What is the difference between bacteria, virus and fungi?
Bacteria are single celled, lack a nucleus, and have a cell wall made of peptidoglycan. They are the coolest of the microorganisms and by far the best to work with (that might be personal bias.) They are necessary for life on this planet and on a cellular level they make up about 90% of our bodies with the majority of them living in our intestines protecting us from pathogens and helping us digest food and making us vitamins. Women get a bonus population of vaginal flora that help maintain a healthy acidic pH in our bits and keeping the yeast in check, men just have boring stuff hanging out on their dangly bits that we also have on our skin so nothing special (sorry Staphylococci you know it is true!)Fungi can be single celled or multicellular, have a nucleus, and have a cell wall made of chitin. They can be cool but are very annoying when they contaminate your labwork, though the colonies that looked like cotton balls were neat enough to forgive! And they range from toxic to delicious, not mixing up the two can be challenging.Viruses are made of particles, are so pathetic that most of us don't consider them alive (they don't meet most of the criteria, sorry not sorry lifers!), and need a host cell to replicate their selves. They do have some interesting features, like the ability to have their genetic information encoded in pretty much any way conceivable, from double or single stranded DNA to double or single stranded RNA. Also cool is you can strip them of their genetic material and use them as what amounts to extremely selective hypodermic needles for injecting DNA into target cells.
Is poison oak a bacterial or fungal infection?
Neither, it's contact dermatitis caused by an oil in the leaves called urushiol (or something like that) that is also present in poison-ivy.
Do bacteria, fungi, and viruses have brains?
Brain is a part of central nervous system and is made up of many neurons. Obviously no single-celled organism can have brain. Even primitive multicellular animals such as hydra, they have nerve cells but not a well defined brain. Plants do not have neurons so they cannot have a brain.Only organisms from a few divisions in kingdom animalia have brain.Let's look into the functions of our brain to be more clear. What are basic functions of a brain?These can be classified into the following simple types just for the sake of understanding. Sensory functionMotor functionMemory and thinkingEmotions other affective functionsConsidering the sensory function, not having a brain doesn't mean that the organism cannot sense the stimuli present in the environment around it. For example plants can sense light and they respond to it. This is called phototropism and is mediated via chemicals called auxins. Motor functions are the functions resulting in the movement of a part of the organism or whole of it. Taking the example of hydra again. It can move parts of its body. It has a network of nerve cells for coordinating these activities. Now coming to memory, thinking and emotions. These are the higher functions of brain. I don't remember any organism who is capable of doing these functions and doesn't have a brain. Emotions are even a level higher than memory and require very sophisticated brains such as that of humans and only a very few other organisms related to humans.
Are there any aerobic bacteria or fungi that cause serious skin infections? If yes, which ones?
Yes, there are quite a few. Staphylococcus aureus is a facultative anaerobe, which means it acts as an aerobe in environments with oxygen but can survive without oxygen. S. aureus is an extremely common bacteria that causes skin infecta that can become complicated when you look at increasing rates of bacterial resistance. S aureus when it progressive further into the dermis can lead to sepsis and death.In the realm Of fungi the list is smaller, but Candida albicans is the most studied fungus that can cause skin infections. This is the organism that's responsible for athletes foot and jock itch, but because of the fact that fungi are eukaryotes it's difficult to create a drug with a mechanism of actions that will kill the fungus and leave human cells alone. Like other skin infections Candida albicans, if allowed to get into sterile tissues like the muscle facia can lead to systemic mycosis which is extr difficult to treat.
Why is it more difficult to treat fungal infections than bacterial infections in humans?
Edit: A commenter has mentioned that I did not answer the question - Well, its because no real answer exists. A biology textbook will tell you the difference between fungal and bacterial biology (cell wall thickness, eukaryotic vs prokaryotic genomics, mechanisms of anti-fungals vs antibiotics), but I believe the answer would have to draw from epidemiology and medical sciences:Please note that these answers are simplistic since they draw from generalisations, and comparing bacterial and fungal infections are, as I said, comparing apples and oranges.Superficial fungal infections are difficult to treat because it is difficult to get the medications targeted for their site of infection in sufficient concentrations and doses.Systemic (ie spread within the blood) fungal infections are difficult to treat because these patients tend to be sicker already (patients who are immunocompromised, for example)There are less anti-fungal medications available to treat fungal infections than antibiotics in general—It’s difficult to compare the two as its almost like comparing apples with oranges. For example, some fungal infections, like Candida (Yeast infections) are easy to treat in a person with a working immune system. Simple bacterial infections, like E coli Urinary Tract Infections, are a problem solved with simple antibiotics. We often associate severe fungal infections, such as Aspergillosis, being hard to treat often because it usually only affects people who are already ill. Systemic Fungal Infections often only happen to people who have immune systems that are not effective at eliminating invaders. For example, the same simple yeast infection in a young woman with an UTI can become a major life threatening illness in a AIDS patient who cannot mount an immune response.Some bacterial infections, such as Tuberculosis, can also be difficult to treat as a regime of months and months of at least four antibiotics are required.
Is Malaria a parasite, virus, bacteria or fungi?
lukelee96, Malaria is caused by any one of four species of one-celled parasites, called Plasmodium. The parasite is spread to people by the female Anopheles mosquito, which feeds on human blood. Although four species of malaria parasites can infect humans and cause illness, only malaria caused by Plasmodium falciparum is potentially life-threatening. Malaria transmission occurs in large areas of Central and South America, sub-Saharan Africa, the Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and Oceania. Symptoms of malaria include fever, headache, and vomiting, and usually appear between 10 and 15 days after the mosquito bite. If not treated, malaria can quickly become life-threatening by disrupting the blood supply to vital organs. In many parts of the world, the parasites have developed resistance to a number of malaria medicines. Key interventions to control malaria include: prompt and effective treatment with artemisinin-based combination therapies; use of insecticidal nets by people at risk; and indoor residual spraying with insecticide to control the vector mosquitoes. (PS: Might I respectfully point out that the singular tense of Bacteria, which is plural, is Bacterium, and of Fungi, which is plural - is Fungus. You, therefore can not have A Fungi or A Bacteria) ALL ANSWERS SHOULD BE THOROUGHLY RESEARCHED, IN ANY FORUM AND ESPECIALLY IN THIS ONE. - MANY ANSWERS ARE FLAWED. It is extremely important to obtain an accurate diagnosis before trying to find a cure. Many diseases and conditions share common symptoms. The information provided here should not be used during any medical emergency or for the diagnosis or treatment of any medical condition. A licensed physician should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions. I add a link with details of this subject http://en.wikipedia.org/ wiki/Malaria Hope this helps matador 89
Which of the following is not cured by antibiotics: Bacteria, Fungi, Yeasts, or Viruses?
Viruses
CAn Walking Barefoot make you easily catch bacteria and infections?
No, actually shoes can. Any bacteria or fungus that your feet are exposed to will die off if your barefoot. Shoes can act as incubators, they create a dark, moist environment for fungus and bacteria to thrive in. Air and sunlight are not conducive to fungus or bacteria growth. With the exception of work, I've been barefoot for over 10 years, my feet do not smell nor are they infected. Just healthy!