Viruses and Bacteria

Viruses and Bacteria

  • Submitted By: BethanyStark
  • Date Submitted: 03/08/2009 8:34 PM
  • Category: Science
  • Words: 391
  • Page: 2
  • Views: 1241

Viruses and Bacteria

There are many things people don’t know about viruses and bacteria that they

should. Some things about viruses are that they are nonliving intracellular parasites, they need host cells to replicate their genetic material, they have no life functions, antibiotics are ineffective to them, they must use antiviral, and vaccines are made of weakened or live-attenuated strains of viruses. Some things about bacteria are they are living cells that manufacture own DNA, they cause disease or can live symbiotically with humans, animals and plant life. Some are photosynthetic others need to ingest nutrients, antibiotics are effective against these, they can live in a variety of different settings, they can be genetically altered to produce certain human proteins like insulin for diabetics, and some, can be parasitic in that they invade cells rather than act on them. But even though bacteria and viruses effect many lives in today’s society, they still have many similarities and differences. See while bacteria are simple organisms that consist of one cell and range in size from about 0.3 to 2.0 micron, viruses are microscopic organisms that live in a cell of another living organism and range in size from about 0.01 to 0.3 micron. Bacteria were first discovered by Anton Van Leeuwenhoek in 1670.Later, in 1898, Martinus Beijerinck noticed that something smaller than bacteria, which are viruses, can cause diseases. Bacteria are living organisms that can live individually, but viruses are considered to be both living and non-living organisms. There are major similarities and differences between bacteria and viruses in terms of structure, reproduction and effects. The first aspect for comparison and contrast of bacteria and viruses is the structure. Both bacteria and viruses are small structures that contain DNA and enzymes. Bacteria are enveloped by the cell wall, a tough protective layer, which gives it its shape and enables it to live in a wide range...

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