Living things too small to see
What Are Germs?
Germs are tiny living things that multiply inside you and make you ill.
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Step 1 of 5
They are alive, and very small.
Thousands of bacteria fit across a full stop. They eat, grow and reproduce like any living thing — just at a scale you cannot see.
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Step 2 of 5
They multiply by splitting.
One bacterium becomes two, two become four. With a 20-minute doubling time, a single cell can become millions within a day.
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Step 3 of 5
Illness is partly them and partly you.
Some symptoms come from damage the microbes do; many — fever, aches, tiredness — are your own immune response working.
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Step 4 of 5
Bacteria and viruses are not the same.
Bacteria are living cells and antibiotics can kill them. Viruses are not really alive and hijack your cells — antibiotics do nothing to them.
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Step 5 of 5
They spread by touch, droplets and food.
Hands are the main route, which is why washing works so well. Soap physically tears apart the outer layer of many microbes.
Most microbes are harmless or helpful. Your gut holds trillions that you genuinely need.
The short version
Germs are microscopic living things that multiply inside you, and much of feeling ill is your own defence at work.
Try it yourself
Press a clean finger onto a slice of damp bread in a bag, and an unwashed one on another. Compare after a week.
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