Differences between viruses bacteria protists

Unlike bacteria , they need a host such as a human or animal to multiply. Fungi singular: fungus are a kingdom of usually multicellular eukaryotic organisms that are heterotrophs cannot make their own food and have important roles in nutrient cycling in an ecosystem. Fungi reproduce both sexually and asexually, and they also have symbiotic associations with plants and bacteria. Yes fungi kill bacteria. Fungi such as Penicillium chrysogenum and Acremonium chrysogenum have the ability to kill bacteria by antibiotic production.

Both these antibiotics kill the Gram positive bacteria by interfering with cell wall synthesis. At their root are fungi, not the bacteria or viruses that cause other infections. Technically speaking, " ringworm is a dermatophyte," says Weinberg.

A dermatophyte is simply a type of fungi that can cause skin, hair, or nail infections. These fungi can cause infections on many areas of the body. For classification, the protists are divided into three groups: Animal -like protists, which are heterotrophs and have the ability to move. Plant -like protists, which are autotrophs that photosynthesize. Fungi -like protists, which are heterotrophs, and they have cells with cell walls and reproduce by forming spores.

Monera is found in the moist environment. They can be found in hot springs deep oceans, snow and as parasites in organisms. Plant-like protists produce almost one-half of the oxygen on the planet through photosynthesis.

Other protists decompose and recycle nutrients that humans need to live. All protists make up a huge part of the food chain. Characteristics of Protists Protists are eukaryotic organisms that cannot be classified as a plant , animal , or fungus. They are mostly unicellular, but some, like algae, are multicellular. Kelp, or 'seaweed,' is a large multicellular protist that provides food, shelter, and oxygen for numerous underwater ecosystems.

Some of the fungus-like protists , such as the slime molds Figure below , decompose decaying matter. The animal-like protists must " eat " or ingest food. Some animal-like protists use their "tails" to eat. The protist wraps around its prey, which is usually bacteria. Bacteria are considered to be prokaryotes, which means they do not have a nucleus and other membrane-bound organelles.

Instead, the DNA is found in the nuceloid, a region with no membrane, or as a plasmid, a small circle of extra genetic information, floating right in the cytoplasm, the fluid that fills the cell. Bacteria reproduce by binary fission. In this process the bacterium, which is a single cell, divides into two identical daughter cells. Binary fission begins when the DNA of the bacterium divides into two replicates.

The protists can be classified into one of three main categories, animal-like, plant-like, and fungus-like. Grouping into one of the three categories is based on an organism's mode of reproduction, method of nutrition, and motility. Vaccines give preemptive protection from certain viruses by training the body's immune system to recognize and attack a specific virus. Common forms: Bacteria cause food poisoning, strep throat and urinary tract infections , as well as infections such as tuberculosis.

Bacteria are bigger and more complex than viruses, though they can still spread through the air. A bacterium is a single cell, and it can live and reproduce almost anywhere on its own: in soil, in water and in our bodies. For the most part, we live peacefully with bacteria—the colonies in our guts are helpful to us and strengthen our immune system. But like viruses, bacteria can also harm us by replicating quickly in our bodies, killing cells.

Some bacteria also produce toxins which can kill cells and cause an outsized, damaging immune reaction. Broad-spectrum antibiotics were developed to kill bacteria in our bodies and in the food supply by inhibiting their growth. But bacteria are extremely adaptive and can quickly evolve to evade antibiotics. Bacteria share their antibiotic-resistant genes with each other, meaning more strains generate resistance to the drugs we use.

Common forms: Fungi are responsible for causing conditions such as yeast infections , valley fever and meningitis. Fungi are more complicated organisms than viruses and bacteria—they are "eukaryotes," which means they have cells. Of the three pathogens, fungi are most similar to animals in their structure. There are two main types of fungi: environmental, which are yeast and mold that often live in soil and don't generally cause infection in most healthy people; and commensals, which live on and in us and generally don't hurt us.

Certain environmental fungi reproduce "spores," particles that can enter our body through the lungs or on the skin. These fungi can be especially damaging for people with weakened immune systems, as the fungi can spread quickly and damage many organs. Fungi are slower to mutate, so they are easier to target with antifungal medications than bacteria are with antibiotics.

Skip to content. This type of reproduction is called asexual because there is no exchange or combination of nuclear material between two organisms. Fission occurs rapidly in as little as 20 minutes.

Under perfect conditions a single bacterium could grow into over one billion bacteria in only 10 hours! A large group of bacteria is called a colony, which you can often see without magnification. Different colonies can be identified by their shape, texture, and color. Some bacteria can also reproduce asexually by forming thick-walled endospores that are very resistant to conditions of extended heat, cold, or dryness. An endospore is formed within the cell body of a bacterium.

Usually a bacterium forms only one endospore and that endospore will produce only a single bacterium. Endospores are difficult to kill except by strong chemicals or high heat. All the species in the Bacillus genus of bacteria produce endospores. Even the simple determination that a bacteria specimen is gram-positive or gram-negative can direct a doctor in diagnosis, as different bacteria cause different diseases. For example, the bacteria that causes scarlet fever is gram-positive, while that which causes typhoid or cholera is gram-negative.

In addition, this classification process can help a doctor determine proper treatment, as some gram-negative bacteria are able to resist many common antibiotics. So, how does it work? The stain will wash from a gram-negative cell because its cell wall contains more lipids fatty substances than a gram-positive cell. The washing solvent dissolves the lipid layer in gram-negative bacteria, allowing the color to be drawn from the cell. In contrast, the solvent causes the gram-positive cell wall to dehydrate, closing the pores and trapping the stain inside the cell.

Protists are unicellular eukaryotic organisms: their cell nuclei are enclosed in membranes. They live in water or watery tissues within the body, in the case of some diseases and are classified in their own kingdom. You might have heard of some of these protists before: amoeba, euglena, paramecium, dinoflagellates, slime mold, and even most algae.

Kingdom Protista seems to be the catch-all category of the cell world! Protozoa use different kinds of movement: an amoeba uses amoeboid movement, flowing along with pseudopods , or temporary foot-like extensions. This is also the way the white blood cells in our bodies move. A euglena moves with a whip-like tail called a flagellum , and a paramecium uses tiny hairlike-threads called cilia on its body to propel it along.

Eating habits amongst protozoans vary, too. Some protists, such as euglena or volvox a type of algae , use chloroplasts to generate energy through photosynthesis similar to the way plants do. Euglenas also serve as decomposers, by feeding off dead organisms. A paramecium sweeps its food down an oral groove lined with cilia, into a gullet that closes off when full and becomes a food vacuole.