Writing a story:
Pretend that you are a virus or a bacterium. Create a story describing how you get into the body and what you do once you get in.
Answers
Answer:
You probably recognize a common kind of fungus, the mushroom. Mushrooms aren’t the only kind of fungus, though. They actually make up an entire kingdom of life and, while most are not harmful to humans, a few of them are pathogens.
For example, the fungus Epidermophyton floccosum is often responsible for the condition athlete’s foot. This fungus is much smaller than the mushrooms we are familiar with. You usually need a microscope to see it.
Fungi survive by getting energy from other organisms. Often, they do this by feeding on the decaying remains of plants. Similarly, many fungal pathogens feed on the nonliving outer layers of our skin. It’s this feeding that leads to the itching and peeling associated with athlete’s foot or ringworm.
Epidermophyton floccosum fungus that causes athlete's foot
This fungi, Epidermophytom floccosum, is often responsible for athlete's foot. Image by PD-USGOV-HHS-CDC.
Some fungi also produce toxins, called mycotoxins. The most common way for humans to be exposed to mycotoxins is by accidentally eating poisonous mushrooms.
Viruses
Viruses are the smallest common pathogen. They are so small in fact that many of them actually infect bacteria. They are different from other pathogens because they cannot reproduce on their own. Viruses take over the cells they infect and use that cell’s own processes to create more copies of the virus. We call this replication.
Sometimes, a virus can wait inside a cell for a long time before it starts replicating. This means that you can get sick long after you are exposed to a virus. The Chicken Pox is an example of a common viral infection that often remains dormant, or unnoticed in the body. Varicella zoster doesn’t leave your body after you recover from the Chicken Pox. It remains dormant within you and can resurface to cause a condition called shingles later in life.