Notes Chap 10

CHAPTER 10
MICROBES IN HUMAN WELFARE
Microbes are microorganisms, which have a size of less than 0.1 mm.
Microbes occur everywhere in air, soil, water, inside and outside bodies of
other organisms, inside thermal vents or geysers (with a temperature of
100°C) etc.
They may be pathogenic but have an important role to play in human
welfare.
Microbes can be easily grown in laboratories or at industrial scale for
research and production of various useful products.
During their metabolism, microbes produce chemicals, some of which have
been in use by human beings since ages.
The use of living organisms in systems or processes for the manufacture of
useful products may involve algae, bacteria, fungi, yeast, cells of higher
plants & animals or subsystems of any of these or isolated components
from living matter.
Microbes are useful to human and the environment in many ways.
Household Products
 Curd- The bacteria Lactobacillus produces lactic acid that partially
coagulates the milk protein. It also increases vitamin B 12 content.
These bacteria are also present in the gut and check the growth of
other microbes
 Fermented dough to make South Indian delicacies, e.g. Idli and dosa.
The dough is fermented due to CO2 production by bacteria.
 Bread production by using the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae.
 Toddy is made by fermenting Palm sap.
 Microbes are used to ferment soybeans, fish and bamboo-shoots to
prepare delicacies.
 Different kinds of cheese having different taste and texture are
prepared using specific microorganisms.
E.g. Swiss cheese having large holes- Propionibacterium sharmanii
Roquefort cheese- Penicillium roqueforti
Camembert cheese- Penicillium camemberti
Industrial Products
For industrial-scale production, microorganisms are grown in fermenters.
Many alcoholic beverages, antibiotics and chemicals are produced for
commercial purposes.
 A variety of microbes are used to synthesize a number of industrial
products valuable to human beings. e.g. - beverages and antibiotics.
 Industrial production requires the formation of large quantities of the
product, which normally involves the microbial reactions to proceed in a
specialized vessel called fermenter or bioreactor.
Fermented Beverages:-
Beverages like wine, bear, whisky, Brandy, Rum (Saccharomyces cerevisiae)

Malted cereals and fruit juices used to produce ethanol, wine and beer
produced without distillation. Whisky, brandy, rum produced after
distillation.
Antibiotic:-
An antibiotic is a substance produced by a micro-organism which in low

concentration and inhibits the growth and metabolic activity of pathogenic
organism without harming the host.
Alexander Flemming was the first to produce an antibiotic (named
penicillin) from Penicillium notatum.
Howard Florey and Ernest Chain extracted and produced the antibiotic. It
was used during World War II to treat American soldiers. Florey, Chain and
Fleming received the Nobel Prize for their work in 1945.
There are many synthetic antibiotics prepared these days.
Enzymes and chemicals:-

Various chemicals, organic acids are produced using microorganisms.
Some examples are:
1. Citric acid- Aspergillus niger
2. Acetic acid- Acetobacter aceti
3. Lactic acid- Lactobacillus
4. Butyric acid- Clostridium butylicum
5. Ethanol- Saccharomyces cerevisiae
Enzymes are also produced by microorganisms and are used commercially
for various purposes. E.g.
1. Streptococcus produces an enzyme called streptokinase, which is
genetically modified and used as a clot-buster for removing clots
from the blood vessels.
2. Lipases- used in detergents and form removal of oily stains
3. Proteases and pectinases- used to clarify bottled juices
Some bioactive molecules are prepared and are used for various
purposes.
1. Cyclosporin A- produced by Trichoderma polysporum (fungus). It is a
suppressor of the immune system, used in organ transplant patients
2. Statins- produced by Monascus purpureus (yeast). It lowers the blood
cholesterol level by inhibiting cholesterol synthesis
Microbes in sewage Treatment

Sewage is the waste and waste water produced by residential and
commercial sources and discharged into sewers.
Harmful effects of sewage are -
It produces offensive odor.
Sewage contains pathogens like virus, bacteria etc., which results in
dissemination of water borne diseases caused by microorganisms.
Due to the addition of sewage and waste, oxygen levels of water are
depleted, which are reflected in terms of BOD (biological oxygen demand)
values of water.
The industrial and municipal wastewater are treated in sewage treatment
plant (STP) prior to disposal in water bodies.
Sewage treatment system involves the following stages -
1. Primary treatment
2. Secondary treatment.
 Primary treatment is a physical process of removal of large and
small particles from sewage through sequential filtration and
sedimentation. All solids that settle form the primary sludge and the
supernatant forms the effluent. Primary sludge can be used for preparing
compost or manure directly or used in the generation of biogas.
 Secondary treatment of the liquid effluent from the primary settling
tank is a biological process which involves microbial degradation of organic
matter. The primary effluent is passed into large aeration tanks where it is
continuously agitated mechanically and air is pumped into it. This allows
vigorous growth of useful aerobic microbes into flocs (masses of bacteria
associated with fungal filaments to form mesh like structures). This
considerably reduces BOD of the effluent. The greater the BOD of waste
water, more is its polluting potential.
 Once the BOD of sewage is reduced the effluent is then passed into a
settling tank where the bacterial flocs are allowed to sediment. This
sediment is called activated sludge which is taken to anaerobic sludge
digesters along with the primary sludge. Here, anaerobic microbes act upon
organic matter of first produced monomers and then organic acids.
Methanogens then convert the latter into a mixture of gases like methane,
hydrogen sulphide and carbon dioxide.
 The effluent from the secondary treatment plant is generally released
into natural water bodies like rivers and streams.
Microbes in production of biogas
Methanogens:
These are strict anaerobic bacteria and mainly occur in muddy areas and
also in stomach of cattle, where cellulose is fermented by microbes. These
are responsible for methane gas (CH4) formation in bio-gas plants, because
they have capacity to produce CH4 from CO2 or formic acid (HCOOH).
Biogas is a gaseous fuel which is obtained by the anaerobic fermentation

of animal wastes (like cattle dung, wastes, urine, faeces etc.)
Gobar gas is produced from the dung of the cattle and is used in villages
for various purposes.
In rural areas of developing countries, it is a common practice to use animal

dung for making dung cakes which are used for fuel. Thus, a potential
fertilizer of the agricultural fields is wasted in burning.
The dung can be put to better use if it is used to generate biogas (gobar
gas) and side by side a stabilized residue to serve as the fertilizer.
The biogas plant consists of a concrete tank (10-15 feet deep) in which
bio-wastes are collected and a slurry of dung is fed. A floating cover is
placed over the slurry, which keeps on rising as the gas is produced in the
tank due to the microbial activity. The biogas plant has an outlet, which is
connected to a pipe to supply biogas to nearby houses. The spent slurry is
removed through another outlet and may be used as fertilizer.
The biogas, thus, produced is used for cooking and lighting.

Development by IARI: - Indian Agriculture Research institute & KVIC:
Khadi and village Industries Commission.
Bio control of pest and diseases

Chemical pesticides and insecticides kill both harmful and useful organisms.
By understanding natural predation and interacting webs, an appropriate
method of bio control can be developed.
Biological control is the use of living organisms to control pests.
Examples of biological control are -
Bio herbicide: It control weeds. First bio herbicide was developed in 1961
and it was a mycoherbicide derived from a fungus Phytophthora palmivora
which controls the growth of milkweed vines in citrus orchards.
Ladybird and Dragonflies are useful to get rid of aphids and mosquitoes,
respectively.
Bacillus thuringiensis is used to control caterpillars and insect larvae. Some
plants have been genetically modified and the gene coding for the toxin
has been introduced in the plant genome. E.g. Bt-cotton is resistant to
pests.
Trichoderma (a fungus) is used to biocontrol various plant pathogens. The
fungus is commonly present in the roots.
Baculoviruses of the genus Nucleopolyhedrovirus are excellent biocontrol
agents. These are pathogenic viruses, which infect and kill many insect
pests and other arthropod pests. E.g. Nucleopolyhedro-virus. Baculoviruses
are known to control pests like potato beetles, aphids and corn borers.
Biofertilizers
Excessive use of chemical fertilizers is linked to pollution and harmful
effects. Use of microorganisms as biofertilizers is highly recommended.
Fungi, bacteria and cyanobacteria are the main sources of biofertilizers.
Rhizobium is a symbiotic bacterium, which occurs in the root nodules of
legumes. It fixes nitrogen (atmospheric) in presence of leghaemoglobin.
Azolla is a water fern which is an excellent biofertilizer for rice cultivation.
Mycorrhiza refers to the symbiotic association between fungus and roots

of higher plants. Fungi of the genus Glomus absorbs phosphorus for the
plant.
These symbiotic associations not only benefit by enriching the nutrient
content but also provide disease resistance and tolerance to drought and
salinity.
Most of the cyanobacteria can fix atmospheric nitrogen, e.g. Nostoc,
Anabaena, Oscillatoria, etc. Cyanobacteria are extensively used in paddy
fields as a biofertilizer. Blue-green algae are autotrophic and present
everywhere in aquatic and terrestrial habitats. They increase soil fertility by
adding organic matter.
NOTE: GO THROUGH ALL THE PICTURES / DIAGRAMS GIVEN IN

N.C.E.R.T. TEXTBOOK.
“IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, PLEASE REMEMBER I AM

HERE TO HELP. REACH OUT TO ME FROM 9:00 AM TO 12:00
AM SUNDAY TO THURSDAY SO THAT I CAN SUPPORT YOUR
SUCCESS.”
Dr. NAZIA SIRAJ

(BIOLOGY TEACHER)

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CHAPTER 10

MICROBES IN HUMAN WELFARE

Microbes are useful to human and the environment in many ways.

Beverages like wine, bear, whisky, Brandy, Rum (Saccharomyces cerevisiae)

An antibiotic is a substance produced by a micro-organism which in low

There are many synthetic antibiotics prepared these days.

Enzymes and chemicals:-

Microbes in sewage Treatment

Microbes in production of biogas

Biogas is a gaseous fuel which is obtained by the anaerobic fermentation

In rural areas of developing countries, it is a common practice to use animal

The biogas, thus, produced is used for cooking and lighting.

Bio control of pest and diseases

Mycorrhiza refers to the symbiotic association between fungus and roots

NOTE: GO THROUGH ALL THE PICTURES / DIAGRAMS GIVEN IN

“IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, PLEASE REMEMBER I AM

Dr. NAZIA SIRAJ

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