Pathogenic and non pathogenic microorganism Research Paper

Pathogenic and non pathogenic microorganism - Research Paper Example Nonpathogenic organisms are organisms that do not cause disease to hosts with normal defense capacity. However, most non-pathogenic bacteria tend to be opportunistic in that they can cause diseases if the host defense mechanisms or defense in insufficient or compromised. The Session Long Project will discuss Escherichia coli (E. coli) as the non-pathogenic bacteria and Mycobacterium tuberculosis as the pathogenic microorganism. I choose E. coli because it is one of the most common bacteria found in humans. On the other hand, I choose Mycobacterium tuberculosis since it is a pathogenic bacteria that causes tuberculosis, which is a common opportunistic disease in immune-depressed disease. However, the causative agent is considered pathogenic. Moreover, tuberculosis causes several case of death especially in third world countries. E. coli is a common type of bacteria that is found in the human gut but is generally non-pathogenic. The bacterium is found as normal intestinal or bowel flora and has numerous strains. Moreover, Escherichia coli in the human intestines act as a source of Vitamin B complex and Vitamin K. The bacterial inhabits different regions of the body such as the lower and upper respiratory tract and the intestines where it is harmless. However, E. coli become harmful if it enters the blood system (Grover-Lakomia & Fong, 1998). Moreover, in immune-compromised individuals, E. coli is capable of producing toxics, which are harmful to humans. The bacterium is also harmful if taken from foods or contaminated water. Although cases of E. coli poisoning are rare, successful control of the pathogen poisoning would still be considered a significant accomplishment in the field of microbiology and public health (Funnell, Koutoukidis, & Lawrence, 2008; Grover-Lakomia & Fong, 1998) Mycobacterium tuberculosis is a non-motile, rod shaped bacterium, which causes tuberculosis.