Life

Let’s cure ourselves with bacteria

Bacteria are used to make a high number of pharmacologically important substances. Actinomycetes, for instance, are thread-like bacteria that morphologically resemble mildews. They are among the most important producers of antibiotics, such as streptomycin and tetracycline. Vitamin B12 (cobalamin) is also produced in laboratory by bacteria. Some special bacterial strains are used as test micro-organisms to determine the antibiotic and vitamin content of some foods or drugs. Microbial strain means a bacterium that, although belonging to a given species, has distinctive morphological and metabolic features, such as, for instance, specific resistance to antibiotics, production of some substances or resistance to specific environmental conditions. A bacterial colony is instead a cluster of cells that is visible to the naked eye, mostly round in shape, and is originated by the proliferation of strains. A colony consists therefore of a very high number of bacteria from the same strain.