Let's talk about germs. People use the term "germs" loosely, to mean either bacteria or viruses. But the two are very different.

BACTERIA

They are small, cellular organisms that can be stained on a slide and examined under a microscope
There are good bacteria, and disease-causing bacteria (pathogens.) For example, your intestine is loaded with the good kind. They consume the nutrients so the pathogens can't move in and thrive.
Consist of three basic shapes: cocci (round), rods, and spirochetes.
Stain either blue (Gram positive) or pink (Gram negative.) The shape and their color when stained can assist in identifying the organism until it can be cultured and an exact identification can be made. For example, the gonorrhea bacteria are two gram negative (pink) cocci joined together. Salmonella are large, gram negative rods. Syphilis is a gram negative spirochete. Staph are gram positive cocci.
They reproduce asexually by dividing in half.
They can be killed by an antibiotic. Certain bacteria are only killed by certain antibiotics.
Be sure to take your antibiotic as your doctor prescribes. Some people will stop taking their prescription when they start to feel better. But here's a scenario of what could happen: After a few days, maybe 60% of the pathogens have been killed. You feel better, so you stop taking your pills. But the remaining 40% still there have now been exposed to the antibiotic, and are capable of changing to resist that medication. These will reproduce, and now you have an infection that is resistant to the antibiotic of choice.

VIRUSES

Are so tiny, they cannot be seen under a regular microscope.
Are a-cellular and are difficult to classify.
They invade a cell in your body and use that cell's (the host cell's) metabolism to reproduce. The virus injects its DNA into your cell and takes it over, forcing your cell to replicate new viruses.
Cause the common cold, AIDS, Hepatitis B, Herpes, Polio, Influenza
Antibiotics do not kill viruses. Disinfectants on a countertop will kill the virus. Scientists are finding anti-viral drugs.

Many diseases can be prevented with proper hand washing, cleanliness, and clean drinking water. Disinfectant hand soaps are not typically necessary because the scrubbing process of hand washing will remove the "germs."

After working 20 years as an ASCP certified Med Tech, I switched careers to teach science in an inner-city high school. I've written a dramatic, inspirational memoir about the joys of teaching and the obstacles I fought. No Child Left Behind? The True Story of a Teacher's Quest by Elizabeth Blake on http://www.BarnesandNoble.com and Amazon. Drugs, gangs, a riot, shootings, murdered students, abusive principals - all contributed to the stress which eventually drove me from the students I loved.

This compelling book celebrates triumph over adversity. To read the first page, visit http://www.elizabethblakeonline.com