But your doctor often can pinpoint the cause by listening to your medical history and doing a physical exam. If necessary, the doctor also can order a blood or urine test to help confirm a diagnosis, or order a culture test of tissue to identify bacteria or viruses. Occasionally, a biopsy of affected tissue may be required. The discovery of antibiotics for bacterial infections is considered one of the most important breakthroughs in medical history.
Unfortunately, bacteria are very adaptable, and the overuse of antibiotics has made many of them resistant to antibiotics. This has created serious problems, especially in hospital settings.
Antibiotics are not effective against viruses, and many leading organizations now recommend against using antibiotics unless there is clear evidence of a bacterial infection. Read more on when you really need antibiotics.
The best way to help prevent antimicrobial resistance is to learn the ABCs of antibiotics:. You do not need antibiotics for colds or flu, most coughs or bronchitis, sore throats not caused by strep, runny noses, or most earaches. All Rights Reserved. BHealthy Blog. June 22, Microscopic Differences. Diagnosing Bacterial and Viral Infections. When found outside of these living cells, viruses are dormant.
Bacteria, on the other hand, are living organisms that consist of single cell that can generate energy, make its own food, move, and reproduce typically by binary fission. This allows bacteria to live in many places—soil, water, plants, and the human body—and serve many purposes.
They serve many vital roles in nature by decomposing organic matter maybe not that vital to anyone who's forgotten leftovers in the back of the fridge and by converting nitrogen, through nitrogen fixation , to chemicals usable by plants. Bacteria even know how to work as a team through something called quorum sensing. Bacteria are giants when compared to viruses. The smallest bacteria are about 0. This makes most viruses submicroscopic , unable to be seen in an ordinary light microscope.
They are typically studied with an electron microscope. Their mode of infection is different. Because of their distinct biochemistry, it should come as no surprise that bacteria and viruses differ in how they cause infection.
Viruses infect a host cell and then multiply by the thousands, leaving the host cell and infecting other cells of the body.
A viral infection will therefore be systemic , spreading throughout the body. Pathogenic bacteria have a more varied operation and will often infect when the right opportunity arises, so called opportunistic infection. The infection caused by pathogenic bacteria is usually confined to a part of the body, described as a localized infection. Read more on Ausmed Education website. Strep throat, otherwise known as group A strep, is a bacterial infection of the throat and tonsils.
The bacteria that causes strep throat is called group A streptococcus. It is most common among school-aged children and teenagers between 5 and Gum disease occurs when the gum gingiva - the mucosal tissue surrounding and protecting the teeth - becomes infected and inflamed. Gum disease is usually caused by plaque, a sticky coating of bacteria that accumulates on the teeth along the gum line and causes irritation. The common cold or upper respiratory tract infection is a highly prevalent viral infection that can be caused by over types of viruses including some strains of the coronavirus family.
It affects the nose, ears and throat. Otitis media is an umbrella term encompassing all types of inflammation and infection of the middle ear, which is the air-filled, membrane-lined cavity located behind the eardrum. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, who have the highest rate of middle ear disease in the world. Nausea and vomiting are not conditions themselves - rather, they are non-specific symptoms associated with a variety of conditions. Nausea describes a feeling of unease in the stomach, chest or throat.
Vomiting emesis is the physical act of forcibly ejecting stomach contents through the mouth. Healthdirect Australia is not responsible for the content and advertising on the external website you are now entering. There is a total of 5 error s on this form, details are below. Please enter your name Please enter your email Your email is invalid. Please check and try again Please enter recipient's email Recipient's email is invalid. Please check and try again Agree to Terms required.
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