Bacteria Vs. Virus

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 a few micrometers long and come in many shapes, such as curved, spherical, rods and 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 bacterium. We will read about differences between bacteria and virus in detail now.

Difference Between Bacteria and Virus

A clear understanding of both types of infectious agents is essential to be able to wrap our heads around their mutual differences. Information regarding both pathogens is presented in the next two paragraphs.

Bacteria
Bacteria are single-celled prokaryotic organisms which can be found virtually everywhere in air, 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 - useful and harmful. The beneficial bacteria carry out many useful functions like making vitamins, breaking down waste, turn milk into cheese, etc. As a matter of fact, the human mouth is home to more than 500 species of bacteria! Some of the bacteria which reside in the human body can prevent infections and produce useful elements like Vitamin K. 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 a lot of other food products that undergo fermentation prior to consumption. The infections caused due to bacteria are strep throat, urinary tract infections, most ear infections, some of the sinus infections, stomach ulcers, septicemia, etc.

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 replicate into 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 cellular machinery to reproduce, overrides the host cell's normal function, 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 directly copy 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 and the virus simply gives direction.

Bacteria and Virus Comparison
Now that we have understood about both bacteria as well as virus, let's see a comparison between the two. Viruses are the smallest and simplest of life forms known, if they can, at all, be called lifeforms (given that they cannot undergo metabolism or reproduce independently). The biggest difference between virus and bacteria is that most bacteria can multiply on non-living surfaces while viruses must have a living host to multiply. Bacteria are inter-cellular organisms while viruses are intracellular organisms. Although, there are a number of useful bacteria, all 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.

I hope that with this article on bacteria vs. virus, the difference between two of the chief mammalian pathogens is clearer to you. However, it is recommended you do not treat yourself by going for self-medication as inappropriate use of antibiotics or any other medicines can create strains of bacterial disease which may become resistant to antibiotic treatment.