Let me share with you a comparison between Virus and Bacteria.
| Aspect | Virus | Bacteria |
| Type of organism | · Acellular | · Cellular |
| Structure | · Genetic material surrounded by a protein coat called capsid | · Cell wall
· Cell membrane · Genetic material |
| Nature |
· Non-living outside the cell
· Living inside the cell |
· Living |
| Reproduction | · Reproduces only within host cells by hijacking the host’s cellular machinery | · Binary fission |
| Size | · 20 to 400 nm | · 0.5 to 5 mm |
| Genetic material | · Contains either DNA or RNA | · Contains both DNA and RNA |
| Cell wall | · Lack a cell wall | · Have a cell wall |
| Sensitivity to antibiotics | · Not affected by antibiotics | · Sensitive |
| Diseases | · Causes various diseases in humans, animals, and plants | · Some bacteria can cause diseases, while others are beneficial or harmless |
| Treated with | · Antiviral drugs or vaccines | · Treatable with antibiotics |
| Host specificity | · Often highly specific to certain host species or cell types | · May have a broad or narrow host range |
| Examples | · Influenza virus
· HIV · SARS-CoV-2 · COVID-19 virus |
· Escherichia coli (E. coli)
· Streptococcus · Staphylococcus |