microbes

• Viruses


  The simplest of germs - genetic material encased in protein. Viruses need to enter a living thing to replicate.
• Viruses


  • Can infect any living thing, including bacteria and fungi
  • Reproduce faster than the immune system can control, destroying cells and harming the body
  • Smallest germs, easily spread through the air or bodily fluids
• Bacteria


  Single-celled organisms that can live and reproduce almost anywhere on their own. Some can harm us by replicating quickly and producing toxins.
• Bacteria


  • We live peacefully with most bacteria, which can strengthen our immune system
  • Extremely adaptive and can evolve to evade antibiotics
• Fungi


  More complex organisms than viruses and bacteria, similar in structure to animals. Some fungi reproduce spores that can enter our body and cause infection.
• Fungi


  • Environmental fungi often don't cause infection in healthy people
  • Commensal fungi may play a beneficial role in our health
  • Certain environmental fungi can be damaging for people with weakened immune systems
• Bacteria, viruses and fungi can all cause slightly different forms of pneumonia, with subtly different symptoms depending on the type of microbe
• No one drug exists to attack whichever virus is in your body, but vaccines can provide preemptive protection by training the immune system
• Broad-spectrum antibiotics were developed to kill bacteria, but bacteria can quickly evolve to evade them
• Fungi are slower to mutate, so they are easier to target with antifungal medications than bacteria are with antibiotics