CBSE Class 12 Biology Chapter 8 Microbes in Human
Welfares Revision Notes
Important Terms
1 BOD- Biochemical Oxygen Demand
2 GAP- Ganga Action Plan
3 YAP- Yamuna Action Plan
4 KVIC- Khadi and Village Industries Commission
5 LAB- Lactic Acid Bacteria
6 Baculovirus- Pathogens that attack insects and other
arthropods
7 Effluent- The product of primary treatment of sewage.
8 Fermentors A very large vessel where microbes are
grown
on an industrial scale.
9 Flocs- mass of mesh like structure formed by
Bacteria and fungi.
10 Prions- The proteinaceous infectious agent.
11 Methanogens - Bacteria producing methane.
12 STPs- Sewage Treatment Plants
13 IARI- Indian Agricultural Research Institute
14 IPM- Integrated Pest Management
Microbes in Household
● LAB (Lacto bacillus) grows in milk and converts it into curd. It produces lactic acid.
● BAKER'S YEAST (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) -It causes fermentation &produces
carbon dioxide.
● TODDY-Traditional drink prepared by fermenting palm sap.
● Cheese- Swiss cheese (large amounts of CO2 are produced by Propionibacterium
sharmanii)
● Roquefort cheese— by fungi.
Fermented Beverages
● Yeast ferments malted cereal and fruit juice to produce ethanol.
● With distillation—whisky, brandy, rum
● Without distillation—wine, beer
Chemicals
Acids:
● Aspergillus niger- citric acid
● Acetobacter aceti- acetic acid
● Clostridium butylicum- butyric acid
● Lactobacillus– lactic acid
Lipases
● Used in detergent formulation to remove oil stain of laundry.
Streptokinase
● Produced by Streptococcus. used as a clot buster for removing clots from blood vessels
Cyclosporin-A
● Used as an immunosuppr essive agent in organ transplant.
● produced by Trichoderma polysporum.
Statins
● Produced by Monascus purpureas
● It lowers blood cholesterol
Antibiotics
● Penicillin -It is produced by Penicillium notatum
Microbes to control pests and diseases
● Bacillus thuringiensis - produces protein which kills the caterpillars.
● Trichoderma - fungi kills root borne pathogens.
● Baculovirus–(genus. Nucleopolyhedrovirus-) attacks specific insects and other
arthropods.
● Biological control-lady bird beetle to get rid of aphids and dragon flies to eradicate
mosquitoes.
Microbes in the Production of Bio-Gas
● Methanogens (e.g.) Methanobacterium.
● Act on cellular material to produce methane, seen in anaerobic sludge digesters, rumen
of cattle, flooded rice fields and in cattle dung.
Microbes as biofertilizers
● Bacteria: Symbiotic Bacteria (Rhizobium) and free living Bacteria (azospirillum and
azatobacter) fix atmospheric nitrogen and enrich soil nutrients.
● Cyanobacteria: Anabaena, Nostoc, and Oscillatoria enrich the organic matter of soil
through photosynthesis.
● Fungi (e.g.) Glomus fungi associate with the roots of higher plants absorb phosphorous
and give it to plants. It gives resistance to root-borne pathogens.
Microbes used in sewage treatment
● Primary Treatment: 1. Filtration 2. Sedimentation
● Secondary Treatment: 1. Aerobic Digestion 2. Anaerobic digestion
