Hip Hop Microbes

From MicrobeWiki, the student-edited microbiology resource

Hip Hop Microbes

Prochlorococcus tiny cells in the ocean
Fix CO2 and expel for us oxygen.

Vibrio cholerae make just a quick visit
From copepods, they bust through your gut in a minute.

Halobacterium archaea love brine
Levels of sodium that kill fish and swine.

Bacillus anthracis resistant to the elements,
hard to disinfect,
four different kinds of deadly impediments.
Ingest, inhale, absorb and inject,
necrosis is absolutely no small defect

Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron dominates your gut,
manipulates host's genome and breaks down sugars.
But it's resistant to antimicrobial agents, and that ain't good.

Pyrodictium lives in the thermal vents at the bottom of the sea,
its large disk-like shape may help with its thermal stability.

Magnetospirillum moves along Earth's magnetic field,
Magnetic target drugs its magnetosomes may one day yield.

Borrelia burgdorferi is a microaerobic spirochete,
bringing fever and aching that are hard to beat.
It enters the body by tick bite,
inducing a bull's eye rash alternating dark and light.

Staphylococcus epidermidis live on our skin peacefully
But catheter infections arise sneakily—
Resistant to most antibiotics, the infection rages ceaselessly

Caulobacter crescentus is a bacterium,
known for cell cycling, that you might find in your cafeteria.
Don't worry, aquatic and small it may be,
As it divides asymmetrically is relatively harmless to thee

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a multi drug resistant pathogen
and lives everywhere, even in areas of low oxygen.
It usually affects those with cystic fibrosis,
but watch out for hot tub folliculitis.

Deinococcus radiodurans are known for their radiation resistant properties
they are found naturally existing in soil of various settings, including the rocky granite of Antarctica's dry valleys.