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MICROBESThe Good, the Bad, the Ugly
Get the whole story behind theMicrobes comic book online ataskabiologist.asu.edu/microbesOr, learn more about your body‛simmune system in Viral Attack ataskabiologist.asu.edu/viral-attack
Deputy LactoDeputy E. coliSheriff PhageStrep BacteriaMRSA the ResistantBacteria BanditsPrologueYou may already know that some bacteria can make you sick. Unlike thebacteria that cause diseases and infections, most of the bacteria inside youright now are harmless and live peacefully side by side with the cells of yourbody. These bacteria work together with your cells to keep other unwantedinvaders away and to help keep your body running smoothly.CastIn this story, you will see how good bacteria, antibiotics, and new technologieshelp keep the bad guys from taking over the body. Many bacteria appearthroughout this story. They come in many different colors, shapes, and sizes.CreditsKarla MoellerEditorSabine DevicheIllustration, Design and Original ScriptJo RamirezColor to Line Art Conversion Arizona Science Center & Ask A Biologist Funded by the National Center for Research Resources of the National Institutes for Health Page 1
Our story takes place in the tinyhidden world inside your body.You might not realize it, but you arehome to trillions of bacteria, tiny lifeforms too small to see without thehelp of a microscope.Bacteria come here from many different places.Some float through the airin tiny particles of water.Some hop from person toperson through theobjects we touch, likemoney or door knobs.Others hitch a ride downthe digestive system withthe food you eat.Some kinds have lived here sincethe very beginning, when yourbody was just a couple days old.ZMany others (between 300and 1,000 different kinds)have moved in since.Human BodyPopulation:10 Quintillion Arizona Science Center & Ask A Biologist Funded by the National Center for Research Resources of the National Institutes for Health Page 2
Thriving bacterial communities exist in many different parts of the body.Others make themselvesat home in the plaqueinside your mouth.Little colonies even existunder your eyelids, on thesurface of your eyes.Some live on the surfaceof your skin and on thehairs of your scalp.Most folks in this town are good,helpful, law-abiding bacteria.Your body‛slargest bacterialcommunities existalong your digestivetract, in yourlarge and smallintestines.Howdy!You mightknow it byanother name:your gut.How areyou?Need ahand?Hello!They help with digestion and makeimportant vitamins the body needs.Vitamin Kkeeps blood andbones healthy.Hmmm.This placelooks nice!Biotin helpscell growth.eGutvillVitaminKBiotinOnce in a while, some prettyunsavory characters come to visit. Arizona Science Center & Ask A Biologist Funded by the National Center for Research Resources of the National Institutes for Health Page 3
Let‛s meet the heroes of our town. When bad bacteria come to visit, it‛sup to these deputies to keep bad guys from making themselves at home.Howdy,I‛m deputyLacto.How aboutthat one?Lookslike we foundour newhome!So, whatbrings you toGutville?Meetmy partner,deputyE. coli.Woah, youdon‛t belonghere.There‛s noroom here foryou folks.We‛relooking fora place tostay.Move alongnow!Usually, the body's defenses cankeep the bad bacteria fromsticking around.Good job,partner!EXITOther unwelcomedvisitors aren‛t quite soeasy to get rid of. Arizona Science Center & Ask A Biologist Funded by the National Center for Research Resources of the National Institutes for Health Page 4
These villains might come through the air,hitching a ride in drops of saliva from asick person who coughed without coveringhis or her mouth.This way,gang!Then they make themselves athome in the throat and tonsils.Oh no, thesehooligans are strepbacteria. Theycan cause serioustrouble!Strepthroat? What‛sthat?It makesthe throatscratchy and red,and makes it hurtto swallow.It can alsogive the bodyfever andchills.They mightgive thebody strepthroat!Sometimes the bad guys get out of control andare just too much for the body to handle alone.When that happens,we have to bring outthe big guns:Antibiotics.Uh-oh,they‛vetaken over thethroat! Arizona Science Center & Ask A Biologist Funded by the National Center for Research Resources of the National Institutes for Health Page 5
Antibiotic pills arebroken down in thestomach and smallintestine, releasingchemicals that arebad news forbacteria.Inside the small intestine, antibiotics areabsorbed into the blood stream. This networkof blood vessels carries the antibioticsthroughout the other parts of the body.StomachSmallIntestineBack in Throat Town, theantibiotics are working!Let‛s getout of here,quick!Meanwhile,in Gutville I don‛t feelso good.Antibioticstravel through theentire body, and can‛talways tell us normalbacteria from thebad ones.Strep bacteria are defeated,but many good bacteria fromGutville and other parts of thebody are hit as well.The once-thriving bacterialcommunities throughout theHuman Body are now ghost towns. Arizona Science Center & Ask A Biologist Funded by the National Center for Research Resources of the National Institutes for Health Page 6
It takes about 3 days for antibiotics toleave the body after the last pill is taken.To helpnormal bacteriareturn, a doctormight recommendeating yogurt.Bit by bit, good bacteria return.New bacteria move in to fill theempty spaces left behind.b,scrucrubsWhyyogurt?It‛s fullof good bacteriacalled cultures,or probiotics.Large families of bacteria move in withthe yogurt and other foods.Welcome!It doesn't happen overnight but aftera while, the towns are back to normaland running smoothly again.But peace and quiet might not last.One day a new band of strangersappear.A few came in through acut in the skin thatwasn‛t properly washed,and they multiplied fast.They were soon on themove, using the bloodstream to travel toother parts of the body. Arizona Science Center & Ask A Biologist Funded by the National Center for Research Resources of the National Institutes for Health Page 7
MRSA sets up camp in many places suchas the lungs, bone, blood, and skin.Bettermove alongMRSA, you‛renot welcomehere!We knowjust what todo with yourtype.Let meintroduce myself:I‛m MRSA theMy gangResistant. and I are takingover the entirebody!More antibiotics were taken to try toget rid of MRSA. This time, however,something unexpected happened.Oh no, theantibioticsaren‛tworking!Taking moreantibiotics willonly end uphurting us goodbacteria.Hahaha,you can‛thurt me!This is where cutting edgenanotechnology comes to the rescue!Who‛sthat?We‛rein serioustrouble!Howdy,folks!Nanotechnology dealswith making newmaterials andmedicines out of tinybuilding blocks such asatoms and molecules. Arizona Science Center & Ask A Biologist Funded by the National Center for Research Resources of the National Institutes for Health Page 8
My nameis SheriffPhage.MRSA theResistant.I've beenlooking for areal nasty outlawthat goes by thename of.WAAD ORDEe,cnyatdis ce boesea eR p htcti ng stio ti inbpti u an r agA is sr d eoimFrcSAEDNTWADon‛t worrygood bacteria,I won‛t hurtyou.EDTN ALIVERMI can tellby yourreceptors thatyou‛re not theones I needto find.Receptors arethose littlestructures on oursurfaces.Their uniqueshapes letthem bind withonly certainmolecules.Receptors?What arethose?That‛s right!All bacteria haveunique receptors onthe outside, kind oflike ID badges.I know I‛vefound the right villainwhen their receptorsmatch the shape on theend of my guns. Arizona Science Center & Ask A Biologist Funded by the National Center for Research Resources of the National Institutes for Health Page 9
I getit now!Myreceptorsdon‛t matchso you knowI‛m notMRSA.Phage Virus.we meetagain!Yes,exactly!MRSA theResistant.This bodyisn't bigenough forthe both ofus.ck kilc licc!GANB Arizona Science Center & Ask A Biologist Funded by the National Center for Research Resources of the National Institutes for Health Page 10
Urg.Gahhh!Ok, who‛snext?PhageVirus justdefeatedthe boss!We betterget out ofhere quick!Thank youso much!You sparedus good townsfolkfrom MRSA‛s gangwhen antibioticsweren‛t enough.No problem!My work isnot finishedyet.My posse ofphage viruses willkeep looking forMRSA's gang.We won‛trest until all ofthose villains havebeen defeated.Goodluck!Bye!The body can rest soundlyagain, knowing it‛s safethanks to our heroeswatching over it. Arizona Science Center & Ask A Biologist Funded by the National Center for Research Resources of the National Institutes for Health Page 11
obesMicrEDATNESCEETAK
CreditsFunding SupportCollaborative SupportAcknowledgementsMicrobes was developed with the help of Arizona Science Center’sPathways Design Team. Graphic and website development provided byArizona State University School of Life Sciences Visualization Laboratory.Additional photos from wikimedia.com.Plan your next visit to Arizona Science Center and play the part of yourfavorite microbe in the live demonstration, Microbes: The Good, The Bad,and The Ugly.
Arizona Science Center and Ask A Biologisthave joined forces in building Body Depot, aplace where you can learn about your amazingbody. Visit Body Depot online ataskabiologist.asu.edu/body-depotMONSTER MANUALRead a real monster tale about the tinyinstruction manual that you carry around ineach of your cells. Then try out MonsterBuilder, a fun game where you decode andbuild your own monsters. You can find it ataskabiologist.asu.edu/monster-manual
Get the whole story behind the Microbes comic book online at askabiologist.asu.edu/microbes Or, lear
