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Home » Science » Biology » Difference Between Bacteria and Virus
Difference Between Bacteria and Virus
March 2, 2017 • by Lakna • 7 min read
Main Difference – Bacteria vs
Virus
Bacteria and viruses are microscopic microbes. Bacteria are
prokaryotes. They are living cells which can be either
beneficial or harmful to other organisms. But, viruses
considered to be particles that are somewhere between living
and nonliving cells. Viruses have to invade the body of a host
organism in order to replicate their particles. Therefore, most
viruses are pathogenic. The main difference between bacteria
and virus is that bacteria are living cells, reproducing
independently and viruses are nonliving particles, requiring a host cell for their replication.
This article explains,
1. What are Bacteria
– Classification, Cellular Structure, Metabolism
2. What is a Virus
– Structure, Classification
3. What is the difference between Bacteria and Virus
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What are Bacteria
Bacteria are prokaryotes found in most habitats on the Earth. They are unicellular microorganisms. Bacteria can grow
in harsh conditions like acidic hot springs, radioactive waste and deep portions of Earth’s crust. Bacteria form dense
aggregations by attaching to surfaces. These aggregations are matlike structures called biofilms.
Classification of Bacteria
Bacteria can be categorized depending on their morphology. Cocci are the sphericalshaped bacteria. Bacillus are the
rodshaped bacteria. Commashaped bacteria are called as vibrio and spiralshaped bacteria are spirilla and tightly
coiled ones are called as spirochaetes. Some bacteria live as single cells. But, some of them live in pairs and are
known as diploids. Streptococcus are the bacterial chains. Staphylococcus form ‘bunch of grapes’ like clusters.
Filaments are the elongated bacteria like Actinobacteria. Some are branched filaments such as Nocardia.
Figure 1: Cocci
Cellular Structure of Bacteria
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Bacterial cells are surrounded by a cell membrane. The membraneenclosed cytoplasm contains nutrients, proteins,
DNA and other essential components of the cell. Bacteria are prokaryotes and lack membranebound organelles.
Protein localization is carried out by their cytoskeleton. A single, circular chromosome is found in the nucleoid. This
simple arrangement of bacteria is referred to as ‘bacterial hyperstructures’.
Murein forms a cell wall outside of the bacterial cell membrane. The thicker cell wall is classified as grampositive,
and the thinner cell wall is classified as gramnegative in the gram staining of bacteria. Flagella are used for the
mobility. Fimbriae are the attachment pili. They are used in the sexual reproduction of bacteria, which is known as
conjugation. The entire cell is covered by glycocalyx which forms the capsule.
Some genera of grampositive bacteria form a resistant, dormant structures called endospores. Endospores contain
little cytoplasm, DNA and ribosomes, covered by a cortex. They are resistant to radiation, detergents, disinfectants,
heat, freezing, pressure and desiccation.
Metabolism of Bacteria
Depending on the carbon source, bacteria can be divided into two groups: heterotrophs and autotrophs. The carbon
source is organic compounds in heterotrophs whereas the carbon source is carbon dioxide in autotrophs. Depending on
the energy source, bacteria can be divided into three groups: phototrophs, lithotrophs or organotrophs.
What is a Virus
A virus is a particle considered as nonliving form. Viruses
show neither respiration nor metabolism. A virus consists
of its genetic material, either DNA or RNA, covered by a
protein core. Usually, viruses are infectious agents,
requiring a host for their replication. They infect all life
forms including animals, plants, bacteria and archaea.
Viruses can be found in almost every ecosystem on the
Earth. Thus, they are the most abundant biological entity
type. The study of viruses is called virology. Viruses can
be visualized by negative staining.
Structure of Viruses
The complete virus particle is referred to as the virion. Virion consists of genetic material enclosed by a protective
protein coat called as the capsid. The capsid is formed by identical protein units called capsomeres. The capsid
proteins are encoded by the viral genome. The virion consists of a cell membrane derived from the host cell called the
lipid envelope. Viral nucleic acid is associated with nucleoproteins. Viral capsid proteins and nucleoproteins are
collectively called nucleocapsid.
An enormous structural diversity in the genome is found in viruses when compared to the diversity of plants or
animals. A virus may contain either DNA or RNA genome. Hence, two groups of viruses can be identified: DNA
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viruses and RNA viruses. Most viruses contain RNA genomes. Singlestranded RNA genomes can be found in plant
viruses. Doublestranded DNA genomes can be found in bacteriophages.
Classification of Viruses
The ICTV (International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses) classification is the current classification system used
for viruses. The general taxonomy structure consists of order, family, subfamily, genus, and the species. Caudovirales,
Herpesvirales, Ligamenvirales, Mononegavirales, Nidovirales, Picornavirales, and Tymovirales are the currently
established seven orders in viruses. Moreover, viruses are classified depending on the mechanism used to produce
their mRNA. This classification system is called Baltimore classification. According to this classification, seven
groups of viruses can be identified: dsDNA viruses, ssDNA viruses, dsRNA viruses, dsRNA viruses, (+)ss RNA
viruses, ()ss RNA viruses, ssRNART viruses, and dsDNARt viruses.
On the contrary, four groups of viruses can be identified depending on the morphology: helical, icosahedral, prolate
and envelope. The capsid forms a helical structure around the central axis in helical viruses. Icosahedral viruses
sometimes consist of a chiral icosahedral symmetry. In prolate, the icosahedron is elongated into a fivefold axis as in
bacteriophages. In some viruses, the cell membrane forms a modified form called the envelope. These type of viruses
are referred to as envelope viruses. An icosahedralshaped, Simian virus is shown in figure 2.
Figure 2: Simian Virus
Difference Between Bacteria and Virus
Dependence on the Host for Reproduction
Bacteria: Bacteria do not need a host organism for reproduction.
Virus: Viruses replicate only inside the host.
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Living Attributes
Bacteria: Bacteria are living organisms.
Virus: Viruses are considered as organic structures which interact with living organisms, rather than a living
organism.
Size
Bacteria: Bacteria are larger, about 1000 nm in size. They are visible under light microscope.
Virus: Viruses are smaller, about 20400 nm in size. They are visible under the electron microscope.
Cell Wall
Bacteria: Bacteria contain a Peptidoglycan/ Lipopolysaccharide cell wall.
Virus: Viruses don’t have a cell wall. A protein coat is present instead.
Number of Cells
Bacteria: Bacteria are unicellular.
Virus: Viruses don’t have cells.
Genetic Material
Bacteria: A single, circular chromosome is present.
Virus: DNA/RNA strand is present.
Ribosomes
Bacteria: Ribosomes are present.
Virus: Ribosomes are absent.
Metabolism
Bacteria: Bacteria show metabolism within the cell.
Virus: There is no metabolism inside the viral particle.
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Reproduction
Bacteria: Reproduction happens through binary fission and conjugation.
Virus: Virus invades the host cell, makes copies of genetic material and proteins, and releases new particles by
destroying the cell.
Cellular Machinery
Bacteria: Bacteria possess a cellular machinery.
Virus: Virus lack cellular machinery.
Benefits
Bacteria: Bacteria can be either beneficial or harmful.
Virus: Viruses are usually harmful, can be useful in genetic engineering.
Infection
Bacteria: Bacteria cause localized infections.
Virus: Virus cause systemic infection.
Duration of Illness
Bacteria: Diseases caused by bacteria last longer than 10 days.
Virus: Diseases caused by viruses last 2 to 10 days.
Fever
Bacteria: Bacteria cause fever.
Virus: Viruses may or may not cause fever.
Treatments
Bacteria: Bacterial infections can be prevented by Antibiotics.
Virus: Spread of viruses can be prevented by vaccines.
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Examples
Bacteria: Staphylococcus aureus, Vibrio cholera, etc. are examples of bacteria.
Virus: HIV, Hepatitis A virus, Rhino Virus, etc. are examples of viruses.
Diseases/ Infections
Bacteria: Food poisoning, gastritis, ulcers, meningitis, pneumonia, etc. are caused by bacteria.
Virus: AIDS, common cold, influenza, chickenpox, etc. are caused by viruses.
Conclusion
Bacteria and viruses are both microscopic microbes. Both of them can cause diseases in plants and animals. Both
these types of microbes contain enzymes required for the DNA replication and protein synthesis. But, viruses require
a host organism for the production of viral coat proteins. Therefore, they should invade a second organism for their
replication. On the other hand, bacteria can reproduce independently by binary fission. Both microbes consist of a
huge diversity compared to other life forms. The key difference between bacteria and virus is the consideration of
each form as a living or nonliving organism.
Reference:
1.“Bacteria”. Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, 2017. Accessed 01 March 2017
2.“virus”. Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, 2017. Accessed 01 March 2017
Image Courtesy:
1. “108897” (Public Domain) via Pixabay
2. “Symian virus” By Phoebus87 at English Wikipedia (CC BYSA 3.0) via Commons Wikimedia
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About the Author: Lakna
Lakna, a graduate in Molecular Biology & Biochemistry, is a Molecular Biologist and has a
broad and keen interest in the discovery of nature related things
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