By Charles Adisa MD
Viruses, bacteria, fungi, are all microorganisms created by God himself.
They are as natural as birds, goats and even, we humans.
Your intestines hold billions of bacteria in your guts that aid digestion, absorption of nutrients and detoxification of harmful substances we come in contact with.
Without these microorganisms, our world will be a disaster as dead bodies will not decay but pollute the entire environment.
Are microorganisms always good for you, No. They could carry different diseases that could cause serious problems for animals and humans.
Can viruses and microorganisms be manipulated by humans, Yes, to either good or bad use.
For instance, a bacteria is used to produce Insulin which is a life saving medication for Diabetics. It could equally be manipulated for harmful purposes and used as a biological weapon.
However, majority of the virulent organisms arise by natural laws of survival and mutations.
For instance, if a particular virus or bacteria finds it’s host bodies hostile to it’s survival, it adapts and tweaks his genetic structure to suit the hostile environment for survival.
It’s those mutations that usually confer greater powers on them to survive and cause more harm to humans and animals.
The SARS-COV-2 virus, the cause of this Coronavirus was originally found in bats, and other birds in China. It was human interactions with the bats and other animals that exposed us to the dangers.
While in bats, the virus finds a friendly host and survive, but when it gets to humans, it can’t. So how does it survive? It tweaks it’s genetic structure and adapt to his new human host, which leads to more virulent strains that can harm humans.
▪ Adisa, a professor of Surgery and Surgical Oncologist, is with the Abia State University