Different Diseases Caused by Microorganisms

Microorganisms are also known as microbes that are not visible through naked eyes. Several types of microorganisms are harmless and beneficial to your body. However, other microbes can cause microbial infection or pathogens, leading to diseases.

Some diseases caused by microorganisms do not need any treatment and heal independently. But some microorganisms cause illnesses that can affect you for a long go. Read further to learn about microbes and the diseases they cause.

What Is a Microorganism?

Microorganisms are microscopic living agents found in every conceivable environment on the earth. They include bacteria, viruses or fungus and live in a unicellular form or as a colony of cells.

What Are the Types of Microorganisms That Can Cause Diseases?

The major groups or types of microorganisms are as follows:

1. Bacteria

Bacteria are prokaryotic microbes with a single cell and nucleus without a membrane. They can be of various shapes such as rods, spheres and spirals. People already have billions of harmless bacteria present in the body. However, the ones that invade your body from the outside cause severe illness.

2. Viruses

Viruses are majorly responsible for causing diseases among human beings. They are microscopic agents that require a living cell of another organism to reproduce. Viruses infect all life forms, including plants, animals, humans, bacteria and archaea.

3. Fungi

It is a eukaryotic microorganism with DNA closed in a membrane, forming a nucleus. Fungi can be in unicellular or extremely complex multicellular forms. Not all fungi affect your body, but the harmful ones cause some acute diseases.

4. Protozoa

Protozoa is a group of unicellular eukaryotes that can live independently or as parasites. They generally feed on other living matter such as debris, microbes or organic tissues. One such example of protozoa is amoeba which can change shape. Another example is Paramecium which has a complex structure and fixed shape.

List of Diseases Caused by Microorganisms

Several sources in the environment can transmit microbial infections. Therefore, it is vital to learn about the diseases and their transmission mode to take appropriate measures. Below are some lists of diseases caused by microorganisms and their transmission mode.

Diseases Caused by Bacteria

Name of Diseases	Causative Agent	Mode of Transmission
Tuberculosis	Mycobacterium Tuberculosis	Air
Typhoid	Salmonella Typhi	Water
Pneumonia	Haemophilus Influenza and Streptococcus Pneumoniae	Droplets of sneeze in the air
Cholera	Vibrio Cholerae	Food and water
Anthrax	Bacillus Anthraces	Contact with contaminated meat
Diphtheria	Corynebacterium Diphtheriae	Air or contact with an infected agent
Citrus Canker	Xanthomonas Axonopodis	Air
Acne Vulgaris	Propionibacterium Acnes	Direct contact to the infected person
Plague	Yersinia pestis	Air and direct contact
Peptic Ulcers	Helicobacter Pylori	N/A

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Diseases Caused by Virus

Name of Diseases	Causative Agent	Mode of Transmission
Cold, cough and flu	Rhinoviruses	Respiratory droplets in the air
AIDS	HIV or Human Immunodeficiency Virus	Exchange of blood, semen and vaginal and rectal fluids breast milk
Ebola	Ebola virus	Infected animal
Dengue	Flavivirus	Aedes mosquito (female)
Chikungunya	Chikungunya virus	Aedes Aegypti and Aedes Albopictus mosquito
Smallpox	Variola major and minor	Air, water and direct contact with an infected agent
Chicken Pox	Varicella zoster virus	Air and direct contact
Hepatitis B	Hepatitis B virus	Blood Exchange or sexually transmitted
Polio or Poliomyelitis	Poliovirus	Water, mouth or body waste
Zika	Zika virus	Aedes Aegypti and Aedes Albopictus mosquito
Measles	Measles virus	Air
Oral and foot diseases	Picornavirus or Genus Aphthovirus	Animal and close contact with the infected agent
Covid-19	Coronavirus	Respiratory droplets in the air and direct contact

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Diseases Caused by Fungi

Name of Diseases	Causative Agent	Mode of Transmission
Rust of wheat	Micro Trichophyton and Epidermophyton fungi	Contact with infected skin
Ringworms	Puccinia Rust fungus	Air and seeds

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Diseases Caused by Protozoa

Name of Diseases	Causative Agent	Mode of Transmission
Malaria	Plasmodium Malaria, Plasmodium Vivax and Plasmodium Falciparum	Anopheles mosquito (female)
Sleeping Sickness	Trypanosoma	Infected tsetse fly
Amoebic Dysentery and Amoebiasis	Entamoeba Histolytica	Impure water and food
Visceral Leishmaniasis or Kala-Azar	Leishmania genus	Sandflies
Ladies Finger or Yellow Vein	Yellow Vein Mosaic virus	Insect
Dysentery	Leishmania	N/A

These lists consist of diseases caused by microorganisms and their transmission agents. Some of these may make you fall sick or make you suffer for a long time.

Unfortunately, it is almost impossible to prevent microbial infections entirely. However, taking some simple measures can help you protect yourself from the transmission agents. In addition, it will prevent some common diseases caused by microorganisms in humans.

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