TWO DIFFERENT BEASTS

As the world races to find a vaccine for Covid­19 we take a look at what distinguishes viruses from bacteria

SURELY it can be treated, people thought at first. It’s a flu virus – how hard can it be?

But as we’re seeing, it’s very hard. Very hard in­ deed.

Covid­19 is a new strain from the coronavirus family which means no one knows how to treat it yet.

Scientists are racing against time to find a vaccine and in the meantime, peo­ple are dying in their tens of thousands.

It’s terrifying stuff. Antibiotics are use­ less – they only work on bacterial infec­tions. So what exactly is the difference between a viral and a bacterial infection? And why is the one so much harder to treat than the other?

WHAT ARE BACTERIA?

Bacteria are tiny microorganisms that comprise a single cell. They’re quite di­ verse and come in a wide variety of shapes and structural features. They can live in almost every conceivable environment, including in or on the human body.

Only a handful of bacteria cause infec­ tions in humans. These are known as pathogenic bacteria.

“Most bacteria are harmless or even helpful and assist in the digestion of food, fighting cancer cells and provid­ ing nutrients,” says Professor Wolfgang Preiser, a pathologist and consultant virologist at Stellenbosch University in the Western Cape.

“Fewer than 1% of bacteria cause dis­ eases in people.”

WHAT’S A VIRUS?

Viruses share certain characteristics with bacteria – they’re also tiny micro­ organisms, although they’re even small­ er, and they too are diverse.