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NEWTON Home Page NEWTON Teachers Visit Our Archives Ask A Question How To Ask A Question Question of the Week Our Expert Scientists Volunteer at NEWTON! Frequently Asked Questions Referencing NEWTON About NEWTON About Ask A Scientist Education At Argonne Bacteria: Good or Bad? 
Name: Talei
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Question:
Is bacteria good for you?


Replies:
both good and bad. Without bacteria we would die, but some bacteria could easily kill us: it all depends which ones they are. The good ones, those we need to survive, are there to digest our food (in our intestines) and to live on our skin and in our mouth. By doing so they provide a protection against bad bacteria, that make you sick, and these are called 'pathogenic bacteria'. Those bugs take their chance if your immune system is weakened, or if they manage to get into your body in large amounts, by contaminated food for instance. Anyway, the simple question has a complicated answer. If you're interested, read more about bacteria, both good and bad, at www.bacteriamuseum.org

Trudy Wassenaar


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