and packages the copied DNA into those shells. Lastly, the phages release toxic chemicals that make holes in the bacteria from the inside, releasing newly made phages to the outside to infect more bacteria.

 

Phages are specific to certain species of bacteria. This means that if you have for example a resistant Staphylococcus aureus, you can get the phage that kills only that. In that way the good bacteria in our body won’t be disturbed. And because phages are specific to bacteria, they cannot harm humans! This answers your question.

 

The best part is that phages CAN kill antibiotic resistant bacteria! Rather than stopping them from doing a specific process like multiplying, phages actively DESTROY bacteria cell wall and cell membrane and make holes from inside to release themselves, that way stopping all process. This process makes it harder for bad guys to develop resistance. Seriously super amazing!

 

Although phages are harder to prepare, and take longer time to use in treatment,one day, it might be our first line of defense against bacteria. 

Not all that bad now is it?

So stay safe, and create awareness 🤝♥️

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“Odeshi” transfers

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Alright, still on Antibiotics Resistance, we’ve already learned the cause of AbR that we can control. Let’s talk about the one we have no control over.

It is a fact that bacteria especially are ubiquitous: they are found everywhere, on every surface. The environment is a reservoir for these bad guys. Humans and animals also are. Now that we’ve already established that, let’s get to the scary part.

When we take antibiotics, these bad guys die, and when they are ejected out of our bodies they always end up in the environment again. For instance, when an infected person urinates and flush, the flushed out bad guys go to the sewers and from there into the soils (if the sewers leak or something),and back into the human body when we come in contact with the soil or with someone that has had contact with the soil. Imagine that!

 Imagine this also: the flushed out bad guys meet with more of it’s kind out there, and seek loving embrace. They make out, have sex, AND exchange part of themselves; their DNA. Their DNA already reconfigured due to the antibiotics you took is now in another clean bad guy, and it’s own DNA is now reconfigured. Do you get the picture?

 Now the amazing/scary thing is that sometimes these bad guys can be completely dead when they’re flushed out, but their DNA can be picked by others, and these others now have acquired the DNA that makes them resistant to what killed those bad guys.

And because we don’t know or even see the bacteria we have been infected with, we don’t know if they have been reconfigured.

This is why sometimes, a person can be resistant to a drug that he/she hasn’t even taken , or hasn’t taken in a long time. Although this process is not easy to quantity, resistance DNA that circulate among bad guys are nearly impossible to eliminate.

 

In such a case we can’t control what do we do? Again don’t over-take antibiotics, and do all things hygienically. Take healthy foods that boost your immune system so that way, you don’t need antibiotics all the time.

During my Industrial training, I was privileged to see people’s test samples where all available antibiotics are either completely useless or on their way to being completely useless in killing bacteria, and that’s is what inspired this post.

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So stay safe, and create awareness.

Photo from Beatrice the Biologist.

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“Odeshi”

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You’re already caught up on why you should go for a lab test in case of an infection and get a prescribed antibiotics and not depend on herbal mixtures.

Now, let’s talk about these Antibiotics:

Antibiotics are drugs used to treat bacterial infections. They either kill the bad guys or stop them from reproducing, allowing the body’s natural defenses to eliminate them.

Over time, these bad guys have developed “odeshi” tactics that has claimed the lives of so many people. I’m talking hundreds of thousands every year. These “odeshi” tactics are termed Antibiotics Resistance.

Antibiotics Resistance occurs when one’s microorganism multiply in the presence of an antibiotics. Now, Antibiotics Resistance occurs naturally, but misuse of antibiotics in humans is accelerating the process, and this is where YOU come in.

Oh yes I’m dragging and shaking this table.

How many times do you prescribe antibiotics for yourself (especially dear Amoxil and Ampiclox)?

How many times do you abandon your drugs because you’ve started feeling better? 

You see these are the ways we give these bad guys the opportunity to kill us. You know how?

When you don’t finish your prescription, and at the right time, you give the bacteria the chance to build a defense strategy. They study the drugs you’ve used so that by the time you use that drug again, they’ve built resistance to it.

Also, prescribing drugs for your self is really not advisable because it is wise to rotate drugs that can fight the bad guys off and in that way not give then the chance to prepare for defense. Leave Amoxil alone o. Leave Ampiclox!

The accumulation of these resistance in the same bad guy leads to multi drug resistance (resistance to several families of antibiotics) or even total resistance (resistance to all available antibiotics)

So please, just like the WHO has stated: Only use antibiotics when prescribed by a certified health professional. Always follow your health worker’s advice when using antibiotics. Never share or use leftover antibiotics. And do all things hygienically. Because if these guys up their games, e don be for us!

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One drug, cure all?

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Tips: I recommend you use pidgin for this post, and if you know this set of people I’m talking about, then talk as fast as they do. You’ll see😄

Photo by Sherry’s on Main on Flickr 

How often do the typical Nigerian get accosted on the road, especially the market, by herbal mixture sellers? These people that have the cure for everything, in just one bottle of drugs! For instance: Get your gbogbonise. E dey cure malaria, typhoid, cough, guinea worm, ring worm, worm wey be like say e dey dance for your body(whatever that means), staphylokoocus, diabetes, cancer, even spiritual headache and physical headache. E dey even cure hypertension, dey take care of jedijedi, or abi you or your baby dey always go toilet? Or na discharge u dey discharge as a lady(ehm,duh?) and d discharge Dey worry u, Abi nah watery sperm u get as a man? You get pain during mensturation (I mean helloooo?)?, or abi nah when you dey urinate? Or ur eyes dey always turnioniown? Madam, oga all you need nah just dis bottle o. E dey cure all invisible disease in ur bloodstream. In fact ehn all STD’s, HIV, even Corona dey trouble, dem no reach to come ur side at all at all. Just add a little of it in ur hot pap. U fit even take am with red oil, dat one dey  sweet. Or u fit boil hot water come put only 2 caps of d gbogbonise inside. HA! Well done o. You’re doing well o Gbogbonise. After you nah you!

Or is it the one they sell in public transport? And the sellers tell you how very popular their company is and “you must have heard of us right? Don’t worry if e no work just bring am come our branch we go give you the one wey go work 2 times better”.

While it is alright to take some of these herbal drugs, bear in mind that the major use is for health promotion, not for treatment for  sudden illness. The process is very slow, you’re not sure of the hygiene process, there’s high risk of allergy and  side effects which often takes long time to reveal.

Most reasons why people take these mixtures is that it is more affordable, and corresponds with what you think is wrong with you. But please, if you have symptoms of whatever, go to the doctor first. If you had unprotected sex tell your doctor, if you used a dirty toilet tell your doctor. Don’t just stay and whine yourself that your infection must be from the dirty toilet and not your unprotected sex. There are specific, affordable tests that can be done to isolate the bacteria and also determine the particular drugs that would fight and clear the bacteria, so don’t leave it at the mercy of herbal mixtures that might stop the discharge or the pain, or the smell, while the bacteria continues to accumulate in your body!

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We are for better for worse, so let's get acquainted

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Microbes have been around longer than anything else on Earth, longer even than dinosaurs. This is our story, and unlike other microbes, we have decided to tell it ourselves. God bless the Grandmother for agreeing to it. You see we've been waiting for this post to introduce ourselves, so let's get right to it!

Hello!! We are Bacteria

   

I am Mr B, a representative of the BACTERIA clan. I wouldn't even try and be humble and say some of you know us, all of you do! You see God in His AWESOMENESS, just like He made Jesus the firstborn made us the first born of the microbe world(let these other microbes argue for all we care). 

We are ubiquitous but not omnipresent, that title is for God alone. We are found everywhere in the environment- in the air, soil, water, surfaces, on plants, in and on humans and animals. Being present everwhere makes us stars, and how do stars do? Like we do! I dare say we that we are the friendliest of the microbe world. I'm serious, I mean a whole lot of us are very beneficial to you humans, we live in your guts, intestine, stomach, help you in digesting, keep guessing the rest. But sadly, or should i say normally, there are black sheeps in the family. Some of you should relate, you are black sheeps yourselves. These ones cauuse harm to their host, both primarily and when opportunity arises in their search for greener pastures.

VIRUS here

They say VIRUS are the smallest of all microbes, we are! But let me tell you the smaller the deadlier. They say we are not classified as living things because we do not respire or excrete, metabolize energy or reproduce the way these other silly microbes do. Big joke! Let me ask you do non living things have DNA or RNA? Because we have either one. Go and ask people with HIV whether we are alive or not, talking yhen yhen yhen playing God in our situation! We are only alive and able to multiply inside the cells of other living things(host), and we only exist to make more viruses. We are very dangerous, let's be guided.

lol. You must have heard of yeast used to make bread and soy sauce, edible mushroom, even cheese. That's FUNGI doing. We do a lot more, for example, we change the colour on peoples face- you guys call it pigmentation. We also cause what Yoruba "Lapa Lapa", English word is Ringworm. We grow on different hosts, anywhere that  is warm and damp. We also live inside you,we are normal flora in female private part, deal with it. Anyways move, when it's our turn for proper introduction, we'd meet, for now, we gats sleep.                            

PROTOZOA. We hope you remember us from secondary school biology

                   

We are not much of words. The early things you were taught in Senior Secondary school biology as living organisms are us; Amoeba, Paramecium, Euglena. We are small animals- that's where our name came from. We eat bacteria, fungi, thereby maintaining microbial population; trust us you don't want an overpopulated microbial environment. It's disastrous.

ALGAE are aquatic, plant-like organisms. We are photosynthetic, a feature not common to bacteria, fungi nor virus. That's all you need to know for now, I have to get home to my wife, the waters are cool this night. Before I go, I can't resist dropping this meme

lmao, get it?

                                                   

From what you just learnt, what are the unique features of each class of microorganisms? Although Mr Algae had to go back home, my home is with the Grandmother, so I'd love to see your comments and answers in the comment section. Let us know what you think.

 

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Branches of MIcrobiology

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I've been so obsessed about making this post really simple. Before we start, are you a new comer and haven't read the previous post? Click here to read so that you get the full gist because this is the continuation of the last post.

Microbiology is broad and is divided mainly into two branches: the Pure Microbiology, and the Applied Microbiology.

I figured since pure microbiology is pure, this picture could pass as Pure microbiology picture in this context. Get it?

Pure Microbiology is the most essential branch. It is pure in the sense that the microorganisms themselves are studied/examined in-depth. It covers the study of everything about microbes- their history(even up to their village people), their growth, reproduction, survival instincts, communication skills, good behaviors, bad behaviors, metabolism,texture and appearances, how they eat, how they sleep, and every other thing relating to them. 

There is a term Microbial taxonomy. Microbial taxonomy is the classification of microorganisms having similarities together, and separating them from other groups of microorganisms that have different characteristics.

Pure Microbiology studies this various microbial taxonomy, so by this,we have sub-branches of Pure Microbiology

• Bacteriology: the study of Bacteria
• Mycology: the study of Fungi
• Protozoology: the study of Protozoa
• Parasitology: the study of Parasites
• Virology: the study of Viruses
• Phycology: the study of Algae 

Other sub-branches include:

• Evolutionary microbiology: study of evolution on microorganism
• Cellular microbiology: study of the structure and function of microbial cells
• Immunology: study of the immune system, the relationship between pathogens such as Bacteria and Viruses and their host

Applied Microbiology on the other hand is the branch that deals with the application of microbes and the knowledge about them in other fields of science. It studies the world of microorganisms and the way it interacts with our own world, and how we can use their super powers and combine with our own super powers(of production and the rest) and see how to produce human beneficial products. It is because of this branch we are able to know how microorganisms can be used to produce food, ferment beer, and so on. Pretty cool huh?? To mention a few sub-branches of Applied Microbiology, we have

• Food Microbiology: Study of microbes that cause food borne illnesses, and microbes used in food production such as fermentation of beers
• Medical Microbiology: Study of microbes responsible for human disease
• Pharmaceutical Microbiology: Study of microbes used in pharmaceutical products such as Vaccines, antibiotics, enzymes, vitamins
• Microbial biotechnology: Using microbes in industrial or consumer products

In summary, Microbiology is concerned with form, structure, reproduction, physiology, metabolism, classification , and most important, economic importance of microorganisms.

For fun, pick any word here and tell what you understand of it.

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MICROBIOLOGY, THE STUDY OF MICROORGANISMS.

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So, since this blog is dedicated to the study of microorganisms , it is only wise to begin with an introduction to the course that is dedicated to them. Presenting (drumroll!!)

I believe most of us here have even the tiniest idea of Microbiology. Microbiology is simply the study of small, really small "living" organisms. The small I'm talking about here is not even like this dot(.). I'm talking "not able to be seen with the naked eye" type of small. That's amazing right? I bet some of you haven't seen something that cannot be seen with the naked eye before. But guess what? I have!!. That's right, and I tell you, it was so easy too, not because I have super powers, but because I used a Microscope!

Notice the emphasis on living. That's because they are very much alive, as alive as you are. They eat, sleep, and even poop 

LMAO, I've been thinking of this since i saw it. Does it confuse you? In my previous post, someone commented :

So, here’s the thing: I've been low-key nursing this imagination about how [maybe] there's a larger world of organisms that we(humans) are "micro" to��. Well,

 

So, if these organisms on our hand alone are more than the entire world population, then surely they'd feel big in a small way and maybe even look scornfully on us (for people who don't appreciate and take care of them).

Who are Microbiologists?

LMAO, ok simply put, Microbiologist are people who study microorganisms. Because infectious diseases are caused by microorganisms (collectively called pathogens), Microbiologists are capable of studying the cause of an infection, and even begin the drug prescribing process, and that is what most of you don't know. True fact, without the microbiologists, a doctor cannot even begin to guess how to prescribe drugs to his patients to treat infection. Microbiologists can also work in any field of microbiology, and this is what we would discuss next.

Off record, I want to do a birthday shout out to my forever friend, who played a very major role in making this blog a reality. God bless you Ofure 

P.s: There is a word pun hidden somewhere in this post. First person to identify and comment it gets something!

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