There are indeed some very harmful bacteria but we also have a host of beneficial bacteria in existence and with which our lives are made possible. Digestion of food requires some beneficial bacteria for instance. Besides humans, plants also need the beneficial bacteria to synthesize food, to decompose matter for nutrients to ripen fruits. Similar usage of beneficial bacteria is exhibited among animals.
From now on, you should regard the term bacteria as a class of unicellular microorganisms, which are characterized by variant shapes and which inhabit almost every ecosystem on planet earth. These microorganisms are also present in human being bodies (Your colon for instance), in animals and also plants. Imagine this. Research has established that you actually have more bacteria in your body than the number of cells. The number of beneficial bacteria we have exceeds by far the human population in the world. When you ate the most effective bath, your skin surface is left with over a million bacteria in every square centimeter of your body.
That should not scare you though, since most of these bacteria are beneficial to you. Bacteriology (study of bacteria types and characteristics) is a core branch of the larger discipline of microbiology. Research has helped establish the names of some beneficial bacteria in existence today since the ages when the Dutch merchant, Antony van Leeuwenhoek, first discovered bacteria.
Bacteria are classified based on their shape (coccus bacteria have spherical shapes, bacillus bacteria have rod-like shapes, spirochete bacteria are spiral in shape, vibrio bacteria are shaped like the comma etc). Probiotics help the skin, gut microflora immune system and mucous lining to fight and prevent diseases. The gut microflora especially is especially riddled with beneficial bacteria all the way from the intestines.
Interestingly, bacteriology has assigned human-like names and surnames to some known beneficial bacteria. The following is a list of names of some known beneficial bacteria.
- Lactobacillus Acidophilus- reputed as the friendliest beneficial present in dairy products. Lactobacillus is the assigned genus name while acidophilus refers to the classification strain.
- Tobacillus Acidophilus (lactic acid bacteria) the acid loving beneficial bacteria usually found in yogurt, buttermilk, frozen desserts and sour cream. They convert sugar and curbs into lactic acid
- Cyanocobalamin is the beneficial bacteria that helps in digestion and especially the production of vitamin B12
- Acidophilus Bifidus which reduces cholesterol levels in the body, cleanses blood and suppresses growth dangerous yeasts such as Candida albicans
- Streptomyces useful in the manufacture of antibiotics
- Rhizobium renown for they role in natural nitrogen fixation
- Escherichia Coli Bacteria that lives in the intestine to assist digestion and production of vitamin B-complex and K
- Streptococcus Mutan that are found in the mouth to help convert sugar and sucrose into lactic acid
- Staphylococcus Epidermidis and their peer Proprioni bacterium Acne present on the body skin to prevent fungal infection
- Acidophilus Bacteria living in the vagina to prevent fungal growth
- Intestinal Flora that assists the formation of new body cells, regeneration of intestines and synthesis of proteins and fatty acids
- Probiotics that assist in the synthesis of vitamin K and absorption of magnesium besides clotting the blood
- Saccharomyces Boulardii that suppresses antibiotics that cause children diarrhea
- Anaerobic bacteria that ferment vinegar and help in cheese making processes
References
http://www.ask.com/questions-about/Beneficial-Bacteria
http://www.buzzle.com/articles/beneficial-bacteria-names.html
http://www.accessmylibrary.com/article-1G1-17841099/beneficial-bacteria-your-most.html
