virus
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virus
A very small pathogen that can reproduce only in living cells and causes infections in humans, animals, or plants.
Eine Impfung kann vor einer Infektion mit dem Grippe-Virus schützen.
A vaccination can protect against infection with the flu virus.
You can tell from the context whether a biological virus or a computer virus is meant. Words like 'Krankheit' (illness), 'Infektion' (infection), or 'Impfung' (vaccination) point to the medical meaning. Terms like 'Computer' (computer), 'Datei' (file), or 'Programm' (program) point to the technical meaning.
Mein Computer läuft langsam, ich glaube, ich habe ein Virus.
My computer is running slowly; I think I have a virus.
To make the meaning clear, 'Virus' (virus) is often used as part of a compound word. Examples are 'Computervirus' (computer virus), 'Grippevirus' (flu virus), or 'Coronavirus' (coronavirus).
Ein gutes Antivirenprogramm schützt vor den meisten Computerviren.
A good antivirus program protects against most computer viruses.
In a medical context, 'Virus' (virus) is often combined with verbs such as 'sich anstecken mit' (to catch / become infected with), 'sich infizieren mit' (to become infected with), or 'übertragen' (to transmit).
Man kann sich leicht mit diesem Virus anstecken.
You can easily catch this virus.
In connection with computers, typical verbs are 'entfernen' (to remove), 'löschen' (to delete), 'sich verbreiten' (to spread), or 'befallen' (to infect).
Das Virus hat viele Dateien auf meiner Festplatte befallen.
The virus infected many files on my hard drive.
bacterium
'Virus' and 'Bakterium' can both cause diseases and therefore often appear in the same health context. Still, they are not the same thing. A virus is a very small pathogen that can reproduce only in living cells. A bacterium is a single-celled microorganism; some bacteria cause illness, while others are useful. Learners may confuse the words because in everyday language people often simply talk about 'germs' or 'pathogens'. When the exact type of pathogen matters, you should not use 'Virus' and 'Bakterium' interchangeably.
Das Virus verbreitet sich schnell, deshalb bleiben viele Kinder heute zu Hause.
The virus is spreading quickly, so many children are staying home today.
Die Ärztin erklärt, dass dieses Bakterium mit einem passenden Medikament behandelt werden kann.
The doctor explains that this bacterium can be treated with the right medication.