TWO DIFFERENT BEASTS

As the world races to find a vaccine for Covid-19 we take a look at what distinguishes viruses from bacteria COMPILED

- DRUM TEAM

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 indeed.

Covid-19 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 useless – they only work on bacterial infections. So what exactly is the difference between a virus 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 are very di ver se 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 infections 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 providing nutrients,” says Professor Wolfgang Preiser, pathologist and consultant virologist at Stellenbosch University.

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

WHAT IS A VIRUS?

Viruses share certain characteristics with bacteria – they are also tiny microorganisms, although they’re even smaller, and they too are diverse.