‘Discuss the impact on human health and disease of Clostridium, Candida and Cryptosporidium’
Clostridium, Candida and Cryptosporidium are microorganisms cause infection disease. Clostridium is an anaerobic bacterium from genes clostridium (Willey.J, Sherwood.J (2007), Prescott Microbiology). It is a rod shaped gram positive bacterium has more than fifteen species.They are obligate and capable of producing . Candida is type of fungi that naturally lives in human body as . The most common species that cause gastrointestinal infections is C.Albicans. Cryptosporidium is coccidian protozoan parasite. It has monoxenous life cycle, completing its entire cycle within a single host (Flanigan and Soave, 1993)
Clostridium has three main species that affect human health: C.Botulinum, C.Perfringens, C.Tetani, which affect on different body system and organs. C.Botulinum produces neurotoxin that causes flaccid paralysis. Usually the toxin affected the autonomic nerves that control body function like respiration and heart beat (Michael.T Madigan (2003), Brock Microorganisms). Most infection of C.Botulinum is caused by food borne. Botulinum spores germinate and cells produce toxin when food have not cook properly. Infant botulism occurs when spores of C.Botulinum are ingested and develop in the intestines.C.Perfringens can germinate under anoxic condition such as sealed canned food. After consumption the contaminated food, the C.Perfringens then sporulates in the intestine and trigger production of perfringens enterotoxin. The enterotoxin leads to diarrhea and intestinal cramps. Tetanus is cause by C.Tetani through soil-contaminated wound. C.Tetani will germination under anoxic condition and produce tetanus toxin. The toxin cause rigid paralysis of the voluntary muscles. Tetanus is not transmitted from person to person.
