There Are Also Beneficial Microbes

Microbes are microorganisms so small that they can only be seen with a microscope. The vast majority of them are single-celled, and not all of them are harmful or pathogenic. On the contrary, many microbes are beneficial because they produce substances such as antibiotics used to fight disease or secrete enzymes needed to produce food, such as yeast for baking bread and preparing some dairy products.

There are many types of microorganisms: viruses, bacteria, protozoa, algae and fungi, differing in their organization, form or method of obtaining food:

1. Autotrophic photosynthetic bacteria: synthesize their own food due to the chlorophyll function they perform.

2. Saprophytic microbes: feed on organic matter that decomposes.

3. Symbiotic microbes: Team up with other living organisms for mutual benefit, such as the bacteria that live in our gut.

4. Parasitic microbes: they live at the expense of another organism, without giving anything in return, and are often pathogenic.