Question

Which is the smallest virus or bacteria?

Answer 1

Hint: The microorganisms are the smallest organisms that cannot be seen through the naked eye. They can only be seen through a microscope. Bacteria and viruses are both living organisms that cause many infections to both plants and animals. The smallest organism is one that causes several diseases like the common cold and needs a host for replication.

Complete answer:
The bacteria and virus both are infectious agents which cause several diseases to both plants and animals. They are present in abundance in the atmosphere around us. They have their own genetic material by which they synthesise their own proteins to carry out their physiology. Let us discuss both the organisms in detail.

Bacteria- Bacteria are unicellular organisms that are present everywhere around us. These are the small prokaryotic cells whose size is around one-tenth of the size of a eukaryotic cell. These organisms range from 0.5-5 micrometre in length. Some of the bacterial species can live in extreme conditions like high temperature, salinity etc. The bacteria have naked DNA which is present in the cytoplasm. They divide by the process of asexual reproduction like sporulation, binary fission etc. There are several types of bacteria present in the human body.

Virus- Viruses are the smallest organisms that are found everywhere. The size of the virus is around 20nanometre. The virus lives as an inert body until it gets a host for replication. It consists of DNA or RNA as a genetic material enclosed within a protein capsid. The replication of the virus occurs inside the living host. The host can be plants, animals or humans. Some of the diseases that are caused by viruses are AIDS, influenza etc.

So we can say that virus is smaller than bacteria.

Note: The virus can infect the host in a number of ways. It can lead to metabolic alterations, damage the immune cells of the host. The virus can transform the cells into tumour cells and even lead to host cell death. It can also cause mutations that are inherited from generation to generation.