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Diseases: Virus... or Bacteria?

For each disease, try to guess whether it is caused by a virus or bacteria.
Quiz by interopia
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Last updated: October 19, 2021
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First submittedApril 16, 2019
Times taken34,108
Average score72.2%
Rating4.59
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1. Common cold
Virus
Bacteria
2. Influenza
Virus
Bacteria
3. Bubonic plague
Caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis.
Virus
Bacteria
4. Covid-19
Virus
Bacteria
5. Cholera
It is an infection of the small intestine by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae.
Virus
Bacteria
6. Tetanus (lockjaw)
It is caused by the bacterium Clostridium tetani.
Virus
Bacteria
7. Measles
Virus
Bacteria
8. Rabies
Virus
Bacteria
9. Chlamydia
Caused by the bacterium Chlamydia trachomatis
Virus
Bacteria
10. Herpes
Virus
Bacteria
11. Ebola
Virus
Bacteria
12. Legionnaire's disease
Caused by any type of Legionella bacteria
Virus
Bacteria
13. Leprosy
Long-term infection by the bacteria Mycobacterium leprae or Mycobacterium lepromatosis
Virus
Bacteria
14. Lyme disease
It is caused by the bacteria Borrelia and spread by ticks
Virus
Bacteria
15. Smallpox
It was caused by Variola major and minor viruses.
Virus
Bacteria
16. Syphilis
It is caused by the bacterium Treponema pallidum.
Virus
Bacteria
17. Tuberculosis
It is caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis bacteria.
Virus
Bacteria
18. Anthrax
Virus
Bacteria
38 Comments
+1
Level 87
Oct 7, 2021
Thanks for playing! Also try Diseases: Contagious... or Not?
+5
Level 58
Apr 16, 2019
Fantantastic quiz!
+28
Level 87
Apr 17, 2019
So fantantastic it gets an extra syllallable?!
+4
Level 65
Sep 28, 2022
That's quite the compliment then!
+4
Level 81
Oct 19, 2021
Brilliliant quiz.
+5
Level 34
Sep 10, 2019
awesome quiz, I have learned something new
+3
Level 80
Jul 14, 2020
Great quiz. Another interesting one to add could be toxoplasmosis.
+2
Level 87
Jul 15, 2020
Good call. Maybe in the update!
+2
Level 23
Oct 19, 2021
Toxoplasmosis is not bacteria or a virus, it's a parasite
+5
Level 87
Oct 19, 2021
Before the quiz was featured, the options were: virus, bacteria, both, neither. That's why MaxStickies suggested toxoplasmosis. :)
+1
Level 55
Oct 19, 2021
All viruses and pathogenic bacteria are parasites. The organism that causes toxoplasmosis is an eukaryote and therefore no virus/bacterium. If your immune system is compromised (e.g. AIDS), it eats your brain. Scary stuff.
+2
Level 79
Oct 19, 2021
Viruses are not parasites because they are not living organisms.
+1
Level 55
Oct 20, 2021
It is not that simple. There seems to be no scientific consensus whether viruses are living organisms or not.
+1
Level 90
Sep 28, 2022
I'm happy that this got featured, but I thought the previously extant additional answer options added a lot. Still a great quiz though!
+1
Level 69
Dec 12, 2020
You might wanna correct HIV virus to HI-Virus otherwise its Hi-Virus Virus
+3
Level 72
Sep 27, 2021
That would defeat the point of the quiz.
+1
Level 70
Sep 26, 2021
Fairly straightforward for an infectious diseases physician!
+6
Level 84
Sep 26, 2021
Love how Covid has 100% - everyone's been paying attention
+1
Level 89
Sep 26, 2021
We don't want to die from the virus.
+2
Level 43
Sep 27, 2021
It’s not like it’s a type of Coronavirus and sometimes called coronavirus
+2
Level 57
Sep 27, 2021
If anything, at least we all learned something during this pandemic... COVID-19 is a virus
+8
Level 63
Oct 19, 2021
It isn't though... COVID-19 is the name of the disease; the virus is called SARS-CoV-2.

Just a nitpick ;]

+2
Level 88
Oct 6, 2021
RIght. If it were a bacterium, it would be called Cobad-19.
+1
Level 53
Sep 27, 2021
I guessed almost all of them and was scared to see the results but got 19/20.
+2
Level 76
Oct 8, 2021
We're always scared before the results. And being called by name and reason, loudly in front of an audience.
+7
Level 75
Sep 27, 2021
Cool quiz! Sadly I didn't get herpes.
+14
Level 54
Sep 27, 2021
This comment sounds quite strange without context.
+1
Level 57
Oct 19, 2021
This reminds of when covid started...

anyways,,,good quiz!

+2
Level 62
Oct 19, 2021
Bacteria is plural. BACTERIUM is singular. A bacterium. That's no tiny mistake.
+3
Level 87
Oct 19, 2021
Thanks, Marvo!
+1
Level 77
Oct 19, 2021
I give up, what is COVID-19?
+1
Level 91
Sep 28, 2022
Obviously it's a hoax created by the Democrats.
+1
Level 75
Oct 19, 2021
This is false because all of these diseases are actually caused by the global elite with time machines (the shadow masters...)
+1
Level 49
Oct 19, 2021
Hm, I put bacteria for Bubonic Plague, but for some reason says I put virus. probably some glitch or something wrong with the question
+1
Level 53
Oct 20, 2021
As a rule of thumb if it has a vaccine it's a virus and if it doesn't it's bacterial.
+3
Level 87
Oct 20, 2021
There are vaccines for some bacteria. Check out Recommended Childhood Vaccines for Americans.
+1
Level 81
Sep 28, 2022
and if you take antibiotics for it it's usually not a virus, either.
+1
Level 72
Dec 15, 2024
lmao I realized that I have no idea when it comes to this. The only ones I was sure about were the flu, Covid and Chlamydia lol