Bacterial and Viral infections

• In a person infected with a virus, the symptoms develop much more quickly. This is because when viruses reproduce they infect a living cell and use the materials and structures already inside that cell to produce many more viruses. One virus can produce many viruses at the same time which can infect more cells immediately so symptoms occur quickly.

• In a person infected with a bacteria, the symptoms develop more slowly because it takes time for the numbers of bacteria to increase to a level where effects are felt. for example a small number of bacteria producing toxins wont have a big effect but as the numbers of bacteria increase, more toxin is produced so the symptoms slowly develop. Bacteria divide by binary fission and can divide every 20 minutes in suitable conditions but the numbers build up slowly compared to viruses. Bacteria also have to feed and build up materials and energy to reproduce which viruses do not have to do.