Viruses and Bacterial Infections

Antibiotic

Powerful medicines that fight bacterial infections in people and in animals by killing bacteria or stopping them from growing

Capsid

The protective protein shell of a virus that surrounds its genetic material (DNA or RNA)

Cell

The smallest, basic unit of life that makes up all living organisms

DNA Virus

An infectious agent that uses DNA as its genetic material

Genetic Material

The hereditary substance inside a cell that carries all the biological instructions to build, maintain, and control an organism

Host

A larger living organism that harbors a smaller organism or virus, usually providing it with food, shelter, or a place to live

Immune cells

Specialized white blood cells that protect to body against infections, foreign invaders, and abnormal cells like cancer

Retrovirus

A type of virus that stores its genetic blueprint in RNA instead of DNA and uses special enzymes to copy that code into the host cell’s DNA

Pathogen

A tiny organism or agent, such as bacterium or virus, that causes disease

Bacteriophage

A virus that infects and replicates inside bacteria