What's the difference between a virus and bacteria?

[xanthomondo]

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How would you answer this question to a person with low education?

 

[45408]

Bacteria are little living things that can live in dirt, water, plant or animals. They live on our skin and inside our mouths, stomach and intestines. Most are good, some are bad. When they get into our skin or into an organ, they can cause infection.

Viruses are not alive, and they wait until they come across a living cell and take over it (like little Somalian pirates). They all cause infection.

 

[unsung]

How would you answer this question to a person with low education?

A good metaphor for viruses from Clinical Microbio Made Ridiculously Simple:

Virus = satellite/spaceship w/ no power lost in space, until it comes near a planet (gets in orbit), then it can land, the invaders can get out, invade, take over, whatever.

Key pts being that a virus doesn't have any energy of its own & reqs the host ("planet's gravitaitonal pull") to do anything.

I'm sure I messed up that description somehow lol... But pull out the book & take a look. I thought it painted a nice picture, even if the metaphor doesn't match up totally perfectly...

Also, it may be good to get across the point about drugs killing bacteria, etc. Bacteria != viruses, etc.

 

[hrandani]

I'm all for education but I think the only relevant detail is that you can't treat a virus with antibiotics.

 

[sideways]

Bacteria are little living things that can live in dirt, water, plant or animals. They live on our skin and inside our mouths, stomach and intestines. Most are good, some are bad. When they get into our skin or into an organ, they can cause infection.

Viruses are not alive, and they wait until they come across a living cell and take over it (like little Somalian pirates). They all cause infection.

Oh grrrrreat. So now you're calling black people viruses?

sarcasm disclaimer

 

[Laryngophed]

Oh grrrrreat. So now you're calling black people viruses?

sarcasm disclaimer

 

[mvenus929]

I'm all for education but I think the only relevant detail is that you can't treat a virus with antibiotics.

This.

Or you can go with the fact that a virus needs to be inside a body in order to 'live', while a bacteria can survive outside the body, because it's a living thing itself.

 

[Icefrog]

i don't bother explaining the difference unless the patient asks specifically. i try to call everything "germs."

for viruses, i say that we don't have any antibiotics that can kill this type of germ, unless it's like acyclovir for hsv or something.

99% of patients will never really understand the difference no matter how many times you try to explain it.

 

[DeadCactus]

Cells are the building blocks of life.

Bacteria are single celled organisms. Some are harmless and some cause disease if they get into the body and start reproducing excessively. They can be treated with antibiotics.

Viruses are not cells. They're tiny particles that enter our cells and screw up the operation of our normal human cells. Antibiotics are useless against them and there unfortunately isn't much in the way for treatment of most viruses.

 

[hurdlepup]

Where's the joke??? The only reason I clicked on this was to be amused...


Hmmm....


A virus and a bacterium walk into a bar. The virus.... {complete the joke}

 

[hurdlepup]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e7DkeQ0roAM

1:03 on...

 

[sideways]

Bacteria are like an 8-ball of high grade sh.t with a legit dealer on a hot corner. The product moves itself ya dig?

Viruses are like a sack of chronic hidden in the bushes. If you find it, it'll get you faded. But if you can't, it ain't gonna do a thing but sit there.