Why is bacteria pathogenic

Your body can be more prone to bacterial infections when your immune system is compromised by a virus. The disease state caused by a virus enables normally harmless bacteria to become pathogenic.

Antibiotics are used to treat bacterial infections. Some strains of bacteria have become resistant to antibiotics, making them difficult to treat. This can happen naturally, but also happens because of the overuse of antibiotics, according to the World Health Organization WHO. There are millions of different fungal species on Earth. Just or so are known to cause sickness. Fungi can be found just about everywhere in the environment, including indoors, outdoors, and on human skin.

They cause infection when they overgrow. Fungi cells contain a nucleus and other components protected by a membrane and a thick cell wall. Their structure can make them harder to kill. Some new strains of fungal infections are proving to be especially dangerous , such as Candida aurus , and have prompted more research into fungal infections.

Parasites are organisms that behave like tiny animals, living in or on a host and feeding from or at the expense of the host. Though parasitic infections are more common in tropical and subtropical regions, they can occur anywhere. They can be spread several ways, including through contaminated soil, water, food, and blood, as well as through sexual contact and via insect bites.

Viruses can cause a number of infections, many of which are contagious. Examples of viral diseases include:. Research Highlights 09 February This study shows that Salmonella enterica subsp. Advanced search. Skip to main content Thank you for visiting nature. Atom RSS Feed Bacterial pathogenesis Definition Bacterial pathogenesis is the process by which bacteria infect and cause disease in a host. Research 23 September Open Access The prevailing O serogroups among the serologically differentiated clinical Proteus spp.

Reviews 21 September Bacterial motility: machinery and mechanisms In this Review, Wadhwa and Berg explore the most common bacterial motility mechanisms and summarize the current understanding of the molecular machines that enable bacteria to swim in aqueous media and move on solid surfaces. Nature Reviews Microbiology , Research 15 September Open Access The effect of two ribonucleases on the production of Shiga toxin and stx -bearing bacteriophages in Enterohaemorrhagic Escherichia coli Patricia B.

Abstract Pathogenicity represents a form of specialization that enables certain microorganisms to replicate within specific animals and damage host cells. Publication types English Abstract Review. Substances Antibodies, Bacterial Bacterial Toxins. Borrelia burgdorferi Lyme disease. Neisseria gonorrhea. Food poisoning , MRSA. Treponema pallidum syphilis.