VIRUS vs. BACTERIA

Antibiotics have virtually no effect on viruses, as viruses and bacteria are two uniquely different organisms that many people lump in the same infectious boat. As a result, too often, bacteria-fighting antibiotics are taken to treat viruses such as colds and even influenza. Not only do antibiotics fail to treat those diseases, but misusing them has contributed to an important public health problem: antibiotic resistance. Some bacterial diseases that were once easily cured by antibiotics have become resistant to treatment.

Virus - A virus is a capsule of protein that contains genetic material. A virus cannot reproduce on its own; it must infect a living cell to grow. The cold and the flu are both respiratory illnesses caused by different viruses — and it’s often hard to distinguish between the two. Learn how to tell the difference between a cold and the flu.

Bacteria - Bacteria are one-celled organisms that live on their own. They can multiply and reproduce by subdivision. Learn why antibiotics cannot cure the flu.