The warm and humid climate in spring has given microorganisms a good environment for reproduction and growth, and it has also become a peak period of germs activity throughout the year. Therefore, spring is also the time when most people buy and use disinfection and sterilization products. But, germ, bacteria, and viruses are not the same kind of substance, and not all disinfection methods can efficiently kill bacteria and viruses at the same time.

Germ, Bacteria and Virus

The word "germ" is short for "pathogen", which is usually used to describe all infectious microorganisms and abiotic media. These include viruses, bacteria, fungi, protozoa, viroid, prions, etc. that belong to the biological category, as well as heavy metals and chemical toxins that belong to the non-biological category.

Bacteria are one of the main groups of organisms, and they are also one of the largest groups of organisms. Bacteria are mostly single-celled prokaryotes with complete cell walls, cell membranes, DNA, RNA etc. They reproduce by binary fission or genetic recombination. Some of these bacteria can cause various diseases once they enter the human body, and this kind of bacteria is also one of the so called "germs". Bacteria are almost everywhere. They live in various places in the atmosphere, water, soil and so on. There is so large number of bacteria that even the most professional microbiologists cannot estimate the total number. Fortunately, pathogenic bacteria that can be called germs are just a few of them.

Viruses are generally considered to be organisms that do not have a complete cellular structure. They consist of a piece of genetic material (DNA or RNA) and a protein shell. Unlike bacteria, viruses do not have metabolic activity and cannot reproduce autonomously. Viruses usually invade the cells of infected organisms, use the energy and materials of the cells, replicate genetic material and synthesize proteins to complete the reproduction of the virus. Infectious diseases are one of the most common types of diseases among humans. Therefore, the prevention and treatment of viral diseases are worth high attention.

UV Sterilization

UV sterilization is an efficient sterilizing method that kills both bacteria and viruses. UVC light can destroy the molecular structure of DNA or RNA of living cells within seconds. Whether for bacteria or viruses, the destruction of the molecular structure of DNA or RNA means that it loses biological activity, cannot continue to infect the human body, and cannot reproduce.

Ultraviolet rays can effectively inactivate both bacteria and viruses. In addition, UV disinfection has no toxic residues and does not damage daily objects. Therefore, UV disinfection products have become one of the most suitable household disinfection equipment. In the market, there are so many UV disinfection equipment for various home products, such as cell phone sanitizer, UV bottle sterilizers etc.