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Definition
Bacteria are the oldest and most abundant organisms on earth. Bacterial cells are smaller than the human red blood cell. Unlike human and animal cells, they lack a nucleus (the central living part of the cell). Like plant cells, bacteria are surrounded by a carbohydrate cell wall. Bacterial species are responsible for many of the world's infectious diseases. Unlike viruses, which also cause infections, bacterial infections can be treated with antibiotics that kill them or disable their growth or reproduction.
Bacteria are both helpful hosts and harmful sources of disease. In the large intestine, native bacteria aid in digestion and prevent the build-up of other toxic bacterial species.
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This article was reviewed June 2005, by Paul G. Auwaerter, M.D., M.B.A., F.A.C.P., Associate Professor of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD.
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