Why are bacteria easier to kill than viruses?
A virus is a pathogen that reproduces using human cells, whereas a bacterium is a single-celled organism reproducing by itself. This biological difference is the reason that one is easier to treat. Antiviral medication is made to kill the virus without harming hijacked human cells, whereas an antibiotic can be designed to eliminate bacteria without this risk. We can more readily kill bacteria by preventing it from forming its cell wall, made from a polymer called peptidoglycan. This polymer isn’t found in human cells, therefore the risk of human cell damage is reduced.