How Bacteria Make Us Sick

Exposure• A bacterial cell has to first enter our body, this can happen through:

A break in the skin(Cut or wound)

Ingestion

Inside Our Body

• Warm (37 C)• Moist

• Lots of food! (sugars)• This makes our

insides the ideal breeding ground for

bacteria

Once inside• The bacteria begin to reproduce…Very Quickly!

How Bacteria Cause Illness• 1. They can produce Enzymes• Ex: Helicobacter pylori produces an enzyme

that neutralizes stomach acids…unfortunately it also destroys the lining of the intestinal wall

Flesh Eating Disease

• The medical name for this

disease is necrotizing

fasciitis (NF) and it is caused by a bacterium called

Streptococcus pyogenes,

2. Some produce toxins (poisons) that kill cells.

Exotoxins are poisons released by live bacteria. Endotoxins are poisons released when the bacteria die.

Clostridium botulinum bacteria produce botulinum toxin, the most powerful toxin known to humankind.

They cause the disease called botulism

3. Body Become Overwhelmed

Too many bacteria interrupt normal bodily functioning