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Bacteria and viruses are usually the primary cause of human and animal diseases, and even though the manifestations of both microorganisms are similar in nature, both bacteria and virus are different in transmission mechanism, structure and treatment. Bacteria are often classified as non-pathogenic, meaning they do not cause disease and in fact, are often beneficial, (“…certain bacteria, the actinomycetes, produce antibiotics such as streptomycin and nocardicin; others live symbiotically in the guts of animals (including humans) or elsewhere in their bodies, or on the roots of certain plants, converting nitrogen into a usable form”[1].) Viruses on the other hand, attach to host cells after infection, allowing the viral DNA or RNA to take control over the host cell – usually resulting in the destruction of this cell and infection of nearby cells. The human immunodeficiency virus, also known as HIV is a retrovirus containing an enzyme called ‘reverse transcriptase’ converts RNA into DNA upon entrance into a host cell. This is completely opposite to that of the normal biological process of converting DNA to RNA.

Many scientists believe that bacteria were one of the oldest life forms that occupied the earth billions of years ago. Bacteria are classified as prokaryotes, meaning that they lack nuclei, other organelles and are unicellular (single cell) organisms that do not require living tissue to survive, suggesting that they can live in most environments. Some bacteria can withstand boiling water, while others can stay alive during extremely cold temperatures, (“They feed off everything from sugar and starch to sunlight, sulfur and iron” [4].). Bacteria can live in soil or water, while others prefer the moist environment of the human body. Even strong amounts of radiation will not impact certain types of such microorganisms. Bacteria are vital in recycling nutrients and are involved in many important steps such as nitrogen fixation, which is the...