write an article on the topic microrganism - freind or foe
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ARTICLE Microorganisms – friend or foe?
Viruses
Viruses are microorganisms that are so basic they are not even classified as living. Viruses are just genetic material (DNA or RNA) wrapped up inside a strong ‘coat’ made of protein.
Courtesy of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Public Health Image Library
Parasites
A parasite lives on or inside its host organism in a very unequal relationship – it takes all its food from its host and doesn’t give anything back. Parasites can live on our bodies (like lice) or in our bodies and cause lots of different diseases. Parasitic worms (including hookworms – see Professor Le Gros’s research) can live in our bodies and make us sick. Some parasites are microorganisms like protozoa – a single-celled parasite. Diseases like malaria and giardia are protozoa.
Useful link
The smallest objects that we can see are about 0.1 mm long. You can see cells and bacteria with light microscopes, but to see anything smaller, such as a virus, you would need an electron microscope. Go to this interactive for a size comparison of microorganisms:
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Published 8 November 2010 Referencing Hub articles
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