Bacteria Vs Virus

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Usually there are two types of germs which cause most infections, namely virus and bacteria. Bacteria vs virus is a very common confusion most of us have. Bacteria are unicellular microorganisms, which are typically few micrometers long and have many shapes, such as curved rods, spheres, rods, or spirals. The singular form of bacteria is bacterium. Viruses on the other hand are sub-microscopic particles, which are 10,000 times smaller than a bacteria. We will read about bacteria and virus differences in detail now.

Difference Between Bacteria and Virus

To understand the bacteria vs virus debate, a clear understanding about both bacteria and virus is essential, which is presented in the next two paragraphs.

Bacteria
Bacteria are single-celled living prokaryotic organisms, which can be found virtually anywhere and everywhere in air, in the soil, water, in and on plants and animals. All the bacteria are surrounded by a cell wall and can reproduce independently. There are two types of bacteria found. The good bacteria and the bad bacteria. The beneficial bacteria carry out many useful functions like making vitamins, breaking down garbage and also maintain our atmosphere. As a matter of fact, the human mouth is home to more than 500 species of bacteria, which we may have never thought of. Some of the bacteria which reside in the human body can prevent infections and produce useful elements like Vitamin K. Read on beneficial bacteria names. Bacteria present in the stomachs of cows and sheep help them to digest grass. Bacteria is also necessary for the production of yogurt, cheese and pickles. The infections caused due to bacteria are strep throat, urinary tract infections, most ear infections, some of the sinus infections, etc. Click to read on diseases caused by bacteria.

Virus
Virus is the smallest and tiniest of microbes, which are extremely small and are about 20 to 250 nanometers in size (one nanometer is one billionth of a meter). It consists of a small collection of genetic material, which is encased in a protective coat known as capsid. When the virus is present outside a living cell it is dormant, but when it is inside, it takes over the resources of the host cell and begins to reproduce more virus particles. They actually trigger the cells to engulf them and connect themselves to these cells and release their DNA into the cell. Then it takes over the machinery to reproduce and overrides the host cell’s normal function and shuts down the production of protein and directs the resources for new virus production. There are some viruses which insert their genetic material into the DNA of the host cell, where they begin to direct copying of their genes or simply lie asleep either for lifetime or for years. In either case, it is the host cell which does all the actual work, where the virus simply gives direction. You may want to read on characteristics of viruses.The diseases caused by viruses are AIDS, cancer, influenza, smallpox, etc.

Bacteria and Virus Comparison
Now that we have understood about both bacteria and virus, let’s see bacteria and virus comparison. Viruses are the smallest and simplest of life form known. The biggest difference between bacteria and virus is that most bacteria can multiply on non-living surfaces while viruses must have a living host to multiply. Read on anaerobic bacteria. Bacteria are inter-cellular organisms, while viruses are intracellular organisms. Although, there are a number of useful bacteria, all the viruses are harmful. Antibiotics can kill bacteria, however, they do not have any effect on viruses. However, there are certain ailments, such as, pneumonia, meningitis, diarrhea, etc,which can be caused due to either of the microbes as it is very difficult to ascertain what has actually caused the ailment.

For more information, read on

* Viral Infection vs Bacterial Infection
* Beneficial Bacteria to Humans
* Helpful and Harmful Types of Bacteria
* Different Types of Bacteria

I hope with this article on bacteria vs virus, the difference between bacteria and virus is more clearer to you. However, it is recommended you do not self treat yourself for any of the conditions, as inappropriate use of antibiotics or any other medicines can create strains of bacterial disease which may become resistant to antibiotic treatment.