• Question: What is the difference between bacteria and viruses?

    Asked by Elicabanas to Eoin, Ester, Ildiko, Natasha, Paul, Tom on 14 Nov 2017.
    • Photo: Ildiko Somorjai

      Ildiko Somorjai answered on 14 Nov 2017:

      bacteria are alive while viruses are not. viruses basically use the host´s own cells to reproduce themselves.

    • Photo: Ester Gil Vazquez

      Ester Gil Vazquez answered on 14 Nov 2017:

      exactly as Ildiko said. There is also a big difference in terms of how we treat them. If you get a bacterial infection you can cure it with antibiotics. However, antibiotics don’t work with viruses. That’s why when we get the flu we can only take paracetamol and wait for it to go away.

    • Photo: Natasha Myhill

      Natasha Myhill answered on 14 Nov 2017:

      Bacteria are prokaryotic cells. Most of them have a positive relationship with the body and can help protect and look after our gut and skin, but some of them can cause diseases. Viruses are not cells (so are thought not to be alive, like Ildiko says). They have genetic material but they cant reproduce. They have to infect a cell and hijack its machinery in order to make more viruses.

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