What happens after harmful organisms die in boiled or UV treated water? Do we drink bacteria corpse?
In: Biology
Bacteria themselves can be harmful, even if killed. Some have a coating like an egg shell that makes our body react so you could imagine drinking a bunch of crushed eggs and the shells cutting up your throat and insides.
Another way bacteria are harmful is the toxins they make. When they feel like it, they make a poison that cooking does not break down. Like getting stung by a dead bee, sort of.
Fun fact: Some people’s skin reacts with cheap fake gold, where the skin inflames and looks like an infection. In that case, the skin thinks the metal is that bacterial egg shell material and freaks out. I can’t remember if that is related to nickel or not.
When microbiologists do a Gram stain, they are staining bacteria to tell them apart on a microscope slide. A thicker cell wall picks up more stain and looks darker, helping classify what you’re looking at. That’s the same cell wall material we have mentioned.
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