Quiz

BuzzFeed Staff, UK 

BuzzFeed

<b>Are you the friendly gut kind?</b> Or a more deadly one?

Are you the friendly gut kind? Or a more deadly one?

What Type Of Bacteria Are You?

Your name makes you sound like a friendly character from a children's book, but you're actually one of the [most common causes of food poisoning in the United States](http://www.foodsafety.gov/poisoning/causes/bacteriaviruses/salmonella/). You're usually found hanging out in contaminated food, like eggs or raw veg. But you can't stand the heat of the kitchen, and sometimes it feels like people don't want to be around you. Try not to take it to heart.

_Salmonella enterica_

You go by many names, some of them [made up](http://whatisbifidusregularis.org/), so it takes a while to get to know the real you. Once someone trusts you, you're a really useful friend to have, [hanging out in human guts](http://www.mdpi.com/2076-2607/2/2/92/htm) and helping them digest lovely food. Well done you.

_Bifidobacterium animalis_

You like to [live life on the edge](http://microbewiki.kenyon.edu/index.php/Chlorobium_tepidum), hanging out in sulphide-rich waters and mud and preferring temperatures that would be too hot for many. But you're also a team player, taking part in the global sulphur and nitrogen cycles. Keep up the good work!

_Chlorobium tepidum_

You're an all-round good guy and team player, and [without you the dairy industry would be in trouble](http://microbewiki.kenyon.edu/index.php/Streptococcus_thermophilus). You're a hardy bacterium and are certainly not afraid of a little heat, withstanding temperatures of 100ºC! On behalf of the grilled cheese-loving human population, thank you, you have our undying support.

_Streptococcus thermophilus_

You're an [everyday bacterium](http://www.cdc.gov/ecoli/general/index.html) that mostly likes to hang around in people's intestines without causing much trouble. Just because _some_ strains of _E. coli_ are dangerous, should it mean you're all tarred with the same brush? Just keep doing your thing and don't let people get you down. Unless your thing is being pathogenic and causing illness, in which case please stop that right now.

_Escherichia coli_

Without you, bread lovers would go hungry – you play a vital role in [making San Francisco sourdough](http://discovermagazine.com/2003/sep/featscienceof). But you're not just found within the vicinity of the Golden Gate Bridge, you're a well-travelled bacteria that appears to have hitched a ride to bakeries all over the world. Keep on exploring!

_Lactobacillus sanfranciscensis_

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What Type Of Bacteria Are You?

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