Now that we are all very busy in the Netherlands (and some are very sick) from the #Coronavirus and we are trying to suppress this virus with man and power, I myself am very curious what the difference is between a #virus and a #bacterie - Yes.The whole world is currently dominated by the Coronavirus. Part of the southern Netherlands is infected with this virus and gradually the virus spreads like a stain over the rest of the Netherlands. When you sneeze or cough in company, you are almost suspicious and shaking hands has become a taboo.What is a bacterium anyway?Bacteria have a cell that can divide itself. They spread themselves super quickly through this property. A bacterium is unicellular. Bacteria can very easily spread from human to human. They are also in everything and on our bodies. Did you know that we carry millions of bacteria with us? By the way, what many people think, not all bacteria are bad. The food that is in our intestines is digested by bacteria and the many bacteria that are on our skin protect our skin and keep it in good condition.Can you get sick of a bacterium?Yes you can! If a bacterium ends up in a place where it does not belong (think of a wound for example) you can get seriously ill. An example of this is the so-called poop bacterium. This bacterium lives in our intestines and is safe there. He won't be dangerous until he gets into our food or in our drinking water. If you get infected with it, you get nauseous, you vomit and you touch the diarrhea. You also often hear that people get sick of, for example, cold meats due to the listeria bacteria. A dangerous food infection, especially for people who already have little resistance or pregnant women. People who are healthy usually do not suffer from it. White corpuscles cause the bacteria to be expelled. If that does not happen, you can go to the GP for a pencillin treatment. Since a cold or flu is caused by a virus, a course of antibiotics does not make sense.What is a virus?From a virus you can get sick. But a virus is not an organism. A virus has no cells of its own. A virus enters your body through saliva and blood and settles in a body cell. Once that is done, the virus takes over the cell and can multiply like a bacterium.Why does not a drug help against a virus?Due to the fact that the virus settles in cells, they go along with the metabolism of the body. As a result, it is very difficult to cure these diseases with medicines. However, there are means that can prevent the spread of the disease. Some known viral diseases include HIV, Jaundice, infectious mononucleosis, flu and colds. There are many different species of the latter. Influenza is usually not so often, but colds can occur several times a year. You get a different virus every time. That is also why it is impossible to get a medicine for it.

What is a bacterium and what is a virus?