Allies and Enemies: How the World Depends on Bacteria

2. Bacteria in history

Other than infectious disease, humanity’s early dealings with bacteria involved mainly the production of foods. Wheaton College biologist Betsey Dexter Dyer once noted that a meal can be assembled completely from bacteria-produced foods, such as the following items.

• Cheeses—Swiss from Propionibacterium and limburger from Brevibacterium

• Olives—Leuconostoc, Lactobacillus, and Pediococcus

• Dry sausages—Pediococcus

• Sourdough bread—Various lactic acid-producing bacteria

• Butter—Lactobacillus

• Cottage cheese—Streptococcus

A steak or a glass of milk results from the digestion of grasses by anaerobic bacteria in the rumen of cattle. The rumen fermentations are oxygen-free conversions of sugar into microbial energy with ...