Eeww! Are you sure you want to touch it? Germs have surrounded man since before their discovery. Who discovered germs and what are germs? How do germs make us sick and are we winning the war against germs? Today we use too many antibacterial soaps and detergents. This is causing the germs to mutate to the point that they are almost impossible to kill. Let's set off to enter the fantastic world of germs and find the answers to these questions. According to Dr. Kelly Reynolds, Louis Pasteur, a Frenchman, began exploring the mysterious world of germs in 1850. Dr. Reynolds notes that he was approached by a beer company because some of their beer vats were going sour. Dr. Reynolds states that Pasteur used a microscope to analyze beer samples and found thousands of microorganisms. Dr. Reynolds noted that his theory was that these microbes (germs) were not the result of the acidity of the beer but were the cause of it. Dr. Reynolds tells us this from his experiments with liquids; Pasteur became convinced that the air contained tiny living organisms invisible to the naked eye. He also discovered that these germs could be killed by heat. Learningaboutgerms.com believes its proof of this theory leads to our current "pasteurized milk." Pasteur also believed that these microbes could spread diseases among humans as well. This became known as the “germ theory of disease.” Pasteur continued his work looking for ways in which humans could be protected from disease (Dr. Reynolds, Kelly). There are three different types of germs: viruses, bacteria and fungi. There are thousands of species, strains and families of each category of germs. The Center for Disease Control believes that viruses are the smallest and simplest form of germs. Unlike bacteria, viruses... are in the middle of paper... with germs instead of a life. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Web. April 2, 2014. Communicable Disease Control and Prevention, San Francisco Department of Public Health Sfcdp.org/germs. WebDr. Reynolds, Kelley. Learningaboutgerms.com.arizona.eduIrish, Paul. “The world is coming to London and with them the germs. Toronto Star (Canada): Newspaper Source Plus.web.3April 2014Minnesota Department of Health." Hand Hygiene. Web. 2 April 2014.Nordenberg,Tamar."Miracle Drugs Vs, Super Bugs".FDA consumer 32.6(1998): 22. Health source-consumer Edition.Web.April 3 2014Tierno, Phillip .The Secret Life of Germs New York,Atria Book, 2001. PrintZimmerman, Barry E. and Zimmerman, David J. Killer Germs, Microbes and Diseases that threaten humanity Illinois: Contemporary Books, Inc., 1996.print