• Question: if we could get rid of all the microbes and bacteria would we benefit completely or would there be some down side to it ?

    Asked by lilyx to MarkF, Mark, Michael, Panos, Sarah on 18 Jun 2010 in Categories: .
    • Photo: Mark Fogg

      Mark Fogg answered on 17 Jun 2010:

      We need bacteria to survive and be healthy, without them we would die, as would all other animals. However, I have no problem with eliminating some of the really nasty ones.

    • Photo: Michael Loughlin

      Michael Loughlin answered on 17 Jun 2010:

      we’d die pretty quick as nothing would ever decay so no nutrients would be recycled. Oxygen would be short and many microbes phtosynthesise and release o2 from CO2
      cows would starve as they don’t break down grass bacteria in their first stomach (rumen) do
      so not a good time for us to be honest better living with them

    • Photo: Mark Travis

      Mark Travis answered on 17 Jun 2010:

      We would no longer have infections, but then there are things that bacteria do that are essential to use…. for example, bacteria in our intestine is key in helping us digest certain foods.

    • Photo: Panos Soultanas

      Panos Soultanas answered on 18 Jun 2010:

      Lily,

      I think we would have a great loss if that happens. The living world may not be able to survive without microbes really..!

    • Photo: Sarah Burl

      Sarah Burl answered on 18 Jun 2010:

      no this would not be good, we live alongside a lot of bacteria that help us as well as helping them. this is called symbiosis. When antibiotics gets rid of bacteria in your gut then you are susceptible to more infections.

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