Question

What are the benefits of bacteria?

Answer 1

Hint: Bacteria belong to the Monera kingdom. They are unicellular prokaryotic organisms. On the basis of respiration, they can be aerobic, anaerobic, or facultative anaerobes. Aerobic bacteria are the ones who need oxygen to sustain while anaerobic bacteria can't stand around oxygen. Facultative anaerobes are the organisms which function better with oxygen but they can survive in the absence of oxygen also.

Complete answer:
Some bacteria cause disease while others live harmonically with us. The good bacteria include the bacteria present in our digestive system. They help us in digestion. Some bacteria can be used in production of food like yogurt and other fermented foods.
They are a very important part of the ecosystem. Some of them break down dead and decaying matter (dead leaves etc), which helps in carbon dioxide recycling and nutrient cycling. The good bacteria are helpful in digesting food and absorbing nutrients. In addition, they also produce several vitamins like folic acid, niacin, B6 and B12 in our GIT. These bacteria are protective against their related species.
Whenever we consume antibiotics for the treatment of any other infection caused by harmful bacteria, we also put risk on the lives of helpful bacteria. This can cause a disturbance in the body which can cause diarrhea and other GIT complications.
It is also observed that consuming bacteria which are the same as those present in the body, have some health benefits. These bacteria are known as probiotics. They are now available as pills, suppositories, and creams. Foods having good bacteria are - yogurt, buttermilk, cheese, beer, sourdough bread, chocolate etc.
Probiotics prevent and help in the treatment of various health conditions, for example :diarrhea, Irritable bowel syndrome, ulcerative colitis, gingivitis, eczema etc

Note:
Some bacteria are harmful to us as they cause disease. On contact or consumption they may start reproducing in our body and release some toxins that are dangerous to our body and make us feel sick. The pathogenic bacteria can cause diseases such as strep throat, cholera, TB, and food poisoning.