Bacteria and Viruses

• Viruses are not considered living organisms because they cannot reproduce on their own and require a host cell to replicate.
• Antibiotic resistance is the ability of bacteria to resist the effects of an antibiotic, making it difficult or impossible to treat bacterial infections.
• Bacterial diseases can be treated with antibiotics.
• Bacterial cells have a rigid cell wall made up of peptidoglycan, while eukaryotic cells do not have this structure.
• Some viral diseases have no cure but can be managed through supportive care.
• Eukaryotes have membrane-bound organelles such as mitochondria, chloroplasts, endoplasmic reticulum, Golgi apparatus, lysosomes, ribosomes, cytoskeleton, and centrioles.
• The immune system plays a crucial role in fighting off pathogens by producing specific proteins called antibodies that bind to antigens found on the surface of microorganisms.
• White blood cells (WBC) are part of the body's defense mechanism against infection and disease.
• The overuse and misuse of antibiotics have contributed to the development of antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria.
• The cell membrane of prokaryotes contains lipids that form a bilayer, similar to animal cells but without cholesterol.
• Prokaryotes lack a nucleus and other membranous structures found in eukaryotic cells.
• Some viruses contain DNA as genetic material, while others use RNA.
• Microbes can cause disease when they enter the body and multiply rapidly, leading to symptoms like fever, chills, headache, muscle pain, fatigue, and loss of appetite.
• The human body has its own defense mechanisms against pathogenic microorganisms such as phagocytes (macrophages) that engulf foreign particles and destroy them by releasing enzymes.
• Pathogenic microorganisms include bacteria, fungi, protozoa, and viruses.
• The nucleus contains genetic material (DNA) and controls protein synthesis.
• Viruses are obligate intracellular parasites that cannot replicate outside host cells.
• Prokaryotes lack membrane-bound organelles and have circular DNA located in the cytoplasm.
• Viral diseases include HIV/AIDS, influenza, hepatitis C, Ebola virus disease, COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2), and Zika virus infection.
• Vaccines contain weakened or dead forms of bacteria or virus particles that stimulate an immune response without causing illness.
• Antibody production is triggered when WBC detect foreign substances or antigens.
• Viruses cannot reproduce without infecting host cells, which they enter and take control of.
• Antibiotics work by inhibiting or killing bacterial growth, preventing them from causing harm to humans.
• Prokaryotic cells lack nuclei and other membranous structures within their cytoplasm.
• Bacterial flagella are used for movement and propulsion.
• Bacterial DNA is organized into a single circular chromosome with no histone protein complexes.
• Prokaryote DNA is not enclosed within a nucleus or nuclear envelope like eukaryotes.
• Viruses cannot reproduce independently and require host cells to replicate their genetic material and produce new virus particles.
• Bacterial diseases include tuberculosis, pneumonia, meningitis, gonorrhea, syphilis, Lyme disease, tetanus, diphtheria, typhoid fever, cholera, plague, anthrax, leprosy, and food poisoning.
• Some bacteria possess plasmids, which can carry additional genetic information.
• Viruses can be classified based on their structure, such as enveloped or nonenveloped.
• Viral diseases include HIV/AIDS, hepatitis A, B, C, D, E, influenza, measles, mumps, rubella, chickenpox, shingles, smallpox, polio, rabies, herpes simplex virus, human papillomavirus (HPV), and COVID-19.
• Fungal diseases include athlete's foot, ringworm, thrush, yeast infections, nail fungus, and systemic mycoses such as histoplasmosis, blastomycosis, coccidioidomycosis, cryptococcus, and aspergillosis.
• Viruses cannot reproduce on their own but must infect host cells to replicate.
• Fungal diseases are caused by fungal infection, with examples including athlete's foot, ringworm, thrush, candidiasis, histoplasmosis, coccidioidomycosis, blastomycosis, sporotrichosis, cryptococcosis, and aspergillosis.