MicrobeQuest 3D | Bacteria & Viruses

🔬 Your scientific mission

Rotate two interactive 3D models, identify structures and explain their functions. Complete challenges to earn XP, then submit your investigation using the downloadable report. Remember: bacteria are living prokaryotic cells; viruses are acellular infectious particles that require host cells to reproduce.

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3D Bacterial Cell

Simplified scientific model • not to scale

🖱️ Drag to rotate · Scroll/pinch to zoom · Tap a structure name to highlight

3D rendering requires an internet connection. You can still explore every structure and complete all activities below.

Models are educational representations. Bacterial structures vary by species, and not every bacterium has a capsule, pili or flagellum. Viruses vary in shape and may or may not have an envelope.

🧩 Structure explorer

Select each structure to reveal its role. Discover them all to unlock the explorer bonus!

0 structures discovered

Select a structure

Start your exploration by selecting any structure above.

⚡ XP 0

🏅 Badges 0

🎯 Correct 0

📚 Mission briefing: Bacteria

Bacteria are single-celled prokaryotes. Their DNA is in a nucleoid region rather than a membrane-bound nucleus. Most reproduce by binary fission: DNA replicates, the cell elongates, and it divides into two daughter cells.

Key structures: cell membrane, cell wall (usually peptidoglycan), cytoplasm, 70S ribosomes, nucleoid DNA, sometimes plasmids, capsule, pili and flagella.

Examples: Escherichia coli is often found in intestines; Lactobacillus is used in food fermentation. Some bacteria cause disease, but many are harmless or beneficial.

Antibiotics target bacterial processes such as cell-wall synthesis or ribosome function. They do not treat viral infections.

📚 Mission briefing: Viruses

Viruses contain DNA or RNA enclosed by a protein capsid. Some also have a lipid envelope and surface proteins. They have no ribosomes, cytoplasm or independent metabolism.

Replication sequence: attachment → entry → genome replication and protein synthesis using host machinery → assembly → release. The exact steps differ among viruses.

Bacteriophages infect bacteria. Some phages inject genetic material into a host cell. Some viruses can enter latent states before producing new viral particles.

Vaccines train immune responses against particular pathogens. Antibiotics do not destroy viruses; antiviral medicines target specific stages of viral replication.

⚔️ Mission 3: Knowledge battles

Answer each question to earn 20 XP. Wrong answers show a useful hint; retry until you succeed.

🧪 Mission 4: Compare and investigate

Complete the comparison chart in your own words. Think about what makes bacteria cellular and viruses acellular.

Feature	Bacteria	Viruses

🧠 Mission 5: Scientific reasoning

1. A patient has influenza. Explain why prescribing an antibiotic would not directly treat the infection. (3 marks)2. Explain how the capsule, cell wall and flagellum can help a bacterium survive. (6 marks)3. Describe binary fission and explain why rapid bacterial growth can occur under suitable conditions. (4 marks)4. Compare viral replication with bacterial reproduction. (4 marks)5. A bacteriophage attaches to a bacterium. Predict what may happen next and explain the role of the host cell. (3 marks)

🎓 Exit ticket and submission

One structure I can identify confidently and its function:

One misconception I corrected today:

Your report contains all written answers, the comparison table, quiz results, and discovery progress. Use TXT for complete long responses. PDF is available through your browser's Print / Save as PDF.