Bacteria Are Necesary For What Human Functions?

Millions of bacteria live on and inside the human body where they carry out a defensive function.

Bacteria on the surface of the skin help protect the skin from other bacteria that are potentially pathogenic by jostling them out of position. The acid environment the commensal bacteria create also deters other bacteria from being able to invade the skin - they simply die on the surface.

The bacteria inside the digestive system also help to keep it clear of potentially pathogenic bacteria by the same sort of effect. When you take antibiotics for an infection elsewhere in the body, the bacteria in the gut often suffer, giving you diarrhoea. However, a secondary effect is that disruption to the normal gut bacteria also provides an opportunity for candida, the fungus that causes thrush to gain a hold. So, women on antibiotics often find they suffer from thrush the following week.

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