What are bacteria?
Bacteria are unicellular microorganisms. They can live in many different types of environments. Bacteria also live on and in the human body. Most bacteria do not cause any harm to humans and some actually help. For example, bacteria in the intestines help digest food.
There are two types of bacteria: Gram-negative and Gram-positive. The key difference is the presence of an additional outer membrane in Gram-negative bacteria. It is essentially an additional line of defense that makes it harder for antibiotics to penetrate, thus making Gram-negative bacteria more difficult to kill and more prone to developing resistance.
In our bodies, bacteria inhabit the human digestive system, live on our skin, and contribute to energy metabolism, digestion, brain function, and general well-being. But if the balance of these bacteria is affected by a dose of antibiotics or poor health, then intestinal discomfort or skin infections are common.
So bacteria can also cause disease. For example, bacteria that travel from the anus to the urinary tract can cause a urinary tract infection.
People can come into contact with bacteria from other people, food or the environment. These bacteria can cause disease. Some examples are:
Streptococcus. Tuberculosis. Salmonellosis. Tetanus.
Infectious diseases caused by bacteria have killed over half of all humans who have ever lived on Earth. Historically, bacterial infections have triggered major pandemics, such as the bubonic plague, which is estimated to have killed 50-60% of Europe’s population during the Black Death in the 14th century.
What are antibiotic resistant bacteria?
Antibiotics are drugs that kill bacteria or block the activities they need to live or grow.
There are hundreds of antibiotics. But bacteria have naturally occurring genetic means to help them avoid being destroyed. Bacteria that remain alive and active after being treated with antibiotics are called antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
If disease-causing bacteria become resistant to antibiotics, treating diseases may become more difficult in the future. Antibiotic resistance can mean people are sicker for longer. Some people can even die from infections that have been treated with antibiotics. Antibiotics are unlike other types of medicine. How a person uses an antibiotic can affect how well that antibiotic works for people in the future.
How bacteria multiply
Bacteria reproduce mainly by binary fission – replicating their DNA so that they have two copies on opposite sides of the cell, then growing a new cell wall in the middle to produce two daughter cells. This doubling time takes between 20 minutes and an hour.
This short generation time allows mutations to appear and accumulate quickly and quickly cause significant changes in bacteria, such as antibiotic resistance.
What are viruses
Viruses are an assembly of different types of molecules that consist of genetic material – either single- or double-stranded DNA or RNA – with a protein coat and sometimes a fat coat.
They can take different shapes and sizes – spirals, cylinders and ball shapes.
Viruses that are enveloped in a fatty layer can be killed more easily by simply washing your hands because soap disrupts this fatty layer.
How viruses multiply
Viruses cannot reproduce on their own (unlike bacteria), so they are not considered “alive”, but they can survive on surfaces for varying levels of time.
Viruses must enter a living cell (such as a human cell) in order to reproduce, and once inside, they take over all the cellular machinery and force the cell to produce a new virus.
Viruses cause disease, including influenza, herpes simplex virus, Ebola, Zika, and the dreaded common cold.
Viruses can be quite selective about where they live and reproduce – many viruses don’t even infect humans. Some viruses infect only bacteria, others only plants, and many only animals.
However, a virus can evolve to reach humans. This often happens with influenza: for example, bird flu or swine flu, which appeared in birds and pigs and managed to infect humans. SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.
The life cycle of a virus can be divided into the following stages:
entry of the virus into the host cell; viral genome replication; the production of new viral proteins; assembling those viral proteins into new viruses and then releasing them from the host cell (either by killing the cell or by budding the host cell membrane) ready to infect new cells.
What is the difference between viruses and bacteria
Both bacteria and viruses are invisible to the naked eye and can cause a fever or cough, so how can we tell the difference between viruses and bacteria?
How are viruses and bacteria treated?
You should see your doctor if you think you have a bacterial or viral infection. Exceptions include the common cold, which is usually not life-threatening.
In some cases, it is difficult to determine whether an illness is viral or bacterial because many conditions—including pneumonia, meningitis, and diarrhea—can be caused by either. But your doctor can determine the cause by listening to your medical history and doing a physical exam.
If necessary, they may also recommend a blood or urine test to help confirm a diagnosis, or a tissue “culture test” to identify bacteria or viruses. Occasionally, a biopsy of the affected tissue may be necessary.
With bacteria rapidly developing resistance to antibiotics, it is increasingly important to know the distinction, as viruses cannot be treated with antibiotics, nor can bacteria with antivirals.
Bottom line, bacteria cause bacterial infections. Viruses cause viral infections. Antibiotic drugs kill or prevent the growth of many bacteria, but they do not treat viruses. Antiviral drugs help the body eliminate some viruses.
Antibiotics are not effective against viruses, and many leading organizations now advise against using antibiotics unless there is clear evidence of a bacterial infection.
Since the beginning of the 20th century, vaccines have been developed. Vaccines have drastically reduced the number of new cases of viral diseases such as polio, measles and chicken pox. In addition, vaccines can prevent such infections as influenza, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, human papillomavirus (HPV), and others.
But treating viral infections has proven more difficult, primarily because viruses are relatively small and reproduce inside cells. For some viral diseases, such as herpes simplex virus infections, HIV/AIDS, and influenza, antiviral drugs have become available. But the use of antiviral drugs has been associated with the development of drug-resistant microbes.
Also discover how to boost your immunity
The main differences between viruses and bacteria
So bacteria are relatively complex, single-celled creatures, many with a rigid wall and a thin, rubbery membrane that surrounds the fluid inside the cell. They can reproduce by themselves. Fossilized records show that bacteria have been around for about 3.5 billion years, and bacteria can survive in a variety of environments, including extreme heat and cold, radioactive waste, and the human body.
Most bacteria are harmless, and some actually help by digesting food, destroying disease-causing microbes, fighting cancer cells, and providing essential nutrients. Less than 1% of bacteria cause disease in humans.
One difference between viruses and bacteria is that viruses are smaller: the largest of them are smaller than the smallest bacteria. All they have is a protein shell and a core of genetic material, either RNA or DNA. Unlike bacteria, viruses cannot survive without a host. They can only reproduce by attaching themselves to cells. In most cases, they reprogram the cells to produce new viruses until the cells burst and die. In other cases, they turn normal cells into malignant or cancerous cells.
Also, another difference between viruses and bacteria is that most viruses cause disease and are quite specific about the cells they attack. For example, certain viruses attack cells in the liver, respiratory system or blood. In some cases, viruses target bacteria.
Sources: webmd.com, imb.uq.edu.au, mayoclinic.org
2023-07-06 10:40:00
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