do germs get sick?

[mopaul]

germs are real tiny, i wonder if they get sick like we do, but from infinitely smaller critters, like viruses. and what about viruses?
do they get air born infections? how far down the tiny scale do critters go? to infinity? like when we look into deep deep space, only in the other direction?

i think about crap like this all the time.

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

1. I think they just die.

Considering how little room for error they have and all...

[AlienGirl]

2. There are virii that infect bacteria

Virii themselves probably don't get sick, but bacteria can!

Tucker

[Az]

3. Yes

Any DNA based lifeform is susceptable to other predatory structures. Since at a cellular level one cell targetting another is more akin to eating that may not be what you mean. But virii do infect baceteria.

[HFishbine]

4. mopaul

Your gif is a riot!

[Misunderestimator]

5. Sure they do

... I think I remember George having a cold last year. :)

[Sequoia]

6. Enroll in the university

and find out. If you're thinking about this sort of stuff all the you just might be the next Jonas Salk (sp) or something. Hey, maybe a Nobel prize for medicine. Think about that now.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

7. virus not alive so dont get sick

[Donkeyboy75]

10. Depends on your definition of "life."

[BrotherBuzz]

8. The Germ

The Germ
by Odgen Nash


A mighty creature is the germ,
Though smaller than the pachyderm.
His customary dwelling place
Is deep within the human race.
His childish pride he often pleases
By giving people strange diseases.
Do you, my poppet, feel infirm?
You probably contain a germ.

Hey, I love Ogden Odgen Nash....
(on edit, I can't even spell Odgen Nask correctly)

[mopaul]

11. "time, time", said o'l king tut.........

......."is somethin' i ain't got anything but"......

o.n.

[Donkeyboy75]

9. Viruses can attack

bacteria. They inject their DNA or RNA (depending on the virus) into the bacterium, then hijack its protein synthesizing machinery to make more copies of the virus. Then the bacterium bursts, releasing multiple copies of the virus.

There is an ongoing debate as to whether viruses are even alive. But they can't get sick...they can, however, be "eaten" by macrophages.

[mopaul]

12. great leapin' macrophages!

now i can feel em', crawlin' all over me! and fagicites!

[geniph]

13. Yup, viruses, bacteriophages, other bacteria

"big fleas have little fleas
upon their backs to bite 'em
and little fleas have littler fleas
and so ad infinitum"