Differences Between Bacteria and Viruses
Although bacteria and viruses both are very small to be seen without a microscope, there are many differences between Bacteria and Viruses.
Some of the Differences Between Bacteria and Viruses are as follows:
S.N. | Characteristics | Bacteria | Viruses |
1 | Size | Larger (1000 nm) | Smaller (20-400 nm) |
2 | Cell Wall | Peptidoglycan or Lipopolysaccharide | No cell wall. Protein coat present instead. |
3 | Ribosomes | Present | Absent |
4 | Number of cells | One cell (Unicellular) | No cells |
5 | Living/Non-Living | Living organisms | Between living and non-living things. |
6 | DNA and RNA | DNA and RNA floating freely in cytoplasm. | DNA or RNA enclosed inside a coat of protein. |
7 | Infection | Localized | Systemic |
8 | Reproduce | Able to reproduce by itself | Need a living cell to reproduce |
9 | Reproduction | Fission- a form of asexual reproduction | Invades a host cell and takes over the cell causing it to make copies of the viral DNA/RNA. Destroys the host cell releasing new viruses. |
10 | Duration of illness | A bacterial illness commonly will last longer than 10 days. | Most viral illnesses last 2 to 10 days. |
11 | Fever | A bacterial illness notoriously causes a fever. | A viral infection may or may not cause a fever. |
12 | Cellular Machinery | Possesses a cellular machinery | Lack cellular machinery |
13 | Under Microscope | Visible under Light Microscope. | Visible only under Electron Microscope. |
14 | Benefits | Some bacteria are beneficial (Normal Flora) | Viruses are not beneficial. However, a particular virus may be able to destroy brain tumors. Viruses can be useful in genetic engineering. |
15 | Treatment | Antibiotics | Virus does not respond to antibiotics. |
16 | Examples | Staphylococcus aureus, Vibrio cholerae, etc | HIV, Hepatitis A virus, Rhino Virus, etc |
17 | Diseases/Infections | Food poisoning, gastritis and ulcers, meningitis, pneumonia, etc | AIDS, common cold, influenza, chickenpox, etc |
What's the difference between a bacterial infection and a viral infection?
As you might think, bacterial infections are caused by bacteria, and viral infections are caused by viruses. Perhaps the most important distinction between bacteria and viruses is that antibiotic drugs usually kill bacteria, but they aren't effective against viruses.
Bacteria
Bacteria are single-celled microorganisms that thrive in many different types of environments. Some varieties live in extremes of cold or heat. Others make their home in people's intestines, where they help digest food. Most bacteria cause no harm to people, but there are exceptions
Infections caused by bacteria include:
- Strep throat
- Tuberculosis
- Urinary tract infections
Inappropriate use of antibiotics has helped create bacterial diseases that are resistant to treatment with different types of antibiotic medications.
Viruses
Viruses are even smaller than bacteria and require living hosts — such as people, plants or animals — to multiply. Otherwise, they can't survive. When a virus enters your body, it invades some of your cells and takes over the cell machinery, redirecting it to produce the virus.
Diseases caused by viruses include:
- Chickenpox
- AIDS
- Common colds
In some cases, it may be difficult to determine whether a bacterium or a virus is causing your symptoms. Many ailments — such as pneumonia, meningitis and diarrhea — can be caused by either bacteria or viruses
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