Viruses and bacteria: how not to confuse. How to distinguish a viral infection from a bacterial one: symptoms, signs, diagnosis and treatment Bacteria and viruses, their structure and functions

Preparing for your biology exam? Bedridden with the flu and wondering what kinds of germs have made you so sick? While bacteria and viruses can make you sick in similar ways, they are actually very different organisms with a wide range of distinguishing qualities. Learning about these differences can help you stay on top of any treatments you're having, and gives you a better understanding of the complex biology that's going on in you all the time. You will be able to learn how to describe the differences between bacteria and viruses not only by learning the basics about them, but also by examining them through a microscope and discovering more information about their composition and functions.

Steps

Part 1

Explore the main differences. There are major differences between bacteria and viruses in terms of size, origin, and effect on the body.

• Viruses are the smallest and most elementary form of life; they are 10 to 100 times smaller than bacteria.
• Bacteria are intercellular organisms (that is, they live between cells), while viruses are intracellular organisms, which means that they enter and live inside the host cell. Viruses alter the host cell's genetic material from its normal function to the production of the virus itself.
• Some bacteria are beneficial, but all viruses are harmful.
• Antibiotics cannot kill viruses, but they can kill most bacteria, with the exception of most Gram-negative bacteria.

1. Know the differences in reproduction. Viruses must have a living host in order to reproduce, such as a plant or animal. While most bacteria can grow on inanimate surfaces.

   • Bacteria have all the "structures" (cell organelles) necessary for their growth and reproduction and, as a rule, do not reproduce sexually.
   • At the same time, viruses usually carry information - for example, DNA or RNA, packaged in a protein and / or membrane shell. They need the structure of the host cell in order to reproduce. The "legs" of the virus are attached to the surface of the cell and the genetic material contained in the virus is introduced into the cell. Viruses hosted differently don't really "live" but are essentially information (DNA or RNA) and float around until they encounter a suitable host.

2. Determine if the microbe has a beneficial effect on our body. Although it may seem difficult to understand, many, many tiny microorganisms live within (but separate from) our body. In fact, in terms of pure cell counts, most people are about 90% microbial life and only 10% human cells. Many bacteria coexist peacefully with our organs; some even perform very important tasks such as vitamin production, waste recycling, and oxygen generation.

   Check if the organism meets the criteria of life. While there is no exact, formal definition of what life is made of, scientists agree that bacteria are undeniably alive. On the other hand, viruses seem to be on the edge between life and death. For example, viruses have some of the characteristics of life, such as genetic material, evolve over time as a result of natural selection, and they have the ability to reproduce by making multiple copies of themselves. However, viruses do not have a cellular structure or their own metabolism; they need a host cell to reproduce. At the same time, viruses are mostly non-living. Consider the following:

   Know the bacterial and viral causes of common diseases. If you are suffering from an illness and you know what it is, finding out if you are currently suffering from bacteria or viruses can be as easy as looking up information about your illness. Common diseases caused by bacteria and viruses include:

3. Biological differences between bacteria and viruses

   organism	The size	Structure	breeding method	Treatment	Alive?
   bacteria	Large (about 1000 nanometers)	One cell: peptidoglycan/polysaccharide wall; cell membrane; ribosomes; free floating DNA/RNA	Not sexually. Copies DNA and reproduces by cell division (splitting).	antibiotics; antibacterial agents for external sterilization	Yes
   Viruses	Small (20-400 nanometers)	Without cells: simple protein structure; without walls and shell; no ribosomes, DNA/RNA nested in a protein coat	Takes over the host cell, causing it to make copies of the viral DNA/RNA; new viruses are released from the host cell.	Treatment is unknown. Vaccination can prevent disease; symptoms are treatable.	Unknown; does not meet traditional standards of living.

   Part 2

   Analyzing microscopic features

   Look for the presence of the cell. In terms of structure, bacteria are more complex than viruses. Bacteria are known as unicellular. This means that each bacterium consists of only one cell. At the same time, the human body contains many trillions of cells.

   We check the size of the body. One of the most quick ways to distinguish bacteria from viruses is to compare their sizes. In almost 100% of cases, bacteria are larger than viruses. In fact, the largest viruses exactly as big as the smallest bacteria.

   Checking for ribosomes (and no other organelles.) Although bacteria have cells, they are not complex. Bacteria do not have a nucleus or organelles except for ribosomes.

   Observation of the reproductive cycle of the organism. Bacteria and viruses are not like most animals. They do not need to have sexual intercourse or exchange genetic information with other organisms of the same type in order to reproduce. However, it cannot be said that bacteria and viruses have the same reproductive strategies.

All unicellular organisms and some multicellular organisms (fungi) are combined into the concept of microbes, or microorganisms. Pathogenic microorganisms, penetrating into a living being, cause the development of an infectious disease. The body reacts with various symptoms, the nature of which makes it possible to determine the type of infectious agent and the localization of the pathological process. Microbes are divided into several types, among which the main ones are viruses and bacteria.

You can find various microbes in soil, water, air, the body of animals or humans. Microbes receive all the substances necessary for their vital activity through the shell of the host cells, since they do not have digestive organs. Microbes reproduce by budding or division. This process is facilitated by an ambient temperature of about 37-40 ° C.

Viruses are also characterized smaller sizes than other microbes. Therefore, representatives of this species cannot be seen under a conventional microscope - they are available for study only under an electron microscope. Their sizes can be from 8 to 250 nm. Unlike bacteria, they are able to pass through the pores of filters, therefore they are called filterable.

When penetrating into the cells of living organisms, the viral agent forces them to synthesize viral components. The cell is damaged. Such infectious agents can destroy the affected cell or exist in it for a long period of time (in chronic infectious diseases). There are no visible disturbances in such a carrier cell. Antibiotics do not work on these pathogens.

Interesting Facts:

1. Viruses cannot independently produce protein - a genetic set of information.
2. Viruses are the most numerous bioform on planet Earth.
3. About 33% of the components of the human genome are similar to viruses.
4. It is possible to grow this form in the laboratory on cultures from living tissues.
5. Viruses are not able to survive for a long time outside the host body (only a few minutes).

Features of bacterial microorganisms

The difference between microorganisms, first of all, is that bacteria are single-celled microorganisms with many functional abilities. They have a shell and a primitive core.

A certain number of bacteria can cause various infectious diseases. This property called pathogenicity. Most bacterial organisms can be cultivated on artificially prepared nutrient media. Bacteria multiply by dividing (the whole process takes 20-30 minutes). These microorganisms can be eliminated with antibacterial drugs - antibiotics.

There are bacteria that are not pathogenic. Some of them, on the contrary, help our body - bifidobacteria, lactobacilli. They are essential elements for the normal functioning of human organs and systems.

What are the differences between different microbes?

So, let's sum up. The difference between viruses and bacteria is as follows:

1. Some microorganisms have a cellular structure, while others are non-cellular.
2. Viruses are many times smaller than bacteria and other microbes.
3. The virus enters the cell and destroys it from the inside, and the bacteria from the outside.
4. Bacteria reproduce on their own, while viruses use the cells of a living organism for this.
5. Viral pathogens are unable to maintain their vital activity outside a living organism, and bacteria can form spores (a protective temporary form).
6. Bacterial microorganisms can be both beneficial and pathogenic, and viruses necessarily cause the development of pathology.
7. The difference in the treatment of diseases of viral and bacterial infections.
8. The difference in methods and materials for laboratory cultivation of pathogens of these types.

Needless to say, most infectious diseases are extremely difficult. Moreover, viral infections are the most difficult to treat. And this despite the fact that the arsenal of antimicrobial agents is replenished with more and more new means. But, despite the achievements of modern pharmacology, true antiviral drugs have not yet been obtained. Difficulties lie in the structural features of viral particles.

These representatives of the vast and diverse kingdom of microorganisms are often mistakenly confused with each other. Meanwhile, bacteria and viruses are fundamentally different. And in the same way, bacterial and viral infections differ from each other, as well as the principles of treatment of these infections. Although in fairness it should be noted that at the dawn of the formation of microbiology, when the “guilt” of microorganisms in the occurrence of many diseases was proved, all these microorganisms were called viruses. In literal translation from Latin, virus means poison. Then, in the course of scientific research, bacteria and viruses were isolated as separate independent forms of microorganisms.

The main feature that distinguishes bacteria from viruses is the cellular structure. Bacteria are, in fact, single-celled organisms, while viruses have a non-cellular structure. Recall that the cell has a cell membrane with the cytoplasm (basic substance) inside, the nucleus and organelles - specific intracellular structures that perform various functions of synthesis, storage and release of certain substances. The nucleus contains DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) in the form of paired helically twisted strands (chromosomes) in which genetic information is encoded. Based on DNA, RNA (ribonucleic acid) is synthesized, which, in turn, serves as a kind of matrix for protein formation. Thus, with the help of nucleic acids, DNA and RNA, hereditary information is transmitted and protein compounds are synthesized. And these compounds are strictly specific for each type of plant or animal.

True, some unicellular organisms, the most ancient in evolutionary terms, may not have a nucleus, the function of which is performed by a nucleus-like structure - the nucleoid. Such non-nuclear unicellular organisms are called prokaryota. Many types of bacteria have been found to be prokaryotes. And some bacteria can exist without a membrane - the so-called. L-shapes. In general, bacteria are represented by many types, between which there are transitional forms. By appearance There are bacteria-rods (or bacilli), curved (vibrios), spherical (cocci). Clusters of cocci can look like a chain (streptococcus) or a bunch of grapes (staphylococcus aureus). Bacteria grow well on carbohydrate and protein nutrient media in vitro (in vitro). And with the right method of seeding and fixing with certain dyes, they are clearly visible under a microscope.

Viruses

They are not cells, and unlike bacteria, their structure is rather primitive. Although, perhaps, this primitiveness is due to virulence - the ability of viruses to penetrate tissue cells and cause pathological changes in them. And the size of the virus is negligible - hundreds of times smaller than bacteria. Therefore, it can only be seen with an electron microscope. Structurally, a virus is 1 or 2 DNA or RNA molecules. On this basis, viruses are divided into DNA-containing and RNA-containing. As can be seen from this, a viral particle (virion) can do without DNA. A DNA or RNA molecule is surrounded by a capsid, a protein coat. That's the whole structure of the virion.

Approaching the cell, the viruses are fixed on its shell, destroying it. Further, through the formed envelope defect, the virion injects a strand of DNA or RNA into the cell cytoplasm. And that's it. After that, viral DNA begins to multiply inside the cell. And each new viral DNA is, in fact, new virus. After all, the protein inside the cell is synthesized not cellular, but viral. When a cell dies, many virions come out of it. Each of them, in turn, is looking for a host cell. And so on, exponentially.

Viruses are everywhere and everywhere, in places with any climate. There is not a single species of plants and animals that would not be subject to their invasion. It is believed that viruses were the very first life forms. And if life on Earth ends, then the very last elements of life will also be viruses. It should be noted that each type of virus infects only certain kind cells. This property is called tropism. For example, encephalitis viruses are tropic to brain tissue, HIV to cells of the human immune system, hepatitis virus to liver cells.

Basic principles of treatment of bacterial and viral infections

All microorganisms, bacteria, and viruses are prone to mutation - a change in their structure and genetic properties under the influence of external factors, which can be heat, cold, humidity, chemicals, ionizing radiation. Mutations are also caused by antimicrobial drugs. In this case, the mutated microbe becomes immune to the action of antimicrobial drugs. It is this factor that underlies resistance - the resistance of bacteria to the action of antibiotics.

The euphoria that took place several decades ago after penicillin was obtained from a mold has long subsided. And penicillin itself has long gone to a well-deserved rest, passing the baton in the infectious fight to other, younger and stronger antibiotics. The action of antibiotics against a bacterial cell can be different. Some drugs destroy the bacterial membrane, others inhibit the synthesis of microbial DNA and RNA, and others uncouple the course of complex enzymatic reactions in the bacterial cell. In this regard, antibiotics can have a bactericidal (destroy bacteria) or bacteriostatic (inhibit their growth and suppress reproduction) effect. Of course, bactericidal action is more effective than bacteriostatic.

But what about viruses? On them, as on non-cellular structures, antibiotics don't work at all.!

Then why are antibiotics prescribed for SARS?

Maybe they are illiterate doctors?

No, it's not about the professionalism of doctors. The bottom line is that almost any viral infection depletes and depresses the immune system. As a result, the body becomes susceptible not only to bacteria, but also to viruses. Antibiotics are prescribed as a preventive measure against a bacterial infection, which often comes as a complication of SARS.

It is noteworthy that viruses mutate much faster than bacteria. Perhaps this is due to the fact that there are no true antiviral drugs that can destroy viruses.

But what about Interferon, Acyclovir, Remantadine, other antiviral drugs? Many of these drugs activate the immune system, and thereby prevent the intracellular penetration of the virion, and contribute to its destruction. But a virus that has entered a cell is invincible. This is largely due to the persistence (latent asymptomatic course) of many viral infections.

An example is herpes, more precisely, one of its types, herpes labialis - labial herpes. The fact is that external manifestations in the form of bubbles on the lips are only the surface part of the iceberg. In fact, the herpes virus (a distant relative of the smallpox virus) is located in the brain tissue, and penetrates the mucous membrane of the lips through the nerve endings in the presence of provoking factors - mainly hypothermia. The aforementioned Acyclovir is able to eliminate only the external manifestations of herpes. But the virus itself, once "nested" in the brain tissue, stays there until the end of a person's life. A similar mechanism is observed in some viral hepatitis, in HIV. This is the reason for the difficulties in obtaining drugs for the full treatment of these diseases.

But there must be a cure, it cannot be that viral diseases are invincible. After all, humanity was able to overcome the storm of the Middle Ages - smallpox.

Without a doubt, such a medicine will be obtained. More precisely, it already exists. His name is human immunity.

Only our immune system is able to curb the virus. According to clinical observations, the severity of HIV infection has decreased markedly over 30 years. And if this continues, then in a few decades the frequency of the transition of HIV infection to AIDS and subsequent mortality will be high, but not 100%. And then this infection, perhaps, will be something like a normal quickly passing disease. But then, most likely, there will be a new dangerous virus like today's Ebola virus. After all, the struggle between Man and the Virus, as between the macrocosm and the microcosm, will continue as long as Life exists.

Taras Anatolievich Nevelichuk

comment 51 to the note "Differences between viral and bacterial infections"

Thank you very much for such a detailed answer. 😉

Usually the virus attacks first, and then the bacterial infection joins. Now the virus is sharpening me ... 😥 ARVI is called ...

There is an opinion that a bacterial infection can be recognized by the speed of the course of the disease - if the temperature stays for more than 37 for several days, and then rises - this is a virus. If immediately a sharp rise in temperature, often because of this with convulsions, then there was initially a bacterial infection. It would be interesting to know how reliable this is.

Temperature is a very non-specific symptom. For example, a high temperature of up to 39-40 ° can be with kidney cancer. Therefore, in general case Viral and bacterial infections cannot be distinguished by temperature.

Nevertheless, I do not rule out that for specific nosological forms, according to temperature and its dynamics, one can draw a conclusion about the alleged pathogen.

my daughter (she is 2.6 years old) had a temperature of 38.4 for 3 days and a red throat. The doctor has diagnosed a pharyngitis. Yesterday I gave her inhalations, today is the fourth day, she started having a runny nose and a wet cough. I don't understand what we had first a bacterial infection or a virus?

This is some kind of infection, but it is impossible to clearly say about the pathogen. Presumably viral.

Good afternoon!
I have a cold once or twice a year. or how to call it correctly: there is no temperature, for several years now, after the tonsils were removed, on the contrary, it is lowered, and does not rise above 36.4. The throat starts to ache a little, then it turns into a cough, dry. I drink antibiotics and bromhexine, after a few days it passes. If antibiotics help, then it is probably a bacterial infection. This is true?

The lack of temperature is embarrassing, they say this means that the body is not fighting the infection.

Temperature during infection, when anti-inflammatory drugs are not taken, is absent in 2 cases:
1) the infection is not severe, and the body is able to cope with it without fever.
2) the immune system is severely suppressed (for example, by tumor treatment).

The effectiveness of antibiotics still does not say anything, because. a cold goes away without them. Antibiotics should be taken according to indications, and not at will.

Thanks, very informative and interesting. And what would you advise if the temperature is 37 with a tail for several weeks and there are no symptoms, only weakness. Where to start looking for a diagnosis? Complete blood count is normal. 😥

Temperature from 37.0 to 37.9 is called subfebrile. If it were above 38 degrees, such a state would be called " fever of unknown origin". This is a large separate topic to establish the cause of such a fever. Look for information on the Internet.

Hello!

Please tell me, but now I definitely have a bacterial infection, since the snot and cough are green, and the doctor had the same thing ... He prescribed antibiotics, is it worth taking them at all? Or can be limited to those drops in the nose and ears that the doctor attributed to antibiotics?

And I also wanted to ask, is the bacterial infection somehow transmitted to other family members? Thank you.

Accept. You should not joke with a cough, and a runny nose can easily be complicated by sinusitis (and it has its own complications). Moreover, for nothing you would hardly go to the doctor.

It is transmitted, but, as a rule, not everyone gets sick.

Thank you very much! It’s not that I didn’t trust my doctor, I just wanted to hear the opinion of an independent specialist.
Yes, you are 100% right, I go to the doctor when it’s already really bad ...
And thank you for the quick response and for the article, very useful and informative.

Hello! please tell me what can i do to heal?

for a year after the removal of the cyst in the maxillary sinus, I continue to suffer from colds. The diagnosis according to the analyzes is chronic tonsillitis, staphylococcus aureus, streptococcus and cytomegalovirus were also found, the tamograph showed inflammation in the mucous membranes ... After a slight hypothermia, the inflammatory process immediately begins in the frontal sinuses of the nose. Help, because the doctors are already powerless!!! Now I drip my nose with miramistin, and then with staphylococcal bacteriophage, but so far without changes ...

Try drugs that stimulate local immunity in chronic tonsillitis (Imudon) and sinusitis (IRS-19).

Hello! My daughter is 9 months old, for two days the temperature is 39, she thought her teeth were coming, the doctor looked at her throat, it was red, but there was no pus, but he prescribed an antibiotic. Is it a bacterial infection? There are no other symptoms, only leukocytes in the urine are still elevated. After all, it can not be connected with the throat? Thank you!

The throat may be red and sore in both viral and bacterial infections. Taking into account the risk of streptococcal angina, age and high temperature, an antibiotic cannot be dispensed with. Streptococcus, in principle, is capable of causing complications to the kidneys, but not immediately. So now there is probably no connection between leukocytes in the urine and the throat.

You advise IRS, an excellent drug, I used it, but in Belarus (in Minsk) it is not available in pharmacies, they say it is not available. It's a pity. I get colds 4-5 times a year, on sick leave for 2 weeks “with a tail” - then laryngitis, then pharyngitis, then tonsillitis, then SARS. With endless nasal congestion (hr. vasomotor rhinitis), thanks to information from the Internet, I coped almost completely WITHOUT MEDICINES, at least a plot. The doctor recommended surgery. But almost constantly - colorless mucus, dry and deep cough at night, a lump "hangs" in the larynx. Is it a viral infection? I am treated with all sorts of rinses, nasal lavages, alkali-oil inhalations, I take propolis, herbal infusions, Vitrum, lozenges. All - with varying degrees of success, and so I would like to be healthy! 😉 Maybe try interferon or something. another, as an immunomodulator, what do you think?

IRS has not been sold in Belarus since last year. It seems like they didn’t renew the registration, this is a complicated procedure. But you can buy in neighboring countries.

As for dry and deep cough, it is necessary to be examined and establish the cause. Maybe environmental irritants, infection, allergies, autoimmune inflammation, tumor, finally.

Interferon is effective against viruses, but it is also produced by the body itself during infection.

hello. I have chronic tonsillitis. Yesterday I had a sharp sore throat, I looked, and one tonsil was covered with pus and hurts, there is no temperature, there is weakness, in the morning I have a headache. I smear with chlorophyllipt, rinse. question: everywhere on the Internet it is written that it is necessary to treat with antibiotics, but maybe I can do without them? It's just that after antibiotics, it takes a very long time to restore the microflora. And if antibiotics are required, which ones?

Treatment of chronic tonsillitis:

1) Immunostimulating therapy: imudon (preferably), IRS-19.

2) Physiotherapy with laser and ultrasound on the apparatus "Tonsillor" (in the clinic).

3) As for antibiotics and problems with the flora, it is better to contact an ENT doctor. For hemolytic streptococcus, drugs of the penicillin group are usually used.

4) Also read here: sunhome.ru/journal/13718/p1

I take drastic measures: I squeeze lemon juice onto cotton wool wrapped around a stick, and with a strong-willed movement with vomiting (but not vomiting), I wipe the tonsils. As a rule, the cork "pops" in the morning. Well, then - rinsing, rinsing with Lugol. And I also take propolis tincture (1 tsp per gram 20 of water) inside (almost like 100 g of alcohol -:), I try to drink a lot and be sure to take vitamins. And antibiotics, after all, are also different, it is necessary to select individually and always with the advice of a doctor. Get well!

Since all the same, doctors determine a viral infection or a bacterial one. after all the result of treatment depends on it? In my medical questionnaire it is written everywhere ARVI or ARVI with hr. tonsillitis and antibiotics are prescribed everywhere.

Is it correct to prescribe only antibiotics (without antiviral or immunostimulants) for a viral infection with an associated bacterial one?

Julia, usually by eye. With a viral infection, it is advisable to prescribe antiviral drugs. Although if not prescribed, the infection will pass naturally. Maybe just a little later.

I'll say more. Antibiotics are not needed for every bacterial infection. Often they are even harmful. Read: website/science/

In the West, with SARS, the patient is driven to the laboratory, where he pays for tests in cash or insurance, which are not and will not be in our country. Analyzes are expensive. We have some of them in private laboratories. Estimated cost 200-300 US dollars.

And so to the eye. There are criteria under which a bacterial infection can be suspected. They proceed from the principle of less - an antibiotic is a lesser evil than untreated streptococcal tonsillitis. Bacterial infection is very rare. Often an antibiotic is prescribed where needed and not needed.

A one-year-old child had a temperature of 38.8-39 for 2 days - a viral infection. on the 3rd day it fell to 37.5, and on the 4th it jumped to 39.5. They called a doctor who immediately prescribed antibiotics, saying that with these symptoms it was no longer a virus, but a bacterial infection had joined. Does such a jump in temperature indicate a bacterial infection? In addition to the temperature, there were snot with a cough, but from the very beginning of the disease.

Yes, such a sudden and sharp rise in temperature may indicate the addition of a bacterial infection.

Do I need to take a complete blood count to reliably confirm a bacterial infection?

A complete blood count does NOT provide reliable confirmation, only indirect. In immunology, an accurate confirmation of infection is an increase in the titer (concentration) of antibodies to the alleged pathogen by 4 or more times. 2 blood samples are taken - at the height of the disease and after recovery (not earlier than 2 weeks after the first sample). Unfortunately, this method can reliably determine the pathogen too late.

Tell me, please, does it make sense to use interferon-containing or immunomodulatory drugs in any case? They probably won't do any harm. After all, while the diagnosis has not been established, and judging by the comments, it can be installed incorrectly, immunomodulators can play a big role. And yet, sorry for the stupid question, interferon fights viruses, of course, but immunomodulatory action does not imply an increase in the activity of the immune system as a whole? Logically, the stronger the immune system, the more toothy the bacteria should be, right?

Does it make sense to use interferon-containing or immunomodulatory drugs in any case?

I think no. The body can handle itself.

immunomodulatory action does not imply an increase in the activity of the immune system as a whole?

Usually assumes, because everything is interconnected there.

Logically, the stronger the immune system, the more toothy the bacteria should be.

No. Bacteria have their own lives. But if the immune system is weak, they have more opportunities for reproduction and development.

To be honest, I don't know. There are research results on the Internet about the effectiveness of amixin in influenza and herpes, but they cannot be considered ideal in terms of evidence. Therefore, if amixin helps you personally and there are no contraindications, then you can take it.

For influenza and colds, antiviral treatment should be applied within the first 48 hours of the onset of the disease, later it ceases to be effective.

In influenza, oseltamivir (Tamiflu) and zanamivir (Relenza), as well as rimantadine, have proven efficacy (and often side effects). In other forms of the common cold, ribavirin and interferon inducers (arbidol, amixin, amizon, groprinosin) can be effective (because there is not enough evidence in clinical trials). More about viruses and treatment: website/info/729

For other viral infections (HIV, viral hepatitis, etc.), different antiviral drugs are used in long-term courses (several weeks and months).

Hello, what do you think about bioparox? I didn’t see a word about him, because this is a drug for the treatment of acute respiratory infections of any etiology !!!

Bioparox- an aerosol for topical use (inhalation), which contains the antibiotic fusafungin (fusafungin). Antibiotics do not act on viruses, so bioparox is useless in case of SARS.

Fuzafungin is not absorbed and acts on the mucous membranes only superficially, therefore, with deep bacterial processes in the respiratory tract (such as pneumonia), it is ineffective. It cannot be used for a long time (more than 10 days) because of the risk of developing dysbacteriosis on the mucous membranes.

Let me disagree with you a little. There is no pneumonia in the indications of bioparox, but if we consider, for example, with acute respiratory infections of viral etiology ... Bioparox has a dual mechanism of action, in addition to antibacterial, it also has an anti-inflammatory effect! Based on your article Viruses are compounds of protein and nucleic acid (DNA or RNA) that can reproduce only in the affected cell.". Accordingly, if we remove the inflammation, the virus will have nowhere to multiply. Those. Bioparox has not a direct effect on the virus, but an indirect one. Nevertheless, it is precisely by the double mechanism of action that we act on the main links.

Yes, Bioparox has an anti-inflammatory effect by reducing the amount of tumor necrosis factor (TNF-a; this is one of the substances that stimulate inflammation) and suppressing the synthesis of free radicals by macrophages. However, you do not understand the essence of the inflammatory response enough. ANY inflammation occurs as a result of tissue damage by any factors (viruses, bacteria, trauma, high or low temperature, oxygen starvation, etc.). Tissue damage is primary and inflammation is secondary. If we suppress inflammation with anti-inflammatory hormones (glucocorticoids), we create ideal conditions for the spread of viruses and bacteria throughout the body, because the inflammatory reaction prevents the infection from moving forward. The patient's condition will worsen.

Bioparox still cannot be used for any acute respiratory infections, as its antibacterial activity can lead to dysbacteriosis and the formation of resistant forms of bacteria. It is much safer to use, for example, a herbal preparation such as Sinupret, which thins mucus, reduces inflammation, restores protective properties and reduces swelling of the mucous membrane of the respiratory tract, promotes the outflow of exudate from the paranasal sinuses, has immunomodulatory and antiviral activity and is not a direct antibacterial agent.

P.S. It is possible and necessary to suppress pathological (autoimmune, allergic) and excessive inflammation. In other cases, the suppression of the inflammatory response may be fraught with danger.

I had this question, why do viral diseases go away on their own, while bacterial diseases need to be “treated”?

Viruses are able to develop only inside the affected cell, while bacteria multiply on their own and therefore do more harm. But this is a theory.

Not all bacterial infections are also treated (meaning antibiotics), but only if:
1) the patient's immune system is weakened or underdeveloped;
2) the infection is life-threatening (meningitis, pneumonia, etc.) or a purulent complication has occurred (peritonsillar abscess, etc.);
3) there is a risk of serious long-term complications (for example, rheumatism or post-streptococcal glomerulonephritis).

Hello! A week ago, I felt very unwell, I decided that the flu was developing, I drank according to the amixin scheme, a day later the doctor prescribed a lot of blood tests, I donated blood during a period of severe exacerbation of the disease (flu symptoms), all the results are normal, only CRP is very high 53. Tell me about what can this say, and could contraception and taking Amiksin affect such an indicator?

C-reactive protein is an indicator of inflammation that occurs with any tissue damage or death, so an increase in CRP levels during a cold (i.e., a viral or bacterial infection) is absolutely normal.

Taking oral contraceptives and a number of other conditions (diabetes mellitus, uremia, hypertension, increased or low physical activity, sleep disturbances, chronic fatigue, alcoholism, depression, hormone replacement therapy, third trimester of pregnancy, aging) can also lead to an increase in the level of C-reactive squirrel. More: medlab.kz/print/articles/1/6/

Amiksin is a stimulant for the formation of interferon (a natural regulator of the antiviral defense of the immune system), so I admit that it may have some effect on the level of C-reactive protein.

Taking amixin does not affect C-reactive protein in any way, it only impairs the functioning of the liver, kidneys and harms the retina. Naturally, it also does not help against a viral infection.

Did you save money on the flu shot?

All people, and especially parents of young children, are simply obliged to know the symptoms of a viral and bacterial infection, because each case of infection of the body implies a certain method of treatment. And what is effective in one case, can seriously harm in another. For example, bacteria die under the influence of antibiotics, while a viral infection can only be defeated with antiviral drugs. To begin with, let's try to figure out how, in fact, viruses differ from bacteria, and only after that we will understand how to distinguish a viral infection from a bacterial one.

What are viruses and bacteria

bacteria

Ever since school, we all know perfectly well that bacteria are single-celled organisms with the simplest structure, which can be easily seen through a microscope. Hundreds of different bacteria live in the human body, many of them are even quite friendly, for example, they help digest food. Nevertheless, bacteria can seriously annoy the human body, especially if the immune system is significantly weakened. A bacterial infection, the symptoms of which are easily distinguished from a viral one, is divided into several types:

• With a round shape - the same staphylococci.
• With an elongated shape - rod-shaped.
• Other forms are less common, but no less dangerous.

Viruses

Viruses are much smaller than bacteria, but both can greatly harm human health. That's just the effect of these infections will be somewhat different from each other. So how do you know if a viral or bacterial infection is storming this time?



What is the difference?

How to distinguish a viral infection from a bacterial one? At first glance, these two species are very similar and it is quite difficult to distinguish between them. Until now, many people confuse ARVI, which is caused by viruses, with acute respiratory infections, where the bacterial flora is involved. First of all, it is necessary for the attending physician to understand the diagnosis in order to prescribe the correct treatment. Some doctors manage to prescribe antibiotics to everyone in a row, without really understanding what exactly affects the body, thereby ruining an already weak immune system. If you are trying to figure out on your own how to distinguish a bacterial infection from a viral one, you can take a complete blood count, but the first thing you should pay attention to is the symptoms that accompany the disease.

Symptoms of infections

The main signs of a viral infection:

• Surprise - this is how the disease begins. For no reason at all, it literally knocks you off your feet. Yesterday you were absolutely healthy, but today you cannot get out of bed. There is no energy even for the most ordinary things.
• Aches all over the body - it seems that all the bones hurt at once, and this condition is accompanied by an increased body temperature.
• The defeat of the ENT organs - stuffy nose, sore throat (tear, difficult swallowing).
• Endless snot is usually a clear, profuse discharge from the nose, not accompanied by sneezing, there is an unpleasant pain.
• Loose stools, vomiting, skin rash - mostly observed in children.

Bacterial infection, symptoms are as follows:

• Purulent or greenish discharge from the nose.
• Increased body temperature, about 38-40 degrees, which can last a week and is accompanied by chills and sweating.
• There is fatigue, apathy, lack of appetite.
• Severe headaches may be present, migraine worsens.
• Since one of the organs is affected, it is he who is the focus of all pains and unpleasant sensations, for example, with sore throat, a sore throat, with salmonella, the stomach hurts, a person vomits, the stool is disturbed.

Diagnosis: how to distinguish a viral infection from a bacterial one by a blood test

In order to understand what kind of infection struck you this time, it is not necessary to be a doctor, it is enough to carefully study the answers of a general blood test, to which almost all doctors refer patients. The fact is that, depending on the nature of the infection, corresponding changes occur in the composition of the blood, and a clinical blood test will help determine what exactly this time is a provocateur. A viral or bacterial infection manifests itself in different ways. It is enough to learn how to correctly decipher the indicators, and you can safely proceed to further treatment.



If the infection is viral: decoding the analysis

In general, all transcripts and, of course, further treatment must be carried out by the attending physician. In no case should you self-medicate, but nevertheless, being overly vigilant also does not hurt. Any person should minimally understand the nature of his illness, understand that there is a bacterial and viral infection, what is the difference. At least in order to control the effectiveness of therapy, after all, doctors are people too and sometimes they can make mistakes. So, what does the response of a blood test of a patient suffering from a viral infection look like:

1. Leukocytes - almost always below normal or normal. An increase in leukocytes during viral infection is extremely unlikely.
2. Lymphocytes are usually higher than normal, however, just like monocytes.
3. Neutrophils - there is a significant decrease below the norm.
4. ESR - there may be ambiguous indicators: the norm or a slight decrease.

Even if all indicators of the analysis directly indicate the viral nature of the disease, one should not rush to conclusions, one should also take into account the symptoms of the disease. With viral etiology, the incubation period lasts an average of up to five days.

Analysis indicators for bacterial infection

When infected with a bacterial infection, the indicators may differ slightly, but in general the picture remains unchanged and has the following specific features:

1. Leukocytes - are normal, but most often elevated.
2. Neutrophils are normal or elevated.
3. Lymphocytes are reduced.
4. ESR - increased.
5. The presence of metamyelocytes and myelocytes is also noted.

The incubation period of a bacterial infection is somewhat longer than a viral one, about two weeks. In any case, even with absolute indicators, when a clinical blood test clearly indicates a viral or bacterial infection affects the body, one should not blindly rely on the results. Sometimes a bacterial infection is activated after a viral infection. Therefore, the prerogative to find out the true etiology is best left to the doctor.



How to treat diseases of various etiologies

Now that we have figured out how to distinguish a viral infection from a bacterial one, it's time to discuss the methods of treatment in a particular case. It should be remembered that viruses torment a person for an average of 2-4 days, then every day the patient becomes better, a bacterial infection can linger for 15-20 days and not give up its positions. A viral infection is accompanied by a general malaise and a sharp increase in temperature, while a bacterial infection acts locally, for example, only the throat. Therefore, in any case, do not neglect bed rest. Treatment of any infections implies, first of all, peace and relaxation. In addition, during the manifestation of the first signs, the following measures should be taken:

• drinking plenty of water - helps to remove toxins and decay products from the body, which will definitely be with a bacterial infection;
• medications - depending on the etiology, these can be antiviral drugs or antibiotics;
• topical medicines - these can be sprays for the nose, throat, cough syrup, etc .;
• inhalations - can be quite effective, only it is forbidden to do them if the patient has a fever or purulent discharge from the nose;
• folk medicines - the use of this method of therapy during bacterial and viral therapy is not contraindicated, but it is advisable to first agree with your doctor.

When children are infected with viral infections

Unfortunately, children get sick much more often than adults. This is due to weak immunity, an immature organism, plus everything in kindergartens and schools easily transmit infection to each other by airborne droplets.

Many parents, at the slightest suspicion of SARS in a baby, use a proven method of treatment that seems to have helped the last time, and thereby harm the small body more than help.

How to distinguish a viral infection from a bacterial one, we have already discussed the methods of treatment above. But how do viruses affect a delicate children's body?



Viral infection in children: symptoms and treatment

Depending on the specific pathogen, the symptoms may vary slightly, but the picture is generally the same:

• a sharp increase in temperature to 38-40 degrees;
• loss of appetite;
• congestion and copious discharge from the nose;
• cough;
• rapid breathing;
• sleep disturbance or, conversely, constant drowsiness;
• convulsions.

How many days the virus will storm in a particular case depends on the body's defenses and immunity. On average, it lasts from 4 days to two weeks.

Usually viral diseases in children are treated at home. They are sent to the hospital if there is a severe course of the disease, complications, as well as babies under the age of 1 year of life. But in any case, no matter how familiar the next snot of the child is, it is necessary to consult with the pediatrician.

How to behave as a parent when a child is sick

Now that we have figured out how a viral infection manifests itself in children, we also considered the symptoms and treatment, it would not hurt to repeat the basic rules that should be followed during therapy:

1. Children are restless and keeping them in bed is not an easy task, however, bed rest should be adhered to, at least until the temperature returns to normal.
2. You need to feed a sick child with light food, broths, vegetables and fruits. Do not forget to drink clean warm water more often.
3. You need to bring down the temperature after 38 degrees. At high temperatures, children's antipyretic drugs are used.
4. Children's antiviral drugs, such as "Anaferon", "Interferon", can be given from the first days of malaise.
5. If the cough does not stop for several days, it's time to start giving the child sweet cough syrups that thin and remove phlegm.
6. Redness and sore throat can be a cause of high fever. In this case, rinsing and treatment with various decoctions and solutions will come to the rescue.



List of viral diseases that are most common in our country

Viruses of groups A, B, C, familiar to all of us from childhood, these are the same colds and SARS.

Rubella - affects the respiratory tract, cervical lymph nodes, eyes and skin. More common in children.

Mumps - usually affects young children. When infected, damage to the respiratory tract, salivary glands is observed. Men subsequently develop infertility.

Measles is spread by airborne droplets. Children are more often affected.

Yellow fever is carried by mosquitoes and small insects.



Prevention and healing of the body

In order not to puzzle over how to determine whether a viral or bacterial infection in a particular case does not allow you to live a full life, it is enough just not to get sick. Or minimize the risk of infection. And for this, first of all, you need a good immune system. Therefore, do not forget to use personal hygiene products, constantly wash your hands with soap and water, temper your body, eat right, do not neglect vaccinations and use gauze bandages in public places.

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26.07.2020
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