What Are Microorganisms And Where Can They Be Found?

Have you ever wondered what microorganisms are? The word “microorganisms” has different meanings depending on the context in which it is used.

In biology, for example, it is defined as the reproductive part of a plant that germinates to grow. A microorganism is therefore metaphorically known as the initiator of something such as a movement.

In this article, we will take a closer look at what microorganisms are and where they can be found. Read on if you want to know more about this fascinating microscopic world!

What are microorganisms?

We define this term as any microorganism capable of causing disease or harming its host, whatever it is of animal or plant origin. Overall, there are four primary types of bacteria that we will mention below.

Bacteria

Bacteria are prokaryotic (for example, single-celled) organisms, which are few microns in size and come in various forms.

According to the  Earth Microbiome Project, they  estimate that there are more than a trillion species of bacteria on the planet,  so we are not exaggerating when we say that they are the essential basis of any ecosystem. Depending on their morphology, they can be divided into several types:

• Chefs  are spherical and dependent on the number of individuals that make up the structure (diplococci, tetracocci, and streptococci).
• Bacilli  are root-shaped.
• Spiral shapes  are vibrio, spiril and spiro chains.

Bacteria can be immobile or have the ability to move through cilia, which help them move. Depending on their method of detection , they may be gram-negative or gram-positive,  based on the nature of the outer wall of their structure.

These microorganisms can be free-living or pathogens in a living being such as a human.

Vira

Viruses are even smaller than bacteria and simpler than bacteria. These microorganisms consist of DNA and RNA chains (single and multiple of them)  covered with a layer of protein, which gives them their three-dimensional shape.

Scientists have described about 5,000 species of viruses and they cannot reproduce without a host they can invade. Viruses hijack the cells of the patient and their machinery, where they self-replicate inside them to continue spreading the disease in the population.

Fungus, protozoa and others

In order to keep it as concise and informative as possible , we will summarize the rest of the microorganisms and pathogens below:

• Protozoa are single-celled microorganisms such as bacteria, but they are different from them because of their  larger size and morphological complexity. They live in humid environments and can be parasites or free-living. A very clear example is the protozoan, which causes malaria.
• Fungus,  unlike those we mentioned in the previous section, is a taxon of complex multicellular organisms. Among them are mushrooms and yeast. Some types of fungus can infect both animals and plants, where they form a mycelium in the affected tissue and are nourished by it.
• There are also other microorganisms that are more troublesome to describe,  such as viroids and prions. These are RNA molecules that can infect animals and plants.

Where can you find most microorganisms?

A better question would be, what part of the earth is free of them? Microorganisms dominate all environments and they surround us all the time  (and even exist inside us!).

However, since microorganisms based on the meaning of the word are pathogenic to other living beings, it is important to talk about their occurrence in certain public places:

• Pools and water parks. Here they all gather. Protozoa and fungus require moisture, and viruses need high density of hosts. Any moist and crowded place is a good breeding ground for colonies of microorganisms.

• Money, shopping carts, surfaces on public toilets, etc.  Many viruses and bacteria remain on the surfaces for a certain amount of time, so the more people who are in contact with an object, the more likely they are to experience a large viral load.
• The human body. Although it may seem surprising, one to two kilos of our body weight comes from bacteria, which are primarily present in our intestines. Yes, they do not fall within the definition of microorganisms, since they are not pathogenic to us. Nevertheless, humans suffer from high viral loads when suffering from a disease such as a cold or flu.

As we have seen, the definition of microorganisms is inadequate when it comes to including all the microorganisms that cause diseases in living beings.

However, they all have something in common: They are  microscopic beings who take advantage of the existence of others to survive, causing various diseases in their hosts.