Infection | Nursing homework help
Viral infections are caused by viruses, which are small infectious agents that can reproduce only inside the cells of other living organisms. Bacterial infections, on the other hand, are caused by bacteria, which are single-celled microorganisms that can survive in a wide variety of environments.
Bacterial infections are treated with antibiotics while viral infections cannot be cured with antibiotics. In addition, bacterial infections usually cause more serious health problems than viral ones and symptoms of a bacterial infection usually last longer. Viral infections tend to be more contagious than bacterial ones and they often produce milder symptoms such as fever or sore throat.