Bacteria vs viruses | What are the differences? - Doctor Explains

This video is for all you that ever asked the question; what is the difference between a virus and a bacteria? As both can cause quite similar common infections, I can see where all the confusion is coming from.
I already made several videos on different antibiotics and antibiotic resistance. If you are interested you can find those in the playlist here:
• Everything on Antibiot...
What is a virus?
A virus is a submicroscopic agent, meaning they are so small they can’t be seen with a normal microscope. They are between 20-300nm and there are more than 6000 different species of viruses and millions of different types.
One of it’s remarkable features is that it not really considered “a form of life”. Like animals, plants or bacteria. A virus resembles a living organism in the way that is posses genes (which is it’s genetic code). A virus can evolve by natural selection and it can reproduce (it creates copies of itself through self-assembly).
However a virus misses some of the basic characteristic every other form of life has; it does not have it’s own metabolism (it always requires a host to reproduce) and it doesn’t have a cellular structure (like a cell wall). This already explains some of the biggest differences between viruses and a bacteria.
How is a Virus build?
It is surrounded by a protective coat of proteins, called a capsid or nucleocapsid. After entering a host cell the virus will also be covered with an Envelope. Which is made up from the cell wall of the host-cell. And in the protective coat, the nucleocapsid, the genetic information of the virus is stored. This can be DNA or RNA which is a simpler form to store genetic information.
What is a Bacteria?
Bacteria are microorganisms of a few micrometers (which makes them about 1000x bigger than viruses). They exist in many shapes; spheres, rods, spirals.
Interestingly bacteria were among the first life forms to appear at earth, as different types of bacteria adapted to survive in almost any circumstance; in soil, in the depths of the ocean and even close to radioactive waste. This maybe explains why there are so many bacteria everywhere.
We need bacteria!
One other mayor difference is that viruses mainly cause symptoms when infecting us or any other life-form. However nearly all animal life (like we humans) depend on certain bacteria.
We humans have bacteria in our intestines which help us to digest our food and we have bacteria on our skin which play a roll in our immune defence of our skin. So even we humans depend on some harmless bacteria.
How is a Bacteria build?
Bacteria are surrounded by a capsule and cell membrane; which is the outer layer. Inside the cell they have some organelles, which can be seen as an organs. The cell also contains the genetic material of the bacteria, which it needs to reproduce. And lastly bacteria can have a flagellum, which is a fin.
Treatment and prevention.
Viruses are often hard to treat. In some cases the virus can be treated with anti-viral drugs. However in most cases vaccination is the best treatment options as it provides immunity.
Now for a bacterial infection it is a different story, as bacteria often can be treated with antibiotics.
- Disclaimer: this video and the comments are meant purely informational! This is not medical advice! If you are looking for medical advice always contact your own doctor. -
Literature:
1: Slonczewski JL. Foster JW. (2013). Microbiology : an Evolving Science (Third ed.). New York: WW Norton. 82.
2: Sears CL. (2005). A dynamic partnership: celebrating our gut flora. Anaerobe. 11 (5): 247-51.
3: Mahy WJ. Regenmortel MH. (2009). Desk Encyclopedia of General Virology. Oxford: Academic Press. 26.
* The images in this video are used for educational purposes only.
Music:
1. Fredji, Happy Life, Music promoted by Vlog No Copyright Music.
2: Erik Lund, Summertime, Music promoted by Vlog No Copyright Music.
Follow me on instagram: @HowtoMedicate
Follow me on twitter: @HowtoMedicate
Books I used In Medical School:
Lehninger Principles of Biochemistry Seventh Edition, amzn.to/2PFGidh
Guyton and Hall Textbook of Medical Physiology 14th Edition, amzn.to/3inL6jM
Human Anatomy & Physiology (12th Edition), amzn.to/2DHlHCT
Oxford Handbook of Clinical Specialties, amzn.to/3fU854s
Oxford Handbook of Emergency Medicine, amzn.to/31LfMVg
Oxford Handbook of Clinical Medicine, amzn.to/3ky73hZ
Janeway's Immunobiology, amzn.to/3gLZW3e
Atlas of Human Anatomy (Netter Basic Science), amzn.to/3afFe9c
Netter's Anatomy Flash Cards, amzn.to/2XSAMIN
The House of God, S. Shem, amzn.to/31I7HAU
Gear I use:
Camera: Canon EOS M50: amzn.to/33SNMSn
Microphone: Boya Lavalier Microphone: amzn.to/3aggLkc
Microphone: Rode VideoMicPro: amzn.to/3amCmrh
Computer: Apple Macbook Pro: amzn.to/33PDEtu

[@errands8253]

Loved this. Short but directly to the point.

[@howtomedicate]

Hi Lala, Thank you for your comment! It is always nice to hear your are on the right path.

[@Jizzlewobbwtfcus]

TY for such a SUPERB Video. You are informative, engaging and well presented. I got into a debate with one of my friends last night about this very matter and he totally flipped out swearing at me. Will show him this video You got a new subscriber mate

[@howtomedicate]

Thanks Cornelious. Sounds amazing.

[@lordfrazerirwin990]

I said from the very first there is a vast differance but would folk listen? No! Now I will point them to your video. This should have been on every newspaper front page world wide. Thank you for a great video.

[@howtomedicate]

No, problem! I am happy you found it helpful.

[@Warzuro5461]

You are making me safety I'm definitely subscribing to you

[@rebeccalavoy6655]

Thank you, for this video.

[@latashakitt2554]

Thanks for Sharing!

[@lizo5514]

you're amazing thank you so much!

[@yashaswiniyatiraj9327]

Thank you I understood the concept very well 😀😀

[@sediqamirzai1917]

wow. thank you so much. I lerned a lot ❤

[@yayanono4833]

Great video

[@heartcomedy5]

Great video. I just found about your channel. I really like your content. 👍

[@howtomedicate]

Amazing!

[@ashishvijayan6732]

Good one..

[@BrandiXo]

💖 thanks for the video

[@howtomedicate]

Hi Brandi, I am happy to help!

[@johnjohnson2748]

great vid!

[@howtomedicate]

Thank you John!

[@tubeinfoful]

Very nice thanks

[@ohionative5237]

Sorry I didn't comment on the last couple videos. I've been in the hospital with really bad osteomyelitis. Great video.

[@howtomedicate]

Hi Michael, That is terrible! I hope you are doing better now.

[@ohionative5237]

@@howtomedicate thank you, I'm doing better now. They were giving me Rocephin and Vancomycin through a central line in the hospital. I'm back home now with a PICC line doing Vancomycin dosing at home. It should be cleared up in a couple more weeks.

[@howtomedicate]

@@ohionative5237 I am happy to hear that! I hope you recover soon!

[@jaydullabh5420]

😊

[@tiffanibonmon3420]

Cool 😎 thanks 😊

[@FoodFablesGalore]

Love to hear from you always

[@howtomedicate]

Thanks Faisal!

[@sebastianhouwing6531]

First! Love this video!

[@howtomedicate]

Thank you! I am happy to hear you loved it!

[@lighthouse6120]

The music in the back ground is counter productive. It's like there's an Ice Cream Truck in the room you are recording in.

[@virajgawand7133]

You deserve 1m subs

[@howtomedicate]

Hi ViraJ, That would be amazing. We are very slowly getting there, haha.

[@virajgawand7133]

Well a home's a home yeah?

[@ibrahimhamada6087]

From Egypt It's a great video💜💜

[@howtomedicate]

Thank you Ibrahim!

[@teachutube1]

Egypt loves u

[@rathodraman2914]

I m from India please make more video on medicine

[@howtomedicate]

Hi Rathod Raman, Thank you for watching my videos! Of course I will be making more videos.

[@Lostboyss15]

I've had a virus infection for 2 weeks now and I feel like I'm dying but he doctors said it's normal but I'm so sick I've had many illness and virus but never like this I have it at the back of my throat and have been so weak and throwing up, does anyone know any tips they say you can't do anything to help it go but surely there has to be something? Am I going tot be okay? Please help

[@mansoorvm4536]

Why it's impossible to kick start the immunity after viral infection by some way ?

[@uchihamadara2939]

first time knowing virus has RNA and DNA but how are they not living??

[@howtomedicate]

Good question. Viruses are not considered living because they do not exemplify all of the factors of life. While they do evolve and reproduce, they are not made of cells, use energy, or respond to stimuli. In addition, they do not have a universal genetic code shared by all organisms.

[@uchihamadara2939]

@@howtomedicate ok i get

[@kenpaul895]

If viruses needed host to live, how are they suspended in some parts of the world, and live more than decades

[@riarkp5363]

CAC Garlic Capsules: This is purely Ayurvedic preparation. Garlic capsules shows anti-fungal, antioxidant, anti-microbial, immune-modulator properties. These capsules contains pure extract of garlic. This is effective in atherosclerosis, diabetes, high level of cholesterol, hypertension.

[@k.ctheking]

The names of the medicines are protonix flagyl and amoxicillin those three are the ones I’m supposed to be drinking cause I have bacterial infection in my stomach

[@Yurinacinnamon2478]

I had deases😢

[@lucydobson25]

Thank you

[@howtomedicate]

Hi Lucy, I am happy to help!

[@lucydobson25]

I actually shared this KZbin in my Google Classroom for medication technician class. Thanks again I will be sharing 😊

[@dheerajkumar3466]

Hello sir I am from India, i try to understand your language 🙏

[@laurincarmichael9921]

Why do doctors not identify every virus that causes serious symptoms? I went to the hospital today and I was sent home after having a negative covid test. The doctor said it was probably some kind of virus but there is nothing they can give me to help. Since genome sequencing is now relatively cheap and easy, why would a virus not be identified? Shouldn't there be a specific class of antivirals that could help once the virus is identified? I feel like medicine is so primitive for all the scientific advances today. Why do doctors only want to treat symptoms?

[@melissasfirmament5112]

Money is the reason

[@justamod]

Hey I’m gonna tell a random thing about me I need to get my tonsils removed, cause when me and my bro got Covid then I had very swollen throat, my bro had little swollen. Next time my bro got sick for like 2 or 1 days and I’m sick for 3 days and very swollen throat all days

[@tiffanyheartsu7271]

I have the same question because the same thing happened to me

[@armour2640]

​​@@tiffanyheartsu7271 As a medical student i can tell you thats for a bunch of reasons. And here is just a reason. First of all antibiotics are effective, cause they can inhibit or kill bactial cells without any harm to human cells becaue bacteria have different structures than human e.g ribosome or cell wall but on the other way a virus cell doesn't have such a structure like that as they are considered non living pathogens so even if you made antiviral it won't have a harmful effect on virus without harming human cells. If you want more reasons tell me 😅

[@Bballer3407]

Many viruses have not been identified. Modern medical is indeed primitive considering that modern emergency medicine as we know it on the US is less than 100 years old . Virus/bacteria are significantly older than the human species . Your expectations are not realistic based on the fact that medicine is in the infancy phases . Our bodies have been built to endure these things . We encounter viruses and bacteria everyday . This is an aspect of human life .

[@hellow9882]

Virus vs chemical?

[@eliciaodey669]

Bacteria debris pls and what I can do

[@alecboegman2627]

Can/could super bacteria (resistant to antibiotics) still be destroyed by a healthy immune system ?

[@ashishvijayan6732]

Yes...

[@k.ctheking]

Right now I have bacterial in my stomach

[@altijdhogerdanjij3758]

Dankjewel my g

[@mohsensafa]

Can we use bacteria and produce smart drug delivery to fight diseases?

[@ShivaniSuri-fs5tz]

indian echinacea planet ayurveda is used to effective in cases of viral , bacterial or parastic infections and disease .

[@dailydoseofmedicinee]

👏

[@howtomedicate]

👍

[@thecakeisalie1885]

But what happens if different viruses infected the same body?

[@wetsocks7565]

hunger games ;)

[@misskiya]

Where is the virus created? Do viruses come from inside or outside the body?

[@pamelajob2261]

I was going through pains while I contracted HSV2 and then I came across how Dr.Auchi on KZbin used his medication to cure the sick and I decided to contact him and he actually cured me from my HSV2. You all can also contact him for help on any kind of disease on his KZbin channel

[@Yurinacinnamon2478]

But just in the mouth and the hands is medicine help me?

[@tanikanakeyalewis4202]

Viruses Need Species-Specific Proteins [Species-Specific Single-Cell Organisms] to Replicate, and Bacteria Are Single-Cell Organisms: "On a biological level, the main difference is that bacteria are free-living cells that can live inside or outside a body, while viruses are a non-living collection of molecules that need a host to survive. Apr 20, 2020". 😶. Respectively. Tanika Nakeya Lewis, 6127

[@nepthaliesotto4708]

What is the size of bacteria and viruses

[@howtomedicate]

Hi Nepthalie, This differs a lot. Bacteria are usually 0.5-5.0 micrometres in length. Viruses are usually 60-140 nanometers.

[@nancyhey1012]

@@howtomedicate I have heard that viruses are so small that they do not even have a color, because they are smaller than a wavelength of light.

[@vatsvlogs6110]

Khasi zukam(viral) haathi (Elephant)ko beemar krdete hain toh hum toh insaan hain

[@abbyrecido6303]

Can microorganisms be infected too?

[@fatimachiloane389]

Yes, there are viruses that can infect bacteria. They are called bacteriophages

[@sevakshah6880]

Shhhh 🤫🤫🤫🤫

[@sheelychowdhury7157]

😱😱

[@ethanbrishbane3075]

Des2020 lake toba

[@vatsvlogs6110]

Viral/ common cold/ flus let an ELEPHANT down to the floor...so think of we Humans..😢🤧😷🤒

[@k.ctheking]

I got prescripted with medicine for my stomach

[@sheelychowdhury7157]

They have good bacteria and bad bacteria

[@NoName-wh8eh]

I want to know why u sit at home wearing full doctors uniform?

[@sheelychowdhury7157]

I scare virus and bacteria

[@leonfredriksen1425]

That background music is sooo annoying

[@saucysebisuiii7204]

pov: you are here from school.

[@atomic_salvy101]

yes

[@chris_hawk]

nope.

[@juliotorres9720]

LoL, you present yourself as a medical doctor, yet claim that what you say is not medical advice. Are you even a real doctor?

[@Retrojapan]

He’s a doctor but for legal reasons he has to mention that it’s like when you offer financial advice for trading stocks but have to mention the same thing because they can put you at fault

[@ritatisiga4717]

Knowledge

[@bouncy372]

I have virus 😢 (common cold)