Bacteria Are the Cause of Disease. Here's How They Spread
Bacteria are single-celled orgasms, one of the most populous life forms on Earth. These microorganisms are everywhere. They live in land, water, air, to the body of every human being and animal. Most bacteria are harmless, even beneficial for health. Just take a peek at the bacterial colonies in the intestines and vagina of women, which are in charge of maintaining the function of these two organs in an optimal manner. But beyond that, some bacteria are the culprit that causes disease. Bacterial infection can be mild to severe causing death. For example, such as tuberculosis and cholera. Are you curious about how bacteria can spread and cause disease, and what can be done to prevent it? Stay tuned in this article.
There are many ways bacteria can spread
In general, the way bacteria spread is through the following four main ways:
Through touch between skin and objects that contain bacteria
One of the most comfortable homes for bacteria is the human hand. About 5 thousand bacteria inhabit your hands at all times. Therefore, the touch of hands, either directly with other people’s skin or holding objects, can be a medium for spreading bacteria.
Not washing your hands after handling your nose / mouth when coughing / sneezing, handling animals, urinating / defecating, touching raw food, preparing food, changing children’s diapers, etc. can trigger the spread of bacteria from your body to other people. Touching the skin of an infected person can also cause you to catch the disease.
For example: You have a red eye infection (conjunctivitis), and then you rub your eyes, don’t wash your hands first, and then shake hands with other people. After that the person rubs his eyes or eats with his hands without washing his hands. The person can get the same eye infection or possibly another part of the infection as a result of the transfer of bacteria from you through touch.
The same principle of spread of bacteria also occurs if you like to borrow and borrow personal items or touch items used by sick people. For example, used tissues holding up sneeze or bath towels for people who have diarrhea.
By air
Another way of spreading bacteria is through moisture particles that come out when you cough or sneeze. The air particles that contain bacteria and viruses can be inhaled by other people and infect their bodies, so they catch the cough and flu that you have. To make matters worse, the bacteria are not visible to the naked eye, so you will never know who is sick and who is sneezing / coughing near you.
Therefore, it is recommended that you use a mask when you are sick. Or if this is not available, you must always observe good etiquette when coughing and sneezing, for example covering your mouth when coughing and sneezing, to prevent airborne transmission of diseases, such as tuberculosis.
Cross-contamination of food
If you don’t pay attention to cleanliness, cooking activities can often be a source of transmission of bacterial diseases. Unclean cooking processes, such as not washing hands after touching raw food, preparing food, and using the toilet before cooking can spread bacteria to others. Eating food contaminated with bacteria can cause diarrhea, botulism, and food poisoning, for example.
Another way
Apart from that, bacteria can also be spread in different ways, such as through:
- Drinking or using contaminated water (cholera and typhoid fever)
- Sexual contact (syphilis, gonorrhea, chlamydia)
- Contact with animals (anthrax, cat scratch disease)
- Movement of bacteria from one part of the body, which is their true habitat, to another part, where the bacteria cause disease (such as when E coli moves from the intestine to the urinary tract causing urinary tract infections).
How do bacteria cause disease?
Bacteria can cause disease in a number of ways. Some bad bacteria can reproduce excessively, disrupting their natural ecosystem, such as bacterial vaginosis. Some destroy the network outright. Others produce toxins (poisons) that kill cells.
When bacteria infect, they will stay in the body for a long time. They “devour” the body’s nutrients and energy, and can produce poisons or toxins. The toxin can eventually cause common infectious symptoms, such as fever, wheezing, rash, cough, vomiting and diarrhea.
To find out how bacteria cause disease, usually, doctors will look at samples of blood, urine, and other fluids under a microscope or send these samples to a laboratory for more tests. In this way your doctor can find out which germs live in your body and how they can cause you to get sick.
How to avoid bacterial infection?
There are various ways to prevent bacterial infection, namely:
- Wash hands with soap and running water after hands holding nose / mouth when coughing / sneezing, handling animals, urinating / defecating, touching raw food, preparing food, before eating, changing children’s diapers, etc. Washing your hands can prevent as many as 200 diseases.
- Don’t touch the eyes, nose and mouth too often
- Food should be cooked or refrigerated as quickly as possible
- Vegetables and meat should be kept separate and prepared on separate cutting boards
- Meat should be well processed and cooked until cooked
- Using a condom during sexual intercourse reduces the chance of spreading sexually transmitted diseases
Bacterial infections can be cured by prescription antibiotics.
Hello Health Group does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.
