Fabillar, Yeldez Arra N.

2nd Semester, AY 2017 - 2018

NAT SCI 2 MWF (10:00-11:00 am) Mr. Jake Joshua C. Garces, M.Sc.

1. Discuss the positive and negative importance of bacteria in today’s changing world. Give at least
2-3 positive and negative effects of bacteria.

Bacteria are everywhere, we may not see them through our naked eye, but they are always
there. These bacteria are both good and bad. The bad bacteria causes negative effects. Two
examples of those effects are, first is that the beacteria being contaminants in water and food
wherein they have the possibility to carry out diseases that could put the life of the host at stake,
and second is that the bacteria’s ability of being a disease causing one. Knowing the negative
effects is beneficial in a way that there is a possibility of discovering the cure of it. The good
bacteria causes good effects to the environment and to the living organism. Two examples of
those effects are, first is that eventhough there are bacteria that can contaminate water, there
bacteria that can purify the water, and second is that there are bacteria that can enhance the
nutrition and health of the host and not just cause diseases to them. Knowing the benefits of
bacteria helps us in way that those bacteria could be copied and turn into vitamins that human
could take.

2. How do bacteria invade a living host? Discuss the possible mechanism that causes these bacteria
to control the DNA of its host.

The bacteria can invade the host when, for example, they ate or drank something where bacteria
already exist. Through this the bacteria would go inside the host’s body and take control of the
DNA through transformation. Transformation is when the DNA is transferred into a bacteria.
Through that, there is a possibility that the bacteria will reproduce through binary reproduction.
It is when the invaded DNA is being replicated into two other bacteria and those bacteria
respectively reproduces another two of their own, and the process goes on.

3. Identify 2 major breakthroughs in the understanding of medical bacteriology. Briefly explain its
implication in the field of human anatomy and physiology.

Two major breakthroughs in understanding medical bacteriology are the antibiotics and
vaccines. Antibiotics are drugs that treat bacterial infection by stopping their growth and killing
them. Antibiotics is not ideal to take everytime, because the body can be resistant to it.
Resistance could mean that the bacteria adapted to the antibiotics that could cause it to not be
killed and stopped in their continuing growth. Although antibiotics kill bacteria, this can also
mean that it is killing the good and beneficial bacteria in our body. Second are Vaccines. Vaccines
give the host a kind of protection and immunization that they need to a certain disease, that is
why it is of importance.
4. What is bioterrorism? Discuss the negative effect and positive effect (if there is) of this
phenomenon in different countries worldwide.

There a lot of wafares that are happening in different countries right now. Right now, they are
aiming for a biological warfare where bioterrorism could possibly be one of the way in having
their opponents affected. Bioterrorism is the use of bacteria or viruses to spread in a certain
place. A negative effect of this type of terrorism is that, when the virus was just newly
discovered, there is a higher chance of having a lot of life at stake because they cannot make a
cure immediately. This is very dangerous because innocent lives could be really affected.

5. Discuss the application of genetic engineering in changing the molecular integrity of bacteria.
Does this pose a positive or negative impact to humanity? Explain briefly.

Genetic engineering is way of manipulating an organism’s DNA to alter the characteristics in a

paticular way. Through this, they can make a genetically modified organism (GMO). It is positive
in a way that they can create a GMO to cure diseases. They can also have a negative impact in a
way, when they invent a failure and a lot of organism was not aware of it, they can incur those
effects in their body by being deformed. Application of genetic engineering can enhance the
good bacteria or the bad bacteria which is in a way a postive and negative effect of it.