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An Invisible Universe: Diversity of Virus, Viroid, Prion and Bacteria

In Partial Fulfillment in Microbiology

Bachelor of Science in Biology

Dechoso, Rochelle R.

Presco, Cristel Joy E.

Romero, Ma. Kim Saira

Terrago, Nika

Villacrusis, Kaye Angeli

Villaflores, Grace Ann B.

Villaluz, Justin April B.

Camarines Norte State College

Daet, Camarines Norte

February 20, 2023

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

  Title                                                                                                                   Page
TITLE PAGE               1
TABLE OF CONTENTS 2
INTRODUCTION 3
OBJECTIVE 4
DISCUSSION
Viruses
Meaning/Description 4
Functions 4
Structure 5
Examples 6
Viroid
Meaning/Description 8
Functions 8
Structure 9
Examples 9
Prions
Meaning/Description 10
Functions 11
Structure 11
Examples 12
Bacteria
Meaning/Description 13
Functions 13
Structure 14
Examples 16
Differences between Viruses, Viroids, Prions from one another, 18
and from Bacteria
Similarities of Viruses, Viroids, Prions, and Bacteria 20
CONCLUSION 22
BIBLIOGRAPHY 23
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INTRODUCTION 

Microbiology is a world under the microscope, which becomes the invisible world of

microorganisms that take up most of the part of the earth as they are found all over the places

and even inside human bodies. These complex communities of microbes which include

bacteria, fungi, viruses, and other microorganisms play a vital role in controlling most aspects

of the ecosystem which live as a free-living state, parasitic, or as a host. Infectious agents are

inanimate objects that can spread disease when they come into contact with a living host cell.

While prions, viroid, and viruses are thought to be infectious agents like bacteria, they are not

thought of as living things. Viruses, viroid, and virusoids are distinct organisms that interact

in a variety of ways with other living forms, spanning mutualistic to parasitic.

Microorganisms are beneficial when it comes to providing nutrition, production of oxygen,

and even the decomposition of materials; however, some of the microbes are pathogenic,

microbes that cause diseases. A growing understanding of the fundamental role of microbes

in the human immune system has revolutionized the field of immunology and microbiology

over the past few years. Scientists studied the type of cellular composition, morphology,

mode of nutrition, movement, and reproduction of each microorganism that have paved the

way for the future of medicine, industry, and research. However, many microbes still become

a mystery in the field of biology like the origin of the virus or how the prions reproduce. This

paper seeks to make such information as understandable as possible so that students from a

variety of biology backgrounds can deepen their grasp of these intriguing things. Therefore,

this paper will show how the virus, viroid, virions, and bacteria differ from each other to

understand why there is still a mystery in the field of science.

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Objective:

            This report aims to differentiate viruses, viroid, prions from one another, and from
bacteria. 
Specifically, its:
1. Meaning/Description
2. Functions
3. Structures

DISCUSSION 

Viruses

Meaning/Description: 
  A virus is an infectious microorganism made up of a nucleic acid segment (DNA or
RNA) wrapped by a protein coat. Viruses are unable to multiply on their own; instead,
they must infect cells in order to utilize the components of the host cell to generate
copies of themselves. A capsid, which is a protein shell, surrounds a virus' DNA or
RNA genome.
 Viruses are small obligate intracellular parasites, which by definition contain either a
RNA or DNA genome surrounded by a protective, virus-coded protein coat. Viruses
may be viewed as mobile genetic elements, most probably of cellular origin and
characterized by a long co-evolution of virus and host.

Functions:

 Viruses are inert outside the host cell. Small viruses, e.g., polio and tobacco mosaic
virus, can even be crystallized. Viruses are unable to generate energy. As obligate
intracellular parasites, during replication, they fully depend on the complicated
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biochemical machinery of eukaryotic or prokaryotic cells. The main purpose of a

virus is to deliver its genome into the host cell to allow its expression (transcription
and translation) by the host cell.
 For propagation viruses depend on specialized host cells supplying the complex
metabolic and biosynthetic machinery of eukaryotic or prokaryotic cells. 
 There are two processes used by viruses to replicate: the lytic cycle and lysogenic
cycle. Some viruses reproduce using both methods, while others only use the lytic
cycle. In the lytic cycle, the virus attaches to the host cell and injects its DNA. Using
the host’s cellular metabolism, the viral DNA begins to replicate and form proteins.
Then fully formed viruses assemble. These viruses break, or lyse, the cell and spread
to other cells to continue the cycle.
 Like the lytic cycle, in the lysogenic cycle the virus attaches to the host cell and
injects its DNA. From there, the viral DNA gets incorporated into the host’s DNA and
the host’s cells. Each time the host’s cells go through replication, the virus’s DNA
gets replicated as well, spreading its genetic information throughout the host without
having to lyse the infected cells.

Structure:

 Most commonly found structures in viruses are capsid, nucleic acid genome, and
envelope (not found in every virus).

1. Capsid - is a protein shell that is made up of many protein molecules. The

proteins join to make a unit called capsomers which together make up the
capsids. Capsids come in different shapes which is icosahedral (have twenty
faces, and are named after the twenty-sided shape), filamentous (named after
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their linear, thin, thread-like appearance and they may also be called rod-
shaped or helical) and head-tail (a kind of hybrid between the first two
capsids, which basically icosahedral head attached to a filamentous tail).

2. Nucleic acid genome - is made up of DNA or RNA that tucked inside the capsids. It
involves the storage and expression of genetic information. It allows the genetic
information to the offspring. But note that passing genetic material of the virus will
not occur without the host cell of other species.
3. Envelope - some viruses also have an external lipid membrane known as an
envelope, which surrounds the entire capsid that helps protect the virus from
the host’s immune system. The envelope may also have receptor molecules
that can bind with host cells. They make it easier for the virus to infect the
cells.

Examples:

 Hepatitis A virus

Hepatitis A virus (HAV), classified as hepatovirus, is a small, unenveloped

symmetrical RNA virus which shares many of the characteristics of the picornavirus
family, and is the cause of infectious or epidemic hepatitis transmitted by the fecal-
oral route. Hepatitis A virus is spread by the fecal-oral route, person-to-person
contact; and under conditions of poor sanitation and overcrowding. Common source
outbreaks are most frequently initiated by fecal contamination of water and food, but
waterborne transmission is not a major factor in maintaining this infection in
industrialized communities. On the other hand, many food-borne outbreaks have been
reported. This can be attributed to the shedding of large quantities of virus in the feces
during the incubation period of the illness in infected food handlers; the source of the
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outbreak often can be traced to uncooked food or food that has been handled after
cooking. 

 Feline Leukemia Virus

Feline leukemia virus (FeLV) is one of the most common infectious diseases
in cats, affecting between 2 and 3% of all cats in the United States. Infection rates are
significantly higher (up to 30%) in cats that are ill or otherwise at high risk.
Fortunately, the prevalence of FeLV in cats has decreased significantly in the past 25
years since the development of an effective vaccine and accurate testing procedures. 

Cats persistently infected with FeLV serve as sources of infection for other
cats. The virus is shed in saliva, nasal secretions, urine, feces, and milk of infected
cats. Cat-to-cat transfer of the virus may occur from a bite wound, during mutual
grooming, and (rarely) through the shared use of litter boxes and feeding dishes.
Transmission can also take place from an infected mother cat to her kittens, either
before they are born or while they are nursing. FeLV does not survive long outside a
cat's body – probably less than a few hours under normal household conditions.

 Nipah Virus

Nipah virus (NiV) is a zoonotic virus (it is transmitted from animals to

humans) and can also be transmitted through contaminated food or directly between
people. In infected people, it causes a range of illnesses from asymptomatic
(subclinical) infection to acute respiratory illness and fatal encephalitis. The virus can
also cause severe disease in animals such as pigs, resulting in significant economic
losses for farmers.  

 Adenovirus

Adenoviruses are medium-sized (90-100 nm), non-enveloped icosahedral

viruses with double-stranded DNA. More than 50 types of immunologically distinct
adenoviruses can cause infections in humans. Adenoviruses are relatively resistant to
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common disinfectants and can be detected on surfaces, such as doorknobs, objects,

and water of swimming pools and small lakes.

Adenoviruses most commonly cause respiratory illness. The illnesses can

range from the common cold to pneumonia, croup, and bronchitis.

 Measles 

 is caused by a single-stranded, enveloped RNA virus with 1 serotype. It is

classified as a member of the genus Morbillivirus in the Paramyxoviridae family.
Humans are the only natural hosts of measles virus. Measles is an acute viral
respiratory illness. It is characterized by a prodrome of fever (as high as 105°F) and
malaise, cough, coryza, and conjunctivitis -the three “C”s, followed by a
maculopapular rash. The rash usually appears about 14 days after a person is exposed.
The rash spreads from the head to the trunk to the lower extremities.

Viroid

Meaning/Description: 
 Infectious agents known as viroids are entirely made up of naked RNA and lack any
kind of protein coat or other layer of protection. Plants are the only living things that
are infected by viroids, which replicate at the expense of the host cell. Viroid genomes
are small circles of single-stranded RNA ranging from 250 to 400 bases long.
 Viroids are small, circular RNA pathogens which infect a variety of agricultural
plants and can cause economically significant illnesses. They do not contain proteins,
but they do provide a variety of RNA structural components that interact with host
factors.

Functions:
 Mature viroids consist of a noncoding, covalently closed circular RNA that is able to
autonomously infect respective host plants. Thus, they must utilize proteins of the
host for most biological functions such as replication, processing, transport, and
pathogenesis. Therefore, viroids can be regarded as minimal parasites of the host
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machinery. They have to present to the host machinery the appropriate signals based
on either their sequence or their structure. Here, we summarize such sequence and
structural features critical for the biological functions of viroids.

Structure:

 Structurally, viroids are smaller than viruses and possess circular strands of
ribonucleic acids (RNA’s) with no protein coating. Viroids contain five
structural/functional domains such as, conserved central domain, pathogenic
domain, variable domain, left terminal domain, and right terminal domain.

Examples:

 Potato spindle tuber viroid (PSTVd) is a quarantine pest detected in seeds and
tubers of potato in some East European countries (Belarus, Russia, and Ukraine;
EPPO/CABI, 1997). Potato Spindle Tuber Viroid (PSTVd) is an EU listed quarantine
pathogen of potatoes which causes stunting of the plant and malformation and
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cracking of tubers. The main host is potatoes but the disease also affects tomatoes and
solanaceous ornamentals.

 Chrysanthemum stunt viroid (CSVd) is a small, single-stranded, infectious RNA

forming a circu- lar secondary structure, which belongs to the Pospiviroidae family
and mainly infects certain species and cultivars of Compositae and Solanaceae.

 Tomato apical stunt viroid (TASVd) is a serious pathogen of tomato. Pathways for
introduction include tomato seedlings, tomato seeds and ornamentals. If spread to a
tomato, considerable losses could result.

 Citrus exocortis is a disease of citrus plants, caused by the Citrus exocortis viroid
(CEVd). It can cause stunted growth and reduced yields in affected plants. The
disease is also sometimes called "scalybutt". CEVd can also infect tomato plants. The
resulting disease is sometimes called "tomato bunchy top disease".

 Cucumber pale fruit, one reason that cucumber fruit turns white is a fungal disease
called powdery mildew. This problem begins on the upper surface of the fruit and the
cucumbers may look as though they have been dusted with flour.

Prions

Meaning/Description:
 A prion is a misfolded rogue form of a normal protein (PrPc) found in the cell. This
rogue prion protein (PrPsc), which may be caused by a genetic mutation or occur
spontaneously, can be infectious, stimulating other endogenous normal proteins to
become misfolded, forming plaques.
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 A prion is a protein that changes its three-dimensional shape, which can cause
disease. Prions are found in the brain and are resistant to proteases. The function of
prions is not fully understood, but they are believed to play a role in intracellular
signaling and cell adhesion.

Functions: 
 Prions are known to cause various forms of transmissible spongiform encephalopathy
(TSE) in humans and animals. TSE is a rare degenerative disorder that affects the
brain and nervous system. The accumulation of rogue proteins causes the brain tissue
to become sponge-like, killing brain cells and forming holes in the tissue, leading to
brain damage, loss of motor coordination, and dementia. Infected individuals are
mentally impaired and become unable to move or speak. There is no cure, and the
disease progresses rapidly, eventually leading to death within a few months or years.

Structure:
Prion proteins (PrP) found in our body and those that cause diseases are structurally
different. Some of them are even resistant to proteases (enzymes that degrade protein). We
will look at both isoforms.
1. PrPC – These proteins are found on the membranes of cells. They are believed
to play important roles in intracellular signaling and cell adhesion. However,
research is ongoing as the issues related to its function haven’t been solved.
2. PrPSc – This disease-causing prion is protease-resistant. It changes the PrPC
by affecting its conformation. The change in structure changes how it interacts
and interconnects with proteins! The 3-D structure of these prions is not
known, but what we do know is that they have more beta-sheets than the usual
alpha-helix structure. This prion also forms highly structured amyloid fibers.
The end of the fiber acts as a template for other free proteins to attach. Only
similar prions with similar amino acids can bind! Cross-species binding is
very rare, but it is possible.
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Examples:

 Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD)

 Is a rapidly progressive, invariably fatal neurodegenerative disorder believed
to be caused by an abnormal isoform of a cellular glycoprotein known as the prion
protein. CJD occurs worldwide and the estimated annual incidence in many countries,
including the United States, has been reported to be about one case per million
population.
Classic CJD is a human prion disease. It is a neurodegenerative disorder with
characteristic clinical and diagnostic features.

 Gerstmann-Straussler-Scheinker disease (GSS)

 Is a type of prion disease. Prion diseases are a group of conditions that affect
the nervous system. The main feature of GSS is a progressive degeneration of the
cerebellum (a part of the brain that controls coordination, balance, equilibrium and
muscle tone), as well as different degrees of dementia. It is caused by changes in the
PRNP gene and inheritance is autosomal dominant.

 Kuru
 Is a prion disease that now occurs rarely if ever. It causes rapid deterioration
of mental function and loss of coordination. This disease was once common among
natives of the Papua New Guinea highlands and was transmitted by cannibalism that
was part of the native burial ritual. Prions were probably acquired during a burial
ritual, which involved eating tissues of a dead relative as a sign of respect (called
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ritual cannibalism). Kuru probably started when prion-contaminated tissues from a

person with Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease were eaten.

 Fatal insomnia
 Is a rare prion disease that interferes with sleep and leads to deterioration of
mental function and loss of coordination. Death occurs within a few months to a few
years. Fatal familial insomnia and sporadic fatal insomnia differ from other prion
diseases because they affect predominantly one area of the brain, the thalamus, which
influences sleep.

Bacteria

Meaning/Description: 

 Bacteria are metabolically active, single-celled microorganisms that divide by binary

fission and lack a nuclear membrane. In terms of medicine, they are a major cause of
disease. Bacteria appear to be basic forms of life on appearance, but they are clever
and highly adaptable.
 Bacteria are single-celled microorganisms. Bacteria may be found practically
wherever on the earth and are vital to the planet's ecosystems. Some species can
survive in severe temperatures and pressures. The human body is filled with bacteria,
and it is estimated that bacterial cells exceed human cells. Most bacteria in the body
are harmless, and some are even beneficial. Disease is caused by a small number of
species.

Functions:

 The bacteria in our bodies help degrade the food we eat, help make nutrients available
to us and neutralize toxins, to name a few examples. Also, they play an essential role
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in the defense against infections by protecting colonized surfaces from invading

pathogens.
 Bacteria are microscopic, single-celled organisms without membrane-bound nuclei to
contain their genetic information. They can replicate on their own but may also
exploit the host's resources and own tissues to thrive, which can cause tissue damage
and make the host sick.

Structure:

 Capsule - made up of polysaccharides (complex carbohydrates). Capsules play a

number of roles, but the most important are to keep the bacterium from drying out and
to protect it from phagocytosis (engulfing) by larger microorganisms. The capsule is a
major virulence factor in the major disease-causing bacteria, such as Escherichia coli
and Streptococcus pneumoniae. Nonencapsulated mutants of these organisms are
avirulent, i.e. they don't cause disease.

 Cell Envelope - made up of two to three layers: the interior cytoplasmic membrane,
the cell wall, and -- in some species of bacteria -- an outer capsule.

 Cell Wall - it surrounds the cytoplasmic membrane, protecting it from the

environment. It also helps to anchor appendages like the pili and flagella. The strength
of the wall is responsible for keeping the cell from bursting when there are large
differences in osmotic pressure between the cytoplasm and the environment.
Cell wall composition varies widely amongst bacteria and is one of the most
important factors in bacterial species analysis and differentiation. When exposed to a
gram stain, gram-positive bacteria retain the purple color of the stain because the
structure of their cell walls traps the dye. In gram-negative bacteria, the cell wall is
thin and releases the dye readily when washed with an alcohol or acetone solution.

 Cytoplasm - The cytoplasm of bacterial cells is where the functions for cell growth,
metabolism, and replication are carried out. It is a gel-like matrix composed of water,
enzymes, nutrients, wastes, and gasses and contains cell structures such as ribosomes,
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a chromosome, and plasmids. The cell envelope encases the cytoplasm and all its
components. 

 Cytoplasmic Membrane - A layer of phospholipids and proteins, called the

cytoplasmic membrane, encloses the interior of the bacterium, regulating the flow of
materials in and out of the cell. This is a structural trait bacteria share with all other
living cells; a barrier that allows them to selectively interact with their environment.
Membranes are highly organized and asymmetric having two sides, each side with a
different surface and different functions. Membranes are also dynamic, constantly
adapting to different conditions.

 Flagella - Flagella (singular, flagellum) are hairlike structures that provide a means of
locomotion for those bacteria that have them. They can be found at either or both ends
of a bacterium or all over its surface. The flagella beat in a propeller-like motion to
help the bacterium move toward nutrients; away from toxic chemicals; or, in the case
of the photosynthetic cyanobacteria; toward the light.

 Nucleoid - The nucleoid is a region of cytoplasm where the chromosomal DNA is

located. It is not a membrane bound nucleus, but simply an area of the cytoplasm
where the strands of DNA are found. Most bacteria have a single, circular
chromosome that is responsible for replication, although a few species do have two or
more. Smaller circular auxiliary DNA strands, called plasmids, are also found in the
cytoplasm.

 Pili - Many species of bacteria have pili (singular, pilus), small hairlike projections
emerging from the outside cell surface. These outgrowths assist the bacteria in
attaching to other cells and surfaces, such as teeth, intestines, and rocks. Without pili,
many disease-causing bacteria lose their ability to infect because they're unable to
attach to host tissue. Specialized pili are used for conjugation, during which two
bacteria exchange fragments of plasmid DNA.
 Ribosomes - Ribosomes are microscopic "factories" found in all cells, including
bacteria. They translate the genetic code from the molecular language of nucleic acid
to that of amino acids—the building blocks of proteins. Proteins are the molecules
that perform all the functions of cells and living organisms. Bacterial ribosomes are
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similar to those of eukaryotes, but are smaller and have a slightly different
composition and molecular structure. Bacterial ribosomes are never bound to other
organelles as they sometimes are (bound to the endoplasmic reticulum) in eukaryotes,
but are free-standing structures distributed throughout the cytoplasm. There are
sufficient differences between bacterial ribosomes and eukaryotic ribosomes that
some antibiotics will inhibit the functioning of bacterial ribosomes, but not
eukaryotes, thus killing bacteria but not the eukaryotic organisms they are infecting.

Examples:

 Salmonella Typhi
Salmonella Typhi is a strain of bacteria that lives only in humans. It causes a
bacterial infection of the intestinal tract and occasionally of the bloodstream (which is
called typhoid fever). It is uncommon in the United States, with most cases acquired
during foreign travel to developing countries. Salmonella enterica typhi is a gram-
negative bacterium that is responsible for typhoid fever and has been a burden on
developing nations for generations. 

 Helicobacter pylori
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H. pylori is a type of bacteria that infects your stomach. It attacks your

stomach and the first part of your small intestine (duodenum). This can cause redness
and swelling (inflammation). Many people with the bacteria won't have any
symptoms. It can cause open sores called peptic ulcers in your upper digestive tract.

 Rhizobium
 Is a genus of bacteria associated with the formation of root nodules on a plant.
These bacteria live in symbiosis with legumes. They take in nitrogen from the
atmosphere and pass it on to the plant, allowing it to grow in soil low in nitrogen.

 Escherichia coli (E. coli) 

 Is a bacterium that is commonly found in the lower intestine of warm-blooded
organisms. Most E. coli strains are harmless, but some can cause serious food
poisoning.

 Streptococcus
A heterogeneous group of Gram-positive bacteria, has broad significance in
medicine and industry. Various streptococci are important ecologically as part of the
normal microbial flora of animals and humans, some can also cause diseases that
range from subacute to acute or even chronic. Among the significant human diseases
attributable to streptococci are scarlet fever, rheumatic heart disease,
glomerulonephritis, and pneumococcal pneumonia.

 Staphylococcus
Is a genus of Gram-positive bacteria in the family Staphylococcic from the
order Bacillales. Under the microscope, they appear spherical (cocci), and form in
grape-like clusters. Staphylococcus species are facultative anaerobic organisms. A
group of spherical bacteria, the best-known species of which are universally present in
great numbers on the mucous membranes and skin of humans and other warm-
blooded animals.
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DIFFERENCES OF VIRUS, VIROIDS, PRIONS FROM ONE ANOTHER AND

FROM BACTERIA

VIRUS (Intracellular Structure)

Size: 
Viruses are usually much smaller than bacteria with the vast majority being
submicroscopic. While most viruses range in size from 5 to 300 nanometers (nm), in
recent years a number of giant viruses, including Mimi viruses and Pandora viruses
with a diameter of 0.4 micrometers (µm), have been identified. 
Nucleic Acid: 
A virus is an infectious microbe consisting of a segment of nucleic acid (either
DNA or RNA) surrounded by a protein coat.
Structure: Protein coat surrounds the nucleic acid known as capsid
Host: Any Living Organism
Reproduction: 
Viruses depend on a host cell to replicate their nucleic acids and to synthesize
their protein coat.

VIROIDS (Smaller than any virus)

Size:
 Viroids are extremely small in size, ranging from 246 to 467 nucleotide (nt)
long genome and consisting of fewer than 10,000 atoms.
Nucleic Acid: 
Viroids are single-stranded, covalently closed circular and linear RNA
molecules with substantial intramolecular complementarity; they exist as strongly
base-paired rods in their original state.
Structure: Unlike viral nucleic acids, viroids are not encapsidated.
Host: Plants
Reproduction: 
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Inside the host, viroids only reproduce by the help of the host cell but do not
perform any protein synthesis. The replication mechanism involves RNA polymerase
II, an enzyme normally associated with synthesis of messenger RNA from DNA,
which instead catalyzes “rolling circle” synthesis of new RNA using the viroid’s RNA
as template.

PRIONS

Size: No Definite measure 

Nucleic Acid: An absence of Nucleic Acid
Structure: Prion is completely made up of proteins
Host: Normal host gene called prion gene
Reproduction: Any new prion protein was produced by Prion gene

BACTERIA (Located outside and inside of the Host)

Size: Bacteria are larger than viruses with about 1000 nm in size.
Nucleic Acid: A single, circular chromosome is present
Structure:  Bacteria contain a Peptidoglycan/ Lipopolysaccharide cell wall.
However, scientists have discovered that a group of bacteria possess proteins thought to exist
only in eukaryotes. (Planctomycetes-Verrucomicrobia-Chlamydiae)
Reproduction: bacteria are living cells, reproducing independently

Table 1. Difference between viruses and bacteria

BACTERIA VIRUS

Bacteria are unicellular. Viruses don’t have cells.

Bacteria do not need a host organism for Viruses replicate only inside the host.
reproduction.

Bacteria are living organisms.  Viruses are considered as organic structures which
interact with living organisms, rather than a living
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organism.

Bacteria are larger, about 1000 nm in Viruses are smaller, about 20-400 nm in size.
size. They are visible under a light They are visible under the electron microscope.
microscope.

Bacteria contain a Peptidoglycan/ Viruses don’t have a cell wall. A protein coat is
Lipopolysaccharide cell wall. present instead.

A single, circular chromosome is present. DNA/RNA strand is present.

Ribosomes are present. Ribosomes are absent.

Bacteria show metabolism within the cell. There is no metabolism inside the viral particle.

Bacteria possess cellular machinery. Viruses lack cellular machinery. 

Reproduction happens through binary Virus invades the host cell, makes copies of
fission and conjugation. genetic material and proteins, and releases new
particles by destroying the cell.

Bacteria can be either beneficial or Viruses are usually harmful, and can be useful in
harmful (Pathogens). genetic engineering.

Bacteria cause localized infections. Virus causes systemic infection.

Bacteria cause fever. Viruses may or may not cause fever.

Bacterial infections can be prevented by Spread of viruses can be prevented by vaccines.

Antibiotics.

SIMILARITIES OF VIRUS, VIROIDS, PRIONS, AND BACTERIA

[Virus, Viroids, Prions, Bacteria]

 Disease-causing microorganisms
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 With microscopic size and special equipment, it is necessary to observe them.

[Virus, Viroids, Prions]

 They are all obligate intracellular agents.
 Viruses, viroids and prions are all infectious agents but none of them possess
ribosomes and some scientists consider them to be non-living matter.

[Virus and Prions]

 Both replicating infectious particles that are not considered "alive"
 Both have to replicate inside a host cell. Once in the host, both are able to replicate,
causing an infection.
 Prions and viruses can cause serious diseases in humans and animals. Both prions and
viruses are acellular, meaning their structural body is without cells.
 Both are very small, with prions only being able to be seen under the lens of an
electron microscope.
 Both include genetic information as well as protein capsids.

[Virus and Bacteria]

 Both can be spread through coughing, sneezing, or coming into contact with
contaminated surfaces, animals, items, or people. 
 Both can possibly be treated with vaccines. 
 Does not have nuclei
 Both are capable of killing human and ranging human health
 Viruses and bacteria both contain nucleic acid, but do not have a discrete nucleus.
They both contain enzymes.
 Both bacteria and viruses are microscopic and therefore too small to be seen with the
naked eye. 

[Viroids and Prions]

 Both are tiny infectious particles with virus-like characteristics.
 Viroids and prions are acellular in nature.
 Both are pathogenic and cause infection.
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 Both Viroids and Prions are self-propagative, i.e. one viroid or one prion is capable of
making multiple copies of itself in the cell.
 •Both of them require a living cell as host for propagation. 

[Virus and Viroids]

 They are both obligate intracellular parasites.
 They both replicate within a host cell and contain nucleic acids.
 Virus and viroids are two types of small, infectious agents.
 They are non-living particles, and their replication occurs only inside a living cell.
 Also, they lack cellular machinery for their replication.
 However, both particles contain nucleic acids.
 Besides, both cause diseases in their host

CONCLUSION 

Differences are evident, and infectious diseases are prevalent in this world.

Occurrence of diseases are mainly because of the pathogens lurking around the environment.

Viruses, viroids, prions, and bacteria are pathogens that cause diseases to living organisms.

Even though they share the same characteristic of being a disease-causing acellular and

cellular microorganism, they differ in many factors, such as their morphology (structures,

size,), function, host, mechanism of multiplication and reproduction, and in the presence of

their nucleic acid. Under suitable conditions, the shape and size of microbes are relatively

stable. The morphological structure of microbes is important because it helps us understand

microbial physiology, pathogenic mechanisms, antigenic features, and allows us to identify

them by species. Furthermore, understanding microbial morphology can aid in disease

diagnosis and infection prevention.

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