It
is a fact that both bacteria and viruses cause infections in human
beings. These two are micro-organisms and thus cannot be seen with the naked
eye. Bacteria (or bacterium if just one) have so many shapes and forms and they
have just a single cell structure. They can live in virtually any environment
and thrive, even in and on the human body. Bacteria that cause infections are
called pathogenic bacteria, and they are few.
Viruses
are also very tiny micro-organisms, usually smaller than bacteria and they also
exist in distinct shapes and forms, just like bacteria. Viruses, unlike bacteria, are parasites. They are parasites because they cannot live on their own but
rather; they need to live on other living organisms to stay alive. Viruses are
dangerous because some of them can live on, feed on, and even kill the host.
Bacterial
infections can be transmitted from a person to the other just like viral
infections can be transmitted from a person to the other. The modes of
transmission are similar. Both bacterial and viral infections can be transmitted
through touches, body fluid exchange, or even through pregnancy (mother to fetus
transmission). Bacterial infections can also be contracted through a bite and
even from contaminated surfaces or ingestion of contaminated food or water.
Bacterial infections include the
likes of strep throat, urinary tract infection (UTI), bacterial food
poisoning, gonorrhea, tuberculosis,
bacterial meningitis, cellulitis,
Lyme disease and tetanus
and many more.
Viral infection includes influenza,
common cold, viral gastroenteritis, chickenpox,
measles,
viral meningitis, warts,
human
immunodeficiency virus (HIV), viral hepatitis,
Zika virus, West Nile virus and COVID-19, and even several others.
So is your infection viral or bacterial? You need to get tested by a professional to determine what is wrong with
you and although bacterial infections may be mild and seldom kill; they are not
to be treated lightly.
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