Bacteria

 Bacteria are single celled organisms

 They can be a range of different shapes and
sizes, usually about 0.001mm
 Bacteria can divide just like other cells
 They reproduce or divide most rapidly if the
conditions are just right for that particular
bacteria
 You can get rid of a bacterial infection with
antibiotics
 Not all bacteria are bad- some can do good
and useful things inside out bodies
 Examples: Salmonella (food poisoning),
streptococcus (sore throat), lactobacillus
(used to make yoghurt)
 Fungi

 Some fungi can be seen with the naked eye

and some are made from single cells (much
bigger than bacterial cells
 Fungi can have lots of different shapes
 Fungus cells are a little like plant cells
except that there are no chloroplasts so
they can’t make their own food
 Some fungi send out threads which grow into
the body of a dead organism
 they can spread by making tiny spores that
are carried by wind and rain and grow into
new fungus cells when they land
 They respire, releasing carbon dioxide
 Some fungi are useful
 You can get rid of a fungal infection with a
fungicide
 Examples: Athletes foot, penicillin, yeast
 Virus

 Viruses are very small (about 0.0001 mm)

 They are made of DNA protein
 They are not cells- they don’t have a nucleus
and can’t reproduce on their own
 To reproduce, they have to enter a living
cell. The cell is given instructions by the
viral DNA to produce lots more of the virus
 Viruses can lay dormant for years before
they become active in a living cell
 Viruses can be transmitted through air,
blood, faeces…pretty much any way. They
just need a live cell to start dividing when
they reach their destination.
 They can be fought off by the immune
system in the body and vaccines, but
antibiotics have no effect on them
 Examples: cold virus, influenza, measles