Viruses vs Bacteria

Difference Between Viruses and Bacteria

Bacteria are one-celled organisms that can be found naturally throughout our bodies and in our environment.

Viruses are smaller than bacteria and they attach themselves to another living cell and use that cells’ genetic material to reproduce themselves.

Viral Infection

Viruses are smaller and require living hosts such as people, plants, and animals to multiply. They can’t survive without any host. When a virus enters your body, it invades some of your cells and takes over the cell machinery, redirecting it to produce the virus. Common viral infections can be detected by a runny nose, low-grade fever, sore throat, cough, and sleep difficulties.

No antibiotics or anti-viral medicine help to recover from cold. As compared to an adult, children are most often affected by upper respiratory tract infection and may last longer (up to 14 days). Now let’s talk about influenza; it is a viral infection that causes many symptoms such as high fever and body ache, etc. If the flu is detected within 14 hours of illness, it can be minimized with antiviral medicines. If the flue vaccine is given at the start of the infection, it helps to heal the symptoms.

Bacterial Infection

Bacteria are microscopic single-cell organism s that lived almost everywhere. Bacteria live in every climate; some of them are airborne and other lives in water or soil. When we think about bacteria, we often have negative thoughts about it. But bacteria also performs many vital functions for living organisms.

For instance, plants need bacteria in the soil for their proper growth. Many bacteria are harmful to people, but some are beneficial. In humans, good bacteria add to the process of digestion. A bacterial infection is a deadly multiplication strain of bacteria on or inside the body. Bacteria can contaminate any area of the body. Pneumonia and food poisoning are generally caused by bacteria. There are two types of bacteria:

• Gram-positive (have thick cell wall)
• Gram-negative (don’t have thick cell wall)

Spread of Bacteria vs Virus

Bacteria and viruses are pathogens that cause disease. Bacteria are more abundant than viruses and are able to duplicate on their own. Viruses are much compact than bacteria and cannot reproduce on their own. Instead, viruses reproduce by infecting a host (human, plants, or animals) and using the host’s DNA repair and replication systems to make copies of itself. The symptoms of bacterial and viral infections depend on the site of the body that is affected.

How Does a Bacterial Infection Spread?

Many bacterial infections are abutting, meaning that they can be spread from person to person. The ways in which it can be transmitted are as follows

• Close contact with a person who has a bacterial infection, including touching and kissing.
• Transmission from mother to fetus during pregnancy or birth
• Coming into contact with contaminated surfaces, such as doorknobs or faucet handles, and then touching your face, nose, or mouth.
  Bacterial infection can also be spread through the bite of an infected insect.

Common Bacterial Infections

Some of the common bacterial infection are as follows

• Urinary tract infection
• Food poisoning
• Cellulitis
• Tetanus
• Lyme disease
• Gonorrhea
• Tuberculosis

How Does a Viral Infection Spread?

Like bacterial infections, viral infections are also contiguous; they also spread from person to person. Some of the ways in which they spread are as follows

• Contact with the body fluids of a person with a viral infection
• Coming into contact with contaminated surfaces
• Coming into close contact with a person who has a viral infection
• Transmission from mother to child during pregnancy or birth

Common Viral Infections

Some of the common viral infections are as follows

• Influenza
• Warts
• Zika virus
• Measles
• Chickenpox
• HIV
• Coronavirus

How are Infections Recognized in Humans?

Sometimes your doctor may be able to recognize your situation based on your medical history and your manifestations.

For example, situations like measles or chickenpox have very typical symptoms that can be recognized with a simple physical test.

Additionally, if there’s a contemporary epidemic of a particular disease, your doctor will manipulate that into their diagnosis. An example is influenza, which causes outbreaks in the cold months of every year (usually in December and January).

If your doctor ought to know what type of organism may be causing your condition, they may take a sample to culture. Examples that can be used for culture vary by the suspected state but can include:

• Blood
• Mucous
• Sputum
• Stool
• Urine
• CSF (Cerebral Spinal Fluid)

Treatment for Bacterial Infections

Antibiotics are medicines used to cure bacterial infections. There are many types of antibiotics used nowadays, but they all work to keep bacteria from successfully growing and dividing. They’re not effectual against viral infections. Despite the fact that you should only use antibiotics for a bacterial infection, antibiotics are often used for viral infections. It is menacing because the over-prescription of antibiotics can lead the way to antibiotic resistance.

Antibiotic resistance occurs when bacteria acclimatize to be able to resist certain antibiotics. It can make many bacterial infections more inconvenient to cure.

If you’re stipulated antibiotics for a bacterial infection, take your entire course of antibiotics — even if you start to feel better after a couple of days. Skipping portion of them that can prevent all of the pathogenic bacteria from being killed.

Treatment of Viral Infections

There is no proper treatment to cure a viral infection. Treatment is typically focused on the relief of symptoms while your body works to clear the infection. It can include things like

• Drinking fluids to prevent dehydration
• Getting plenty of rest
• Using OTC pain medications such as acetaminophen (Tylenol) or ibuprofen (Motrin, Advil) to relieve aches, pains, and fever
• Sucking on a throat lozenge to help ease a sore throat
• Taking OTC decongestants to help with a runny or stuffy nose

Prevention

Infections can be hampered in the following ways.

Good Hygiene

It is essential to wash your hands before eating and after using the washroom.
Don’t touch your face if your hands are not clean.
Don’t share personal items such as eating utensils, drinking glasses, or toothbrushes.

Get Vaccinated

A number of vaccines are available to prevent viral and bacterial infections. Example of vaccines that prevent viral and bacterial disease is as follows

• Tetanus
• Influenza
• Whooping cough
• measles
• Dengue fever
• And nowadays, the most emerging virus, “CORONA VIRUS,” there is no proper cure or vaccine available for that. All you can do is “PREVENTION.”

Originally posted 2020-03-19 01:58:21. Republished by Blog Post Promoter