"Virus VS Bacteria" What's The Difference

Author : Sidhartha Sarangi

Hello,

Today I am going to write a blog on "Virus VS Bacteria what's the difference?"

It’s easy to confuse viruses and bacteria. They are both extremely tiny, for one thing, and, depending on what kind of bug you get, they can make you sick.

OK, “extremely tiny” and “make you sick”? We do have technical words for these things. Viruses and bacteria are microscopic, meaning they are too small to see with the unaided eye. And pathogens are “disease-producing agents,” especially viruses and certain kinds of bacteria.

But, there are many differences between viruses and bacteria too—and they’re not just important to know to ace your science exams. These differences can be vital to your health and safety.

What is a virus?

Here’s our full, formal definition ofvirus:

A virus is an ultramicroscopic (20 to 300 nm in diameter), metabolically inert, infectious agent, that replicates only within the cells of living hosts, mainly bacteria, plants, and animals: composed of an RNA or DNA core, a protein coat, and, in more complex types, a surrounding envelope.

Virusexplained in everyday words, is an extremely tiny particle that causes an infectious disease. It is generally made up of some RNA or DNA coated in protein. It can only multiply in the cell of hosts that are alive. That means, technically, viruses are not themselves living.

In informal contexts, the virus is also commonly used to refer to the disease caused by the virus. And of course, thevirushas another special meaning when it comes to computers.

Where does the word viruscome from?

The wordvirusentered English around 1590–1600. It comes directly from the Latinvīrus, meaning “slime, poison.”

The adjective virulent is also ultimately derived from the Latin vīrus.In medical and scientific settings,virulentspecifically means “highly infective” or “causing clinical symptoms.” More generally,virulentcan mean “actively poisonous,” “violently hostile,” or “intensely bitter.”

What does bacteria mean?

Our full, formal definition of bacteria:

Bacteria are ubiquitous one-celled organisms, spherical, spiral, or rod-shaped and appearing singly or in chains, comprising the Schizomycota, a phylum of the kingdom Monera (in some classification systems the plant class Schizomycetes), various species of which are involved in fermentation, putrefaction, infectious diseases, or nitrogen fixation.

Bacteria explained in everyday words:

One-celled organisms that sometimes cause infectious diseases but, very often, are essential to keeping us healthy or are harmless. They come in three shapes, resembling a sphere, spiral, or rod.

We generally refer to bacteria just like that: bacteria. But note that bacteria is technically the plural form of the singular bacterium.(You can blame that on Latin.) You might need to use bacterium when discussing the specific kind of bacteria that causes a disease, such as Yersinia pest is, which causes the plague.

Where does the word bacteria come from?

Bacteria is first recorded in English around 1905–10. The bacterium is older, evidenced by 1840–50. Both words ultimately come, via Latin, from the Greek bacteria, meaning “staff.”

Remember how we mentioned that bacteria come in three shapes? The Greek bacteria is related to the Latin word bacillus, a name for rod-shaped bacteria. Sphere-shaped bacteria are also referred to as crocus. You may have encountered coca us in streptococcus, which can cause strep throat.

What are some other differences between a virus and bacteria?

As we noted in the intro, a pathogen is an agent that can cause disease, especially a virus or bacterium. Some fungi and algae can be pathogenic, too.

Viruses cause infection, and those infections very often result in disease. Bacteria can sometimes cause infectious disease, too, but a great deal of bacteria are completely harmless or even beneficial. (Think of all those good bacteria you’re supposed to get from yogurt.)

Because viruses aren’t technically alive, they also aren’t technically microorganisms. A microorganism is “any organism too small to be viewed by the unaided eye, like bacteria, protozoa, and some fungi and algae.”

Another word for a microorganism is a microbe. However, the microbe is often used specifically to refer to pathogenic (disease-causing) bacteria. And because viruses are microscopic and infectious, they are also sometimes referred to as microbes. An everyday term for microbes is germs.