• Question: do microbes die in hot water?

    Asked by racheld to MarkF, Mark, Michael, Panos, Sarah on 23 Jun 2010 in Categories: .
    • Photo: Michael Loughlin

      Michael Loughlin answered on 23 Jun 2010:

      good question…some do..and certainly the ones that infect us like 37oC as their optimum temperature so would die quickly at 100oC

      howvere some would thrive at 300oC but would die if they came into contact with boiling water let alone 37oC

      so most bacteria that would grow in us do so because they are best suited for growth at medium temperature (20-40oC) those ones that sound tough and exciting they would die in our bodies

      Its why we cook things heat is a great way of killing bacteria steam as a carrier of heat even better

    • Photo: Mark Fogg

      Mark Fogg answered on 23 Jun 2010:

      Hi again racheld. Most of them do, especially the ones that live in and on us. They’re adapted to to live at temperatures around 37 degrees C, so washing with hot water from the tap, it’s usually about 55 degrees C, will see off the little blighters. 🙂
      The extremophiles are the hardy ones, they’re found living in deep ocean hot water vents and in hot volcanic springs at temperatures greater than 100 degrees C, hotter than a boiling kettle.

    • Photo: Panos Soultanas

      Panos Soultanas answered on 23 Jun 2010:

      Hello Rachel,

      Some bacteria do die in hot water but there are many bacteria that thrive in hot conditions. They are known as thermophiles and they can grow even at temperatures more than boiling..! Some bacteria also produce spores that can germinate and produce more bacteria. Some spores are very resistant to heat.

    • Photo: Sarah Burl

      Sarah Burl answered on 23 Jun 2010:

      There are some microbes that can live in hot waters and are found in coral reefs where this a jet of hot air of up to 70oC. These are called thermophilic bacteria. We actually use the enzymes that these bacteria produce for many laboratory techniques including PCR which is amolecular technique that amplifies DNA. Many bacteria though would die in the same temperatures though.

Comments