What's the Difference Between Germs, Bacteria, and Viruses?

While shopping a few weeks back, just as fears about the coronavirus were reaching the United States, I came across the soap aisle. The shelves were barren of all the soaps labeled antibacterial, but plain old soap was still in plentiful supply. It seemed people didn't realize that antibacterial soap isn't any better at fighting viruses—plain old soap will do just fine. Antibacterial products are meant to deal with bacteria. Viruses and bacteria are not the same.

It's been a challenge to get good, clear, accurate information during the pandemic. Not only is our understanding of the new coronavirus still evolving, but the messaging around it is often imprecise or outright wrong. Recently, President Trump said that "one of the biggest problems the world has is the germ has gotten so brilliant that the antibiotic can't keep up with it." Although it's not clear whether he was specifically referring to the coronavirus as "the germ," that ambiguity alone is confusing.

The hint about what the coronavirus is lies in the name—it's a virus. Antibiotics won't "keep up with it" because they're not meant to fight viruses; they fight bacterial infections.

So, what is the difference between germs, viruses, and bacteria? Let's clear that up.

What are germs?

The word “germ” is a catch-all phrase that can mean any microscopic particle that can cause illness in humans. The word germ comes from the Latin word germen, which means seed or sprout. That’s because early scientists studying germs thought about them as little seeds that spread between organisms. 

The idea that disease-spreading organisms could pass from person to person existed as far back as ancient Greece. But before germ theory became widely accepted in the late 19th century, not all scientists believed in the idea of germs. In the Middle Ages—including during the time of the Black Death—the idea that tiny invisible things could make you sick if they touched you seemed far-fetched. Back then, the prevailing theory about how diseases spread was miasma theory. It held that rotting organic matter created a vaporous mist filled with disease-causing particles. It was believed that being in an area where "bad air" was present was the cause of disease. 

The idea that disease-spreading organisms could pass from person to person existed as far back as ancient Greece.

Of course, we know that sanitation is important for controling the spread of disease. Although miasma theory got it wrong, the idea itself led to reforms and...

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