How are Viruses Different from Bacteria?

Viruses are parasites that are about a hundred times smaller than bacteria. Therefore, they can only be detected using the electron microscope. Viruses are not living beings, but mobile particles that cells need to be able to reproduce. Viruses are minimalists and consist only of a protein shell and the genome. They do not have their own metabolism and do not need any food, so they are not able to survive on their own. Viruses need host cells to copy their genetic material and produce new protein shells. Viruses can not only infect multicellular organisms, they can also nest in bacteria. These are then called bacteriophages.

Viruses in our body

Disease-causing viruses destroy the cells in our body. The only way to protect yourself against a virus infection is to have a good immune system or get vaccination in good time. Thanks to their simple structure, the viruses are extremely adaptable and can quickly change their external appearance. For this reason, a new flu vaccine serum must be developed every year. Vaccination is often no longer carried out with killed or weakened viruses, but with proteins or protein shells that are produced by genetic engineering. The risk of viral-illness through vaccination has been reduced enormously.

Bacteria are not so much an enemy

Bacteria belong to prokaryotes, which are unicellular organisms that do not have a real cell nucleus. The genetic material is often present as a ring-shaped DNA molecule in the cell plasma of the bacteria. Bacteria can reach a size of up to 0.002 millimeters and are therefore visible with a normal light microscope.

About 1,000 different types of bacteria live in humans. In total, there are 10 trillion in every human being, i.e. ten times as many bacteria as humans have body cells. Most of them are in the gastrointestinal tract. Many of these types have important functions in the body, others are simply present or live in symbiosis with body cells.

Seen holistically, there are only a few types of bacteria that can really make people sick. The bacteria themselves don’t make us sick, but their metabolic products. They are toxic to the human body. Antibiotics help against a bacterial disease. These natural or semi-synthetic metabolites paralyze the bacterial metabolism. This prevents the disease-causing microorganisms from multiplying and ultimately kills them. Since viruses have no independent metabolism, they cannot be combated with antibiotics. The body’s immune system has to form defense mechanisms.

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Ultimately, Our body in a healthy state can fight off viruses and control the amount of bacterial by-products. Healthier people don’t often get sick because of viruses and bacteria because the metabolism in their body is maintained.