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- Traditional Chinese (Taiwan)
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English (US)
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What is the difference between bacteria and germ ?Feel free to just provide example sentences.
What is the difference between bacteria and germ ?Feel free to just provide example sentences.
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- English (US)
Technically, "bacteria" is plural and "germ" is singular. The singular form of "bacteria" is "bacterium," but a lot of people do casually use "bacteria" as both the plural and the singular. "Germs" is a less formal/scientific synonym for "bacteria." "Germ" also has a couple of less common definitions: it can mean the same thing as "seed" or "beginning," which you might see in expressions like "the germ of an idea" (the beginning of an idea).
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- English (US)
"Bacteria" are a group of microscopic organisms. Some can cause diseases, and others don't. Some are very good for us, like the bacteria that live in our digestive tract and help us to process food, like bifidobacteria. Others can be lethal/deadly, like tuberculosis or anthrax. "Bacteria" is a scientific classification (it is formal and specific).
"Germ" can be used to describe bacteria, viruses, or fungi. It is used to describe anything that causes illness that can be transmitted from one person to another. "Germs" cause an infection (problem) of some sort. This is an informal word (colloquialism), when used in this way.
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- Traditional Chinese (Taiwan)
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