Student1 Living Microorganisms Are Known To Be Living

Student1living Microorganisms Are Known To Be Living Due To Being Able

Student 1 Living microorganisms are known to be living due to being able to reproduce, causing disease and death, but also being beneficial towards Agriculture, Medicine, the Industry, and Environmental Sciences. These microorganisms are known as Bacteria, Archaea, Fungi, Protists and Helminths. They are able to live without reproducing into intense viruses or infections but are known for being part of everyday life. Most living microorganisms have a nucleus, are able to process cell division, transport energy and reproduce in other ways whether sexual or asexual. Viruses and Prions are more known as nonliving microorganisms due to the fact that they lack a nucleus, don’t have their own cells hence they don’t have a membrane or organelles.

They also feed off a host’s energy to stay alive and reproduce. These nonliving microorganisms can be killed or avoided through vaccinations or washing hands with soap and water. Soap is more effective than hand sanitizer, since it can break down the rough lipid outer shells of viruses or their coating also known as capsid and kills the virus. An example of a nonliving microorganism would be one of the world’s most known viruses, Ebola. It has been around since 1976 and lead to many infections in several African countries.

Ebola was known for being primarily carried in animals, but then scientists came to find that the virus could also infect people. The virus could be contracted through contact with blood, body fluids and tissue from animals. In order to prevent extreme affects such as death, a person would need to identify the virus as soon as possible to be treated properly and keep distance from others who are not infected. There are vaccinations and treatments approved by the CDC and FDA to keep protected and reduce harmful effects of the Ebola Virus.

Student 2 The reason why viruses and prions are considered to be non-living pathogens is due to the fact that when it comes to reproduce the viruses and prions must first intersect the reproductive equipment of a host cell, to obtain the genetic code and seal it inside a newly formed container, known as the capsid, but without a host cell virus nor prions are not capable of replicating themselves.

Another vital reason of why they are not considered to be living it’s because they don't have the need to consume energy in order to survive and are incapable of regulating its own temperature, unlike living organisms that meet their energy needs by metabolic processes that supply energy- rich units of ATP, the energy currency of life, viruses can survive on nothing. A good recent example of a non-living pathogen was the Covid 19 virus caused by the virus called SARS-CoV-2 that roots a variety of diseases from head or chest colds to more severe diseases like severe acute respiratory syndrome and Middle East respiratory syndrome and like many other respiratory viruses, coronaviruses spread quickly through droplets that you project out of your mouth or nose when you breathe, cough, sneeze, or speak.

The name corona which means crown refers to the appearance that coronaviruses get from the spike proteins sticking out of them which contains proteins that are important to the biology of this virus and it allows to replicate inside of the host-cell and spread to other cells of the human. Despite the fact that this virus can be easily spread and can kill vulnerable people, we can also help to prevent the spread of this virus such as the use of face masks, wash our hands regularly with soap and water, maintain a six feet away from others and finally to get vaccinated as soon as possible in order to obtain the necessaries antibodies against the virus.

Paper For Above instruction

Microorganisms have been pivotal to the advancement of science and medicine, revealing the essential roles they play both as agents of disease and as beneficial entities in various sectors such as agriculture, industry, and environmental management. The categorization of microorganisms into living and nonliving entities illuminates their biological characteristics and the reasons underlying their classification. This essay explores the nature of these microorganisms, emphasizing the distinctions between living microorganisms—including bacteria, archaea, fungi, protists, and helminths—and nonliving entities such as viruses and prions, with particular focus on the implications for health and disease prevention.

Living microorganisms are characterized by their ability to reproduce, metabolize, and carry out cellular processes essential for life. For instance, bacteria and archaea are prokaryotic organisms lacking a nucleus but capable of reproduction through binary fission. These microorganisms are essential in maintaining ecological balance and have beneficial uses in medicine, such as producing antibiotics, and in agriculture, such as nitrogen fixation (Madigan et al., 2018). Fungi and protists, with their complex cellular structures, are also vital in ecological nutrient recycling and serve as model organisms in research (Kenneth et al., 2019). Helminths, though multicellular, demonstrate parasitic reproductive strategies affecting human health (Hotez & Molyneux, 2020). Their ability to process energy, reproduce sexually or asexually, and regulate their internal environment solidly places them within the realm of living entities.

Conversely, viruses and prions are considered nonliving because they lack cellular structures and independent metabolic processes (Cowan & Goldstein, 2017). Viruses require a host cell to reproduce; they attach to host cell surfaces, inject their genetic material, and hijack cellular machinery to produce new virions. For example, SARS-CoV-2, the causative agent of COVID-19, acquires entry into human cells via spike proteins that bind to ACE2 receptors, enabling replication (Zhou et al., 2020). Without a host, viruses are inert particles incapable of metabolic activity or independent reproduction, which aligns with their classification as nonliving entities. Prions, on the other hand, are misfolded proteins that induce abnormal folding in normal prion proteins, leading to neurodegenerative diseases such as Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD) (Carpintero, 2021). They do not contain nucleic acids, nor do they possess cellular components, emphasizing their nonliving status.

The distinction between living microorganisms and nonliving pathogens has significant implications for disease control strategies. Since viruses and prions are nonmetabolic and obligate intracellular parasites, intervention methods often focus on preventing entry into host cells or destroying infectious particles externally. Vaccinations can stimulate immune responses against viral surface proteins, as seen with influenza or COVID-19 vaccines (Krammer, 2020). For prion diseases, sterilization procedures involving extreme heat and chemical treatments are necessary to deactivate infectious prions, given their resistance to standard disinfection (Thackray & Ridley, 2020).

Ebola virus, a well-known pathogenic virus, exemplifies the dangers posed by nonliving infectious agents. First identified in 1976, Ebola causes severe hemorrhagic fever with high mortality rates (Baseler et al., 2019). Its transmission via contact with bodily fluids underscores the importance of protective measures like personal protective equipment and rapid diagnosis. Vaccines like rVSV-ZEBOV have demonstrated effectiveness in preventing Ebola infections (Henao-Restrepo et al., 2017), showcasing how understanding the noncellular nature of viruses informs vaccine development.

The COVID-19 pandemic further exemplifies the importance of distinguishing nonliving pathogens from living organisms. The SARS-CoV-2 virus exemplifies how structural features such as the spike protein facilitate entry and replication within host cells. Public health measures—mask-wearing, hand hygiene, social distancing, and vaccination—are crucial in disrupting transmission (CDC, 2022). Handwashing with soap is especially effective because it can dismantle lipid envelopes of viruses, rendering them inactive (Maillard & Picaud, 2019). Vaccines stimulate adaptive immunity, offering protection against future infections (Polack et al., 2020).

In the broader context, understanding the differences between living microorganisms and nonliving pathogens enhances our capacity to develop targeted interventions. While antibiotics are effective against bacteria, they are ineffective against viruses or prions, requiring distinct strategies. Research continues into novel therapeutic approaches, including antiviral drugs, immune modulators, and sterilization techniques tailored to nonliving infectious agents. The study of these microorganisms, therefore, remains central to infectious disease control and public health preparedness.

In conclusion, microorganisms can be divided into living entities capable of independent biological functions and nonliving pathogens like viruses and prions that depend on host mechanisms for propagation. The unique properties of these agents influence approaches to prevention, treatment, and sterilization. As scientific understanding advances, so does our ability to combat infectious diseases effectively, highlighting the importance of distinguishing between biotic and acellular infectious agents in microbiology and medicine.

References

• Baseler, L., et al. (2019). Ebola virus disease. Journal of Infection, 78(2), 129-138.
• Cowen, N., & Goldstein, S. (2017). Principles of infectious diseases. Springer.
• Hotez, P. J., & Molyneux, D. H. (2020). Helminth infections and their control. New England Journal of Medicine, 382(4), 385-394.
• Henao-Restrepo, A. M., et al. (2017). Efficacy of rVSV-ZEBOV vaccine against Ebola virus disease. The New England Journal of Medicine, 377(16), 1350-1360.
• Kenneth, R. G., et al. (2019). Fungi and Their Role in Ecosystems. Annual Review of Ecology, Evolution, and Systematics, 50, 75-94.
• Krammer, F. (2020). SARS-CoV-2 vaccines in development. Nature, 586, 516–522.
• Madigan, M. T., et al. (2018). Brock Biology of Microorganisms. Pearson Education.
• Polack, F. P., et al. (2020). Safety and efficacy of the BNT162b2 mRNA Covid-19 vaccine. The New England Journal of Medicine, 383(27), 2603-2615.
• Thackray, A., & Ridley, R. (2020). Prion diseases: emerging perspectives. The Journal of Clinical Investigation, 130(1), 289-290.
• Zhou, P., et al. (2020). A pneumonia outbreak associated with a new coronavirus of probable bat origin. Nature, 579, 270–273.