If theres billions of bacteria in our mouths, how come when we cut our inner lip we’re not guaranteed an infection?
In: 85
You’re swimming in bacteria 24/7. It’s in the air, on the floor, in your clothes, stuck to your skin, in every orifice, in your food, etc.
The immune system copes with normal amounts of it or you’d literally die for trying to do the slightest thing on planet Earth.
What it can’t cope with is when the bacteria grows to enormous levels (which are still microscopic, but there’s a big difference between 1 bacteria per square mm, and 1,000,000,000 bacteria per square mm), or is of a type that can cause problems inside the body.
Pretty much, this is planet Bacteria far more than almost anything else. It’s actually posited as being a serious problem should we ever visit other life-bearing planets (or their inhabitants ever visit us). A billion new bacteria never-before-seen by our immune systems, or the immune systems of life on those planets, and you can wipe out entire civilisations (as has happened countless times in even human history).
You can’t live bacteria-free – hell, “you” are made up of a substantial portion of critical bacteria yourself, most of your digestive system for a start! It’s mostly problematic when you encounter new bacteria, unusual bacteria in places your body doesn’t normally have to deal with it (e.g. bacteria from soil on the surface of your food, etc.), or the bacteria are in overwhelming numbers because of conditions (e.g. food that’s gone rotten in a warm, damp climate where the bacteria feed and multiply like crazy).
Latest Answers