Bacteria vs virus – learn the difference and treatment options
Think a good dose of antibiotics will knock that cold, flu or COVID-19 out of you? Think again. Antibiotics, if prescribed and taken correctly, usually can kill bacteria but are useless against viruses such as COVID-19 and the flu.
What’s the difference?
Bacteria: Mostly friendly
Bacteria are single-celled microorganisms that are everywhere: in the air, soil and water, on plants and in animals—even inside humans. Most bacteria, including those in our intestines, are harmless. Some actually help by digesting food and destroying disease-causing microbes, according to the Mayo Clinic, which notes that fewer than 1% of bacteria cause disease in people.
Bacteria can cause infections like strep throat, tuberculosis and urinary tract infections. They generally are treatable with antibiotics.
Virus: Invading you to stay alive
Viruses are smaller than bacteria and require a living host to survive. A virus attaches itself to cells and usually reprograms them to replicate itself. Also, unlike bacteria, most viruses cause disease.
Some virus-caused diseases include COVID-19, the common cold, AIDS, herpes and chickenpox.
Viral infections require either vaccinations to prevent them in the first place—like with vaccinations against polio or COVID-19—or antiviral drugs to treat them. Often, the only treatment is to let the illness run its course.
Treating bacterial infection vs. viral infection
Bacterial infection
Antibiotics can cure diagnosed bacterial infections and save lives but they are powerless against viruses like those that cause colds, the flu and COVID-19.
Antibiotics, while an important treatment tool, also can cause side effects and their unnecessary use has contributed to antibiotic resistance, which means bacteria are developing the ability to defeat the antibiotics designed to kill them. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that at least 28% of antibiotic courses prescribed each year in U.S. doctors’ offices and emergency departments are unnecessary.
Antibiotics can treat bacterial infections like strep throat, whooping cough and urinary tract infections and life-threatening conditions like sepsis. But the CDC even notes that antibiotics aren’t necessarily needed for many sinus infections and some ear infections as they will usually get better on their own.
Viral infection
Most viral infections tend to resolve on their own without treatment so the general aim is to provide relief from symptoms like pain, fever and cough.
However, some viral infections can be treated with antiviral drugs, developed largely in response to the AIDS pandemic. These drugs do not destroy a virus but help stop it from multiplying in your body. Antivirals are available to treat some illnesses like COVID-19, the flu and shingles.
How are they spread?
Both viral and bacterial infections are spread in similar ways:
- Coughing and sneezing
- Contact with infected people, especially through kissing and sex
- Contact with contaminated surfaces, food, and water
- Contact with infected creatures, including pets, livestock, and insects like fleas and ticks
How can a doctor tell the difference?
Viruses and bacteria are tricky. Not only can they cause similar symptoms but many illnesses—like pneumonia, meningitis and diarrhea—can be caused by either a virus or a bacterium.
Your doctor often can diagnose you through a medical history and physical exam. The doctor may swab your nose, as is done in COVID-19 testing, or your throat, as is done for strep throat. Depending on your symptoms, you may need blood or urine tests or a spinal culture to help pinpoint a viral or bacterial infection.
Make yourself feel better
The internet is full of advice on how to ease the symptoms of a cold, the flu or a mild case of COVID-19. Generally, some of the easiest ways to manage your symptoms at home include:
Hydrate – Be sure to drink plenty of liquids, such as water, juice and warm soups, to prevent dehydration. Avoid sugary drinks.
Rest – Catch up on your sleep to help your immune system fight off the infection.
Medicate – Generally, you’ll need nothing more than bed rest and fluids. You also may consider an over-the-counter pain reliever to reduce some of the body aches associated with these illnesses.
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