HW_606152_1Econo

The Shriram Millennium School, Noida
Class: IX
Subject: Biology
Topic: Economic importance of Bacteria and Fungi
Useful Roles of Bacteria
A. Bacteria in Medicines
Bacteria are used in production of Serum, antibiotics and vaccines. Following are the
importance ways in which the bacteria are used in medicines.
1. Antibiotics:
Chemical substances produced by a living organism to inhabit the growth of other living
organisms, like bacteria and fungi.
First antibiotic: Penicillin, obtained from a fungus.
A good antibiotic should be able to kill the desired organisms without causing much harmful
effects or killing the useful bacteria of the host.
2. Serums:
It is basically the blood serum which contains anti toxins and anti bodies. Serums are used
against certain bacteria and toxins. To prepare a certain animal is injected with a little dose
of a particular toxin and the quantity is gradually increased, eventually the serum of the
animal is extracted which is full of anti-toxin and antibodies e.g. used against snake bite and
for production of hormone like insulin.
3. Antitoxins:
Substance produced in the animal body which reacts with the poison produced by the
invading germ. Poisonous proteins released by bacteria during their growth or on their
breakdown after they die.
4. Vaccines and Toxoids:
Preparation of weakened and dead germs is introduced in the body as vaccine and in
response the body produces anti bodies or anti toxins against that disease which provides
Class IX/Economic Importance of Bacteria and Fungi/ Handout Page 1 of 5

immunity. Process is called vaccination. Vaccination is also known as Prophylaxis. Inactive
toxins capable of stimulating the production of antibodies.
B. Bacteria in agriculture
They can be primarily categorised into two groups: Nitrifying and Denitrifying bacteria.
Nitrifying bacteria: Bacteria like Rhizobium can fix atmospheric nitrogen into nitrates to be
used up by plants as plants cannot use the free nitrogen.
Azatobactor and Clostridium also convert the free nitrogen of the soil into nitrates and
amino acids thus enriching the soil.
Nitrogenous waste and remains of plants and animals  Ammonia  Ammonium
Nitrosomonas Nitrobactor
compounds   nitrites  nitrates
Denitryfying bacteria: Cause the breakdown the soil nitrates into free nitrogen. e.g.
Pseudomonas
C. Bacteria in industry
Flavouring of tea and tanning of leather.

Harmful Effects of Bacteria
Spoilage of food by bacteria may be due to fermentation, sometimes canned food can also
be spoilt by botulism. Preservation of food makes it bacteria and germ free and can be done
by any of the following methods:
Food preservation:
1. Boiling: at a temp higher than 110 kills the germs and bacteria.
2. Salting: mixing with high concentration of salts, also called curing.
3. Dehydration: Drying of food as microbes do not grow in absence of water.
4. Irradiation: Radiations cause sterilization of food
5. Pasteurisation: Heating milk to a temp of 60 for 30 mins and cooling suddenly. Kills
majority of bacteria but does not sterilise.
6. Refrigeration: Microbes and bacteria do not grow when the food is kept at a low
temperature.
Bacterial diseases in plants: black rot of mustard and bacterial blight of cowpea.
Bacterial diseases in animals: Anthrax and tuberculosis
Bacterial disease in humans: Whooping cough, T.B., pneumonia, tetanus.
Bioweapons: Bombs with germs which can explode to release the germs which may take an
epidemic shape and cause loss of lives. Eg. Anthrax
Useful role of Fungi
Antibiotic: Chemical substance produced by a living microorganism which can stop the
growth of or kill other microorganisms.
The first antibiotic to be discovered was penicillin from a fungus, Penicillium notatum.
Good Antibiotic Other uses of antibiotics
Should be able to kill variety of diseases, no As food preservatives, for treating animals,
side-effects, should not kill useful bacteria. to control plant pathogen.

Harmful Fungi: They spoil food, mostly the red-green fungi growing on fruits are species of
Aspergillus and Penicillium.
Industrial Role of Fungi
Brewery: Fermentation is the process of breakdown of sugar into alcohol in absence of

oxygen. It is brought about by a fungus, yeast. Grape and barley juice is broken down in
presence of yeast to form alcohol, wine and beer respectively.
Baking: Yeast is used to raise the flour as the yeast added produce carbon-di-oxide.
Cheese: Cheese is prepared by addition of bacteria (Lactobacillus) curd produced is

processed and kept at a suitable temperature for the microbes to give flavour. The process
is called ripening.
Mushroom cultivation: Mushrooms are a kind of fungi and many of them are edible. But
not all are safe to consume. Mushroom cultivation is involves following steps:
Composting (preparing the soil) spawning (spreading of mushroom seed) casing

(spreading of thin layer of soil) harvesting and preservation (to increase the shelf life they
are vacuum cooled, exposed to gamma radiation and washed in a solution of ascorbic acid
and salt water)
Practice Questions
A. Name the following:
1. Method of sterilisation using radiations.
2. An antibiotic
3. Bacteria causing fermentation of milk.
B. Answer the following questions:
1. State the role of nitrifying bacteria.
2. State three harmful effects of fungi.
3. State the criteria of a good antibiotic.
4. Define Vaccinaton

C. Multiple choice questions
1. For the production of which of the following fungus or microbe is not required:
a. Caesin b. Cheese c. Curd d. wine
2. Root nodules contain:
a. Nostoc b. Chlorobium c. Rhizobium d. Azotobactor
3. Antibiotics are mostly obtained from:
a. Bacteria b. Virus c. Angiosperms d. Fungi
4. Flavouring of tea is caused by:
a. Mechanical methods b. Bacteria c. Fungi d.Virus
5. Assertion reason question:
Assertion: Antibiotics are produced by mostly fungi but sometimes bacteria also.
Reason: Antibiotics do not protect the body against viral diseases.
a. A and R are true and R is the correct explanation for A
b. A and R are true and R is not the correct explanation for A
c. A is true and R is false
d. A is false and R is true

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The Shriram Millennium School, Noida

Useful Roles of Bacteria

First antibiotic: Penicillin, obtained from a fungus.

4. Vaccines and Toxoids:

Class IX/Economic Importance of Bacteria and Fungi/ Handout Page 1 of 5

Nitrogenous waste and remains of plants and animals  Ammonia  Ammonium

compounds   nitrites  nitrates

Flavouring of tea and tanning of leather.

Class IX/Economic Importance of Bacteria and Fungi/ Handout Page 2 of 5

Bacterial diseases in animals: Anthrax and tuberculosis

Bacterial disease in humans: Whooping cough, T.B., pneumonia, tetanus.

Useful role of Fungi

Good Antibiotic Other uses of antibiotics

Class IX/Economic Importance of Bacteria and Fungi/ Handout Page 3 of 5

Industrial Role of Fungi

Brewery: Fermentation is the process of breakdown of sugar into alcohol in absence of

Cheese: Cheese is prepared by addition of bacteria (Lactobacillus) curd produced is

Composting (preparing the soil) spawning (spreading of mushroom seed) casing

A. Name the following:

1. Method of sterilisation using radiations.

3. Bacteria causing fermentation of milk.

B. Answer the following questions:

1. State the role of nitrifying bacteria.

2. State three harmful effects of fungi.

3. State the criteria of a good antibiotic.

Class IX/Economic Importance of Bacteria and Fungi/ Handout Page 4 of 5

a. Caesin b. Cheese c. Curd d. wine

2. Root nodules contain:

a. Nostoc b. Chlorobium c. Rhizobium d. Azotobactor

3. Antibiotics are mostly obtained from:

a. Bacteria b. Virus c. Angiosperms d. Fungi

4. Flavouring of tea is caused by:

a. Mechanical methods b. Bacteria c. Fungi d.Virus

5. Assertion reason question:

Reason: Antibiotics do not protect the body against viral diseases.

a. A and R are true and R is the correct explanation for A

b. A and R are true and R is not the correct explanation for A

c. A is true and R is false

d. A is false and R is true

Class IX/Economic Importance of Bacteria and Fungi/ Handout Page 5 of 5

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