MadSci Network: General Biology |
Kasey, All bacteria share severl important traits. All bacteria lack a nucleus, that centralized, membrane bound structure in which all other organisms contain their DNA. In fact bacteria do not have any membrane bound structures in them, structures that make other organisms more complex. The disease called pneumonia is caused by a bacteria known as the pneumococcal. And usually refers to a variety of infections caused by the bacterium Streptococcus pneumoniae. Other organisms can also cause pneumonia, however, the pneumococcus is the most important cause of serious pneumonia. Some bacteria have certain charactoristics that make them especially dangerous to our health. Bacteria like the pneumococcal have a stickey outer coating called a capsule. The capsule helps the pneumococcus to infect humans by allowing the it to stick to cells lining the respiratory tract (for example, the nose, throat, and tubes leading to the lungs). The capsule also helps the pneumococcus avoid being eaten by white blood cells. Hope this hepls. Good Luck
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