Spore

From Ganfyd

Spores are either:

1. The core reproductive body of many bacteria, fungi, algae, and nonflowering plants.
2. Dormant nonreproductive bodies formed by certain bacteria in response to adverse environmental conditions.

They tend to be small and are usually single-celled. They will have a coat that is highly resistant to desiccation and heat and contain usually densely packed and stabilised genetic material capable of growing into a new organism in favourable conditions.

They can be the mechanism of transmittion of serious diseases such as:

• Tetanus - Clostridium tetani
• Infant botulism - Clostridium botulinum
• Pseudomembranous colitis - Clostridium difficile
• Gas gangrene - Clostridium perfringens
• Aspergillosis

and they can cause hypersensitivity reactions as with Farmer's lung