Microorganisms are divided into two categories: viruses and bacteria. Microorganisms are microscopic organisms which are not visible to naked eye. Viruses and Bacteria are found in the soil, water, and air we breathe. Bacteria and viruses live on our bodies as well. Bacteria and viruses are extremely essential to us because they produce a variety of issues in our bodies, including unfavourable circumstances that lead to diseases such as cough, fever, and cold.
Bacteria
Bacteria are single-celled organisms which lack a nucleus and other features but have cell walls. Bacteria are microscopic organisms that can be found in practically any environment on the planet.
They play a critical function in the environment by digesting waste materials and converting them to soil. The human body has about 3,000 different types of bacteria which can help protect it from disease.
Bacteria can be found in a variety of forms and sizes, such as spheres, cylinders, threads, rods, and chains. They can be aerobic (need oxygen to survive), anaerobic (die when exposed to oxygen), or prefer oxygen but can live without oxygen as well.
Bacteria that get their energy from light or chemical processes are known as autotrophs, whereas those that get their energy by consuming and breaking down complex organic substances are known as heterotrophs.
Structure of Bacteria
Bacteria are single-celled organisms without a nucleus that carry DNA which floats freely in twisted shape or in a nucleoid-like structure. Ribosomes are spherical units found in bacteria that are used to construct proteins from individual amino acids utilising data contained in ribosomal RNA.
Bacteria have an outer Cell wall membrane as well as an inner Cell membrane, although some Bacteria, such as mycoplasma, do not have Cell walls, and some Bacteria have a third layer, also known as a capsule. Bacteria also have Flagella on their surfaces.
Characteristics of Bacteria
- Bacteria, like plants and viruses, are the simplest form of life on Earth. They are cells containing nucleoids which are surrounded by a single membrane or double membrane.
- One bacteria can fit between two atoms because the cells are so small.
- It is devoid of organelles like the nucleus and mitochondria, as well as any internal cytoplasmic structure.
- Ribosomes are components of the cell that aid in the production of proteins.
- Bacteria are producers, consumers, decomposers also, and they take advantage of a variety of natural resources.
- Bacteria are single-celled prokaryotic microorganisms.
- Their distinguishing characteristics include a big self-replicating plasmid DNA, circular double-stranded DNA molecule, low growth needs, and binary fission reproduction.
Virus
Viruses are microscopic infectious agents that are invisible to the naked eye. They can only infect living species and multiply within their host’s cells. Budding virus can infect any cell type and interfere with its regular processes. Viruses cause the cells to die. Viruses are responsible for a wide range of diseases in humans, plants, and animals.
Virus Microorganisms or germs, are small in size but cause diseases which are very harmful. Germs can infiltrate our bodies and create diseases if we come into contact with them.
Viruses are the smallest germs, capable of developing only inside the cells of their hosts. Viruses, in other words, kill or damage cells before inserting their own genetic information and protein into them. It’s made up of proteins and nucleic acids (DNA or RNA).
Characteristics Of Virus
- Viruses can be found in nearly every ecosystem on the planet, including soil, ocean, , and even clouds.
- Viruses lack metabolic processes and organelles, but they do have an exterior covering that protects their genetic material.
- Certain properties of this protein coat allow us to determine if it is a virus or not.
- Viruses lack the host cell’s cellular machinery and life processes, which they get access to by accident or design.
- Viruses differ from one species to the next and rely on the sort of cells they infect for survival.
Virus and Bacteria Examples
Listeria monocytogenes, Thiobacillus novelus, Streptococcus pyogenes, Pseudomonas maltophilia, Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Escherichia coli, and Clostridium kluyveri are some instances of this type of sickness.
Conclusion
There are multiple kinds of microbes in our environment, some of which are beneficial to people and others which cause various diseases. Bacteria and viruses, on the other hand, are responsible for the bulk of diseases. They range in severity from modest to severe. Bacteria are microscopic, single-celled organisms that feed on their surroundings and the environment. Some bacteria, such as Lactobacillus, are beneficial to the human body because they aid in digestion and keep bad bacteria out of the body. Viruses, on the other hand, are even smaller than bacteria and can exist in both living and non-living forms.