Read the passage and answer the following.
Microbes are organisms that cannot be seen with the naked eye. They include bacteria, archaea, protists, viruses, prions, and fungi. They account for most of the diversity of life on earth. Far more microbes inhabit a single person's body than there are people on the entire planet. Microbes also dominate in terms of their ability to live and thrive in extreme environments, including clouds, deep-sea volcanoes, springs, ice caps, and animal intestines. Most animals, including humans, exhibit numerous associations with microbes. Our "human microbiome" includes our skin, hair, mouth, and gut.
Select the chemical substances which are produced by some microbes and they can kill or prevent growth of other microbes :
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → Antibiotics
Option (2) Antibiotics — Correct. Antibiotics are chemical substances produced by some microbes that can kill or stop the growth of other (disease-causing) microbes. Penicillin was the first to be discovered.
NCERT Extract:
Antibiotics – “… Antibiotics produced by microbes are regarded as one of the most significant discoveries of the twentieth century and have greatly contributed towards the welfare of the human society. Anti is a Greek word that means ‘against’, and bio means ‘life’, together they mean ‘against life’ (in the context of disease causing organisms); whereas with reference to human beings, they are ‘pro life’ and not against. Antibiotics are chemical substances, which are produced by some microbes and can kill or retard the growth of other (disease-causing) microbes.”