• Question: We thought there was good bacteria too, what's the difference between good and bad bacteria?

    Asked by whcatandcait to Emma on 2 Jul 2012.
    • Photo: Emma Trantham

      Emma Trantham answered on 2 Jul 2012:

      Yup there are ‘good’ bacteria.

      Really it’s a bit of an incorrect name for them although scientists use the term all the time. It’s not that some bacteria are naughty and some are well-behaved!

      Some bacteria, just by the process of how they live, make us ill – these are what you will hear people calling the bad bacteria.

      Some bacteria – again, just as part of how they live – help us out by, for example, protecting us from other harmful bacteria. These are what you will hear people call the good bacteria.

      ‘Good’ bacteria in general are those which – if we didn’t have them, we would be ill/worse off in some way.

      Does that answer your question?

Comments