Eating Bacteria

While looking through the internet I came across an interesting article titled "Better Eating, Thanks to Bacteria" by Sandor Ellix Katz. It caught my attention immediately as soon as I saw the title. Katz love fermented foood, such as, sauerkraut, kimchi, you name it. Something I found really interesting about this article was that I had no idea that people would eat mold. While Katz was at home he invented a lot of new recipes, specially one that he learned from the Cherokee people. The food came out so good that he decided to share it with the chef of a restaurant called Momofuku Noodle Bar. Excitingly they combined new things creating new kind of food plate such as, mold and beans, mold and pine nuts, etc. Katz commented about fermentation, "There’s no denying that fermentation has drastically expanded the spectrum of what’s available to the human palate". Fermentation did broaden the spectrum. 

If you want to read the article here is the link:

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/19/dining/fermentation-guru-helps-chefs-find-new-flavors.html?pagewanted=2&n=Top/News/Science/Topics/Microbiology&_r=0

Microbial Control

Most people see microbes as bad organisms but, in reality not all microbes are bad. Some microbes are help such as the one in our intestines. Microbes can be controlled, there are 5 was to control microbes. The first one is Sterilization- killing all microbes. Sterilization simply means to kill ALL microbe, without exception. Another way to control microbes is with Disinfection- the use of chemicals to kill, inactivate, destroy or limit growth. Disinfection is typically used in inanimate objects. Sanitation simply means the removal of pathogens. One of most recommended one is Degerming- this means physically removing microbes, such as, washing your hands.  Last but not least, Antiseptic is using chemical or antibiotics to limit growth, inactivate, laminate, etc.

Hand Sanitizer gift

I have two precious nieces that mean the world to me, one is 8 yrs old and the other one is 4 yrs old. Jelainy is the 8 yrs old one and she is in 3rd grade. Since she is in school I thought it would be a good idea to talk to her about the benefits of washing her hands with soap and using hand sanitizer. After hours of playing, hide and seek and other games, I told my niece I was very tired and it was time for a break. So during that break I decided to talk to her about why she should wash her hands. We sat down in the couch and I told her that after playing all those games and touching the floor and many more other things our hands were dirty, they had germs. She did not know what germs were so I explained it to her and told her that germs can get her sick. While we were talking I took her to the bathroom and we washed our hands together. I also bought her a small bottle of hand sanitizer and gave it to her. She was very excited and promised me to that she was going to wash her hands and use the hand sanitizer often specially after using the bathroom.

Red blood cells and a Virus

Out of all the types of microorganisms I would like to refer to three today. First one is bacteria, which are prokaryotes, living things that are neither plants nor animals, but belong to a group all by themselves. Typically they have a wide range of shapes, ranging from spheres to rods and spirals. Another microorganism is a virus as seen in the picture above in purple. A virus is an infective agent that typically consists of a nucleic acid molecule in a protein coat, is too small to be seen by light microscopy, and is able to multiply only within the living cells of a host. Last, microorganism is a fungi which can be unicellular, multicellular, or syncytial spore-producing organisms feeding on organic matter, including molds, yeast, mushrooms, and toadstools.

have you ever wonder?

Have you ever wonder what temperature do bacteria or any other microorganism will grow in? Well, I did and surely I am not the only one that have asked herself that question. This in my microbiology class I learned that different organisms may grow in different kind of temperature. The first kind of microorganism I will discuss are Psycrophiles which simply mean microorganism that require temperatures of below 20 degrees Celsius  There are also Mesophiles which are microorganism that grow best in temperature ranging between 20-40 degrees Celsius. Mesophiles are the one that are most likely to grow in humans. Thermophiles are the ones that require  temperature above 45 degrees Celsius. Finally, Hyperthermophiles require temperature above 80 degrees Celsius.

Is microbiology important for a nursing major?

While thinking through the question, why is microbiology important for someone that will become a nurse, helped me realize that diseases are something a nurse deals with on a daily basis. Thinking about the things I learn in my microbiology class and I understood that is preparing me for my nursing career since I'm learning about bacteria's, virus and other microorganism that may cause diseases. Especially the case studies help you analyze scenarios that you may encounter in your career.

Structures of a Prokaryotic Cell

Prokaryotic cells are cells that do not have a true nucleus. Prokaryotic cells Have Glycocalyx, Flagella and Ribosomes. Glycocalyx is a sticky subtance around the cell, something like a sugar cup. Flagellas are a long structure that extend beyond the surface of the cell and the glycocalyx and propel a cell to the environment. Ribosomes are found in both prokaryotic and Eukaryotic cells and are the sites of protein synthesis in cells.