Why do bacteria and other micro-organisms need water...

[jackson6612]

Drying, a method of food preservation, works by removing the water from
food which the bacteria and micro-organisms within the food and from the
air need to grow. It also creates a hard outer-layer, helping to stop micro-organisms from entering the food. [Wikipedia]

Why do bacteria and other micro-organisms need water to grow? I don't think bacteria also drink water.

[mith]

lookup the functions of water for life and you'll find your answer.

[biohazard]

In brief, water is the solvent in virtually all functions within a cell, be it a bacterium, some other microbe or a human cell. Enzymatic activity and respiration are ceased to levels unable to support life (or stopped altogether) if there is little or no water present. Since many processes that degrade biomaterials are also water-dependant, some microbes deliberately remove water from themselves (e.g. by forming spores) in order to greatly increase their resistency to external stresses. Naturally they lose most of their functions on the way since their own enzymatic activity is cessated as well, and are able to do little but hibernate and wait for better times.

Thus, many microbes can survive with minute amounts of water, but in order to multiply they require water abundantly. Drying is not a failsafe way to kill microbes, but very effective against their growth.

[mks]

Bacteria will have its physiological activities in full form only inthe presence of water or atleast moisture. Hitherto they can also adopt to water stress condition by forming certain structures.

[Cristgonz]

most of the micro-organisms lives in "watery-medium". You explained just one method but i think water is necessary for the alive beings.

where the water is, there is alive beings.

[mcar]

Oxygen in water--for most aerobic

[MrMistery]

so? oxygen could diffuse just as well from air to cytoplasm.