Who would have thought that most infections ensure our health instead of compromise it.
Humans have 10 times more bacterial cells in their bodies than human cells. Without bacteria, there would not be humans.
Human life depends on certain infections.
Mitochondria are bacteria-like components of cells that take fats and sugars and make adenosine triphosphate, or ATP. Every action that distinguishes a living human being from a dead human being is dependent on ATP.
"We need our bacteria," Callahan said.
Infections, Bacteria 'Critical for Healthy Living'
Other research shows that sheltering a child from bacterial infections increases his or her chances of developing asthma and allergies. In fact, recent studies show that the more educated parents are, the more likely their children are to develop asthma and allergies possibly because these parents are more likely to worry about bacterial infections.
Of course, parents want to protect children from infectious diseases. Callahan draws an analogy between how parents teach their children to recognize unsavory characters and how society must differentiate good from bad bacteria and infectious microorganisms.