Stinking Feet and Other Rotten Stuff

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Stinking Feet and Other Rotten Stuff

• Georgia CTAE Resource Network
• Instructional Resource Office
• For use with Culinary Arts, Agriculture,
  Construction, Healthcare and Biotechnology
  pathways.
• Written By Philip Ledford and Dr. Frank Flanders
• July 2009

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Objectives

• Students will be able to
• Explain what makes things decompose.
• Evaluate conditions necessary for decomposition.
• Discuss the places bacteria and fungi thrive.
• Review helpful and harmful ways decomposers
  affect humans and animals.
• Survey their chosen career for the effects of
  microorganisms

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Enduring Understanding

• All organic matter eventually returns to the
  Earth as nutrients through decomposition by
  bacteria and fungi.

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Essential Questions

• What would the world be like if organic matter
  did not decompose?
• What effects does decomposition have on the
  Earths environment?

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Why Your Feet Stink.

• Everyone has experienced smelly feet. It may have
  been someone else's or your own.
• Why do you think feet stink?

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Why Your Feet Stink.

• The reason your feet stink is not because it is
  stuck in a shoe all day. It is caused by
  bacteria.
• Bacteria breaks down the sweat your feet release
  from the quarter of a million sweat glands. The
  bacteria break down the sweat and dead skin cells
  of your feet into sulfur compounds.

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Bacteria and Fungi

• The two major organisms that makes organic matter
  decompose are bacteria and fungi.
• Bacteria and fungi decomposes organic matter
  (living organisms i.e. plants and animals)
• Bacteria and fungi decompose wood, leaves,
  plants, and many other living things.

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Bacteria

• Bacteria a prokaryotic or single celled
  microorganisms
• Prokaryotic organisms are organisms that lack a
  cell nucleus.
• Bacteria thrive in every habitat on earth. The
  live in Earths water, plants, dirt, even deep
  into the earths crust bacteria grows.
• Bacteria is the main decomposer of dead organic
  matter.

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Fungi

• Fungi a eukaryotic or multi cellular organism.
• Eukaryotic organisms are organisms that have a
  cell nuclueus. (plant cells and animal cells are
  eukaryotic).
• Though fungi are not as destructive as bacteria
  it is still a very invasive organism.
• All fungi can be found in dark, warm and damp
  places such as under dead trees, rocks, and other
  things. Some fungi like mushrooms and lichen can
  grow on and next to trees and rocks.

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Prokaryotic Cells
Notice the prokaryotic cell has no nucleus and is
usually very small in size when compared to
eukaryotic animal or plant cells. Archaebacteria
are similar to normal bacteria except that have
no organelles within their cells. Most bacteria
and archaebacteria are prokaryotic cells.
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Eukaryotic Cells
Notice that the eukaryotic cell has a nucleus and
is much larger in size when compared to
prokaryotic cells. Unlike a prokaryotic cell the
eukaryotic cell has more organelles (parts of a
cell the serve a specific function) and is more
complex is structure. Plant and animal cells are
eukaryotic cells.
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Bacteria and Fungi

• Not all Bacteria and fungi are bad.
• Ways people use bacteria
• Antibiotics
• Cleaning purposes
• Digesting Food
• Ways people use fungi
• Food
• Medicine
• Pesticides

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How Stuff Decomposes

• Decomposition is the break down of tissue of a
  formerly living organism into simple forms of
  matter.
• Once a living thing has died bacteria from the
  environment and from the living thing takes over
  and slowly decays the once living material.
• Bacteria and/or fungi feed on the nutrients from
  the once living material and release different
  chemicals (most of which give off odors).

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Necessities for Decomposition

• Certain environmental conditions play a huge role
  in decomposition.
• When exposed to different environmental elements
  decomposition can be sped up or slowed down.
• Not all things decompose after death.
• When plants and animals die they can be preserved
  under conditions

• Why has the body of the Woolly Mammoth been
  preserved for millions of years in the Antarctic?

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Necessities for Decomposition

• When dead material is exposed to a hot and humid
  environment the decomposition process is greatly
  sped up. This is because bacteria thrives and
  grows better in warm, humid conditions.
• When dead material is exposed to a cold dry
  climate decomposition can be greatly slowed down
  even completely stopped if under the right
  conditions.

Here is a large piece of oak that has been
preserved often being buried in a peat bog (swamp
area)
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Places Bacteria and Fungi Can Be Found

• Humans and Animals have bacteria on and inside
  them.
• Animals such as cows and sheep have bacteria in
  their stomach to help with digestion. If bacteria
  are not present in the cows stomach the animal
  can not digest food.
• A bacteria in the human stomach produces lactic
  acid which aids in digestion. If this bacteria is
  not present it can cause digestive problems
• Humans also have the same bacteria that is on
  Limburger cheese on their skin. This bacteria
  decomposes skin and sweat causing body odor.

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Places Bacteria and Fungi Can Be Found

• A fungi most people are familiar with is athletes
  foot. Athlete's foot is a fungal skin infection
  that occurs on the human foot. Fungi need warm,
  moist places to grow, a foot that is in a sweaty
  shoe is perfect for fungal growth.
• A fungal infection of the skin is ring worms. A
  fungus that can grow from dead skin cells can
  spread on the human skin or scalp in a circular
  form causing redness and an itching sensation.
• Clean skin is the best prevention.

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Places Bacteria and Fungi Can Be Found

• Another bacteria on the human skin can have a
  harmful effect on the human body called
  Staphylococcus . Staph can cause infections to
  open or untreated wounds. In extreme cases Staph
  has caused death.

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Places Bacteria and Fungi Can Be Found

• Fuligo septica or dog vomit slime mold is a
  fungus like organism that grows in mulch in
  gardens and parks.

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Places Bacteria and Fungi Can Be Found

• Dog vomit slime mold in its fruiting stage is
  bright yellow but after a day or two it turns
  into a pinkish color as seen below.

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Places Bacteria and Fungi Can Be Found

• Bacteria and Fungi can grow in any dark, damp and
  warm place. They can also grow in and on plants
  and animals.
• Bacteria and fungi are on almost all surfaces in
  our environment, including our bodies.
• Humans and often animals have different
  bacterias that live in their intestines that aid
  in digestion.
• Bacteria and fungi also grow on food.

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Places Bacteria and Fungi Can Be Found

• In addition to growing on trees and plants,
  bacteria and fungi can grow in buildings and
  homes.
• The moisture from splashing rain and around this
  bath tub provide a perfect growing environment
  for bacteria and fungi.

Paint protects wood from moisture, but once the
paint seal is broken water may enter and cause
wood to rot.
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Helpful and Harmful Bacteria and Fungi

• Botulism is a type of food poisoning caused by
  botulinum toxin A. This organism is one of the
  most deadliest poisons on earth, even more
  poisonous than cyanide.
• Though botulinum toxin A is very poisonous it is
  used in Botox procedures to remove wrinkles.
• Botulinum toxin A paralyzes the part of the body
  it is injected into. If that part of the body can
  not move then it can not wrinkle.

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Helpful Bacteria and Fungi

• Contrary to popular belief, most bacteria are
  either harmless or helpful. Only a handful of
  bacteria cause illnesses in humans and animals.
  Those that cause illness are called pathogenic
  bacteria and those that are illness cause are
  called nonpathogenic bacteria.
• Many bacteria, molds, and fungi are used to help
  people rather than harm them.

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Helpful Bacteria and Fungi

• Penicillin Discovered in 1928 penicillin
  quickly became a miracle drug that simply grew
  from mold.

In the 1940s it was used in World War II and
saved many lives. Penicillin is used to cure
many bacterial infections like staph, strep
throat, gonorrhea, etc.
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Helpful Bacteria and Fungi

• E. Coli Found in the lower intestines of humans
  and warm blooded animals. E Coli produces vitamin
  K and prevents several different pathogenic
  bacteria from infecting the human body.
• E. Coli can be dangerous when different strands
  of e.coli like strands from other animals are
  ingested.
• Washing your hands is the best prevention.

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Helpful Bacteria and Fungi

• Rhizobium A soil bacteria that aids in nitrogen
  fixation after being established in different
  types of roots.

To the left are soy bean roots. Each root
contains billions of Rhizobiums to keep nitrogen
levels stable.
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How Professions are Affected Bacteria and Fungi

• Most professions are affected by bacteria and
  fungi.
• Some of the areas are the medical, culinary,
  agriculture and construction areas.
• Some bacteria and fungi are used in making
  medicines.
• Some are used in the food we eat.
• While some bacteria and fungi are used in
  developing ways to prevent other bacteria and
  fungi from growing.

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How Professions are Affected Bacteria and Fungi

• Agricultural Professionals
• One example is the use of bacteria and fungi in
  pesticides. A fungi is mixed into a liquid form
  and when sprayed on an insect and the fungus
  grows on the insect eventually killing it.

Fungal pesticides covering grasshoppers and a
maggot.
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How Professions are Affected Bacteria and Fungi

• Agricultural Professionals
• Fish hatcheries sometimes use a bacteria that eat
  fish waste and algae and turn it into useful
  nutrients.

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How Professions are Affected Bacteria and Fungi

• Medical Professionals
• In the medical industry most vaccines are made
  from bacteria. Some antibiotics are made from
  bacteria and fungi to keep people and animals
  healthy.
• Some mushroom fungi are used in the medical field
  because they posses nutrients that fight
  infection and some diseases.

Shiitake mushrooms are sometimes used in
treatment for cancer
A ganoderma mushroom used to help fight against
certain viruses
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How Professions are Affected Bacteria and Fungi

• Culinary (food) Professionals
• Professionals in the Culinary industry use fungi
  and bacteria in hundreds of ways.
• One way is the use of Saccharomyces cerevisiae or
  bakers yeast. It is used to make breads and
  wheat produce like pizza crust and dumplings.

The organism feeds on the bread and gives off CO2
as a part of digestion. The CO2 causes the bread
to rise.
Saccharomyces cerevisiae or yeast
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How Professions are Affected Bacteria and Fungi

• Culinary Professionals
• Other bacteria is used in the fermentation of
  pickles, wine, cheese, yogurt and vinegar.

A fungus is made in Limburger cheese that gives
it the distinct smell and flavor.
Blue cheese is made with a fungus that shows up
as the blue part of the cheese.
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How Professions are Affected Bacteria and Fungi

• Construction Professionals
• Professionals in the Construction industry have
  developed materials that can resist certain
  fungal growth.
• Lumber used out doors must be treated to resist
  rot.

Recently a type of paint has been developed that
can literally disinfect what ever it covers. Not
only does it disinfect but it also fights against
super bug bacteria as well keeping the inside of
walls from growing fungus and mold.
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How Professions are Affected Bacteria and Fungi

• Biotechnology
• Sometimes bacteriologists create new products for
  fighting pathogenic diseases. Bacteriologists
  also study bacteria and its biology to better
  predict behavior and prevent the spreading of
  harmful bacteria.

Professionals in the biotechnology field
sometimes cultivate hundreds of different
bacteria and pathogens.
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How Professions are Affected Bacteria and Fungi

• Forensic Science
• Forensic scientists have to know the effects of
  decomposition very well.
• Forensic scientists determine how long something
  has been dead and the cause of death.
• Knowing how bacteria and fungi affect
  decomposition helps forensic scientists estimate
  the time and date of death.

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Summary

• What have we learned?
• Bacteria and fungi decomposes organic matter.
• Decomposition is necessary.
• Conditions for bacteria and fungi grow.
• People use bacteria and fungi.
• Bacteria and fungi can be helpful and harmful.
• The work in many professions are affected by
  bacteria, fungi, and decomposition.