Viruses and Bacteria

Definition

Viruses are tiny infectious agents that can only replicate inside the cells of living hosts. Bacteria are single-celled microorganisms which can live independently in various environments including extreme temperatures and pressures, radioactive waste, deep earth crust etc.

Analogy

If we think about viruses as hijackers who need vehicles (host cells) to get around and cause chaos, bacteria are more like self-driving cars. They can move around on their own and don't need a host cell to survive or reproduce.

Related terms

Pathogen: A bacterium, virus, or other microorganism that can cause disease.

Host Cell: The living cell in which a virus replicates.

Microbiome: The collection of all the microorganisms living in association with the human body.