Infections – Bacterial and Viral in Grand Rapids, Michigan

Many infections affecting people in Grand Rapids and across West Michigan are caused by either bacteria or viruses. Understanding the difference helps you know when to seek care, what treatment might work, and how to protect your family—especially through our long Michigan winters, when respiratory infections spread more easily.

Local hospitals and clinics in Grand Rapids, including Corewell Health (formerly Spectrum Health), Trinity Health Grand Rapids, Metro Health, and Mercy Health, routinely diagnose and treat both bacterial and viral infections. The Kent County Health Department and Grand Rapids Public Health also provide testing, vaccines, and prevention resources.

What Are Bacteria?

Bacteria are tiny single-celled organisms found almost everywhere—from frozen lakeshore environments along Lake Michigan to hot, humid summer air. Many bacteria are helpful and even essential. For example, “good” gut bacteria help digest food and support your immune system.

Some bacteria, however, cause disease. These are called pathogenic bacteria. They can lead to infections such as:

  • Strep throat
  • Urinary tract infections (UTIs)
  • Skin infections (boils, cellulitis)
  • Pneumonia
  • Certain types of food poisoning

Bacterial Infections and Antibiotics in Grand Rapids

Many bacterial infections can be treated successfully with antibiotics prescribed by a healthcare provider. You might receive antibiotics at:

  • Your primary care office or pediatrician’s office
  • Urgent care centers in Grand Rapids
  • Emergency departments at Corewell Health, Trinity Health Grand Rapids, Metro Health, or Mercy Health

However, antibiotic-resistant bacteria are becoming more common in Michigan and nationwide. Overuse and misuse of antibiotics (for example, taking them for viral colds or flu) can make bacteria harder to treat over time. Local providers follow evidence-based guidelines to reduce unnecessary antibiotic use.

Immunizations Against Bacterial Infections

Vaccines are available to prevent several serious bacterial diseases, including:

  • Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib)
  • Tetanus
  • Diphtheria
  • Pertussis (whooping cough)
  • Some forms of bacterial meningitis and pneumonia

These vaccines are offered through:

  • Pediatric and family medicine clinics across Grand Rapids
  • Hospital-based outpatient clinics
  • The Kent County Health Department and Grand Rapids Public Health immunization programs

Staying up to date on vaccines is especially important for young children, older adults, and people with chronic conditions such as diabetes or heart disease, which are common in Michigan.

How Bacteria Enter the Body

To cause disease, pathogenic bacteria must get into the body. Common entry routes include:

  • Cuts or broken skin – scrapes from winter ice, sports injuries, or yard work
  • Contaminated food or water – improperly stored food at picnics, undercooked meat, or unsafe well water
  • Close contact with an infected person – kissing, sharing utensils, or living in close quarters (dorms, long-term care facilities)
  • Contact with feces – poor handwashing after changing diapers or using the bathroom
  • Touching contaminated surfaces – faucets, toilet handles, toys, phones, and shared gym equipment

Good hand hygiene is critical, especially in colder months when people in Grand Rapids spend more time indoors and infections spread more easily.

Types of Disease-Causing Bacteria

Bacteria that cause disease are often classified by their shape. The four main groups include:

1. Bacilli

  • Shape: Rod-shaped (about 0.03 mm long)
  • Examples of illnesses:
    • Typhoid fever
    • Some urinary tract infections (cystitis)
    • Certain types of foodborne illness

2. Cocci

  • Shape: Spherical (about 0.001 mm in diameter)
  • Grouping: Can appear in pairs, chains, or clusters

Examples include:

  • Staphylococci – can cause:
    • Boils and abscesses
    • Skin and soft tissue infections
    • Some serious bloodstream infections
  • Streptococci – can cause:
    • Strep throat
    • Some types of pneumonia
    • Certain skin infections
  • Gonococci – cause the sexually transmitted infection gonorrhea

3. Spirochetes

  • Shape: Spiral-shaped
  • Examples of illnesses:
    • Syphilis, a sexually transmitted infection
    • Certain types of Lyme disease–like illnesses (though Lyme itself is caused by a related type of spiral bacterium)

4. Vibrio

  • Shape: Comma-shaped
  • Example:
    • Cholera, a severe diarrheal disease (rare in Michigan but important globally)

How Bacteria Grow and Survive

Under the right conditions—warmth, moisture, and nutrients—a single bacterium can divide into two, then four, then eight, and so on. Within about eight hours, one bacterium can grow into a population of hundreds of thousands.

When conditions are harsh (extreme cold, dryness, or lack of nutrients), some bacteria can form spores:

Bacterial Spores

  • Spores have a tough outer coating.
  • They can “hibernate” for long periods.
  • They are much harder to kill than active bacteria and may survive in soil, dust, or on surfaces.

Proper cleaning and disinfection are important in homes, schools, and healthcare settings across Grand Rapids to reduce the spread of hardy bacterial spores.

How the Body Fights Bacterial Infections

When disease-causing bacteria enter the body, the immune system responds by:

  • Increasing blood flow to the affected area (inflammation), causing redness, warmth, swelling, and pain
  • Sending white blood cells to attack and destroy bacteria
  • Producing antibodies that:
    • Attach to bacteria and mark them for destruction
    • Neutralize toxins produced by certain bacteria (such as tetanus and diphtheria toxins)

Serious bacterial infections are often treated with antibiotics, which work by disrupting the bacteria’s internal processes so they can’t grow or reproduce. Because antibiotic resistance is a growing concern in West Michigan and beyond, providers in Grand Rapids work carefully to choose the right antibiotic and duration of treatment.

What Are Viruses?

Viruses are even smaller than bacteria. They are tiny packets of genetic material (either DNA or RNA) wrapped in a protein coat. Unlike bacteria, viruses cannot live or reproduce on their own. They must invade a living cell and take it over to make more virus particles.

If you compared them side by side:

  • A virus is much smaller than a bacterium.
  • The polio virus, for example, is about 50 times smaller than a Streptococcus bacterium (which is itself only about 0.003 mm long).

Types of Viruses

Viruses are often described as RNA viruses or DNA viruses, depending on the type of genetic material they carry. They can also be grouped by shape:

  1. Icosahedral viruses

    • Have a capsid (outer shell) made of 20 flat sides
    • Appear roughly spherical
    • Most viruses are icosahedral

  2. Helical viruses

    • Have a rod-shaped capsid

  3. Enveloped viruses

    • Have a capsid surrounded by a flexible outer membrane (envelope)
    • The envelope can change shape but often looks spherical

  4. Complex viruses

    • Have genetic material that is coated but not enclosed in a typical capsid
    • Often have more intricate structures

How Viruses Enter and Spread in the Body

Viruses spread in several ways, many of which are common in everyday life in Grand Rapids:

  • Breathing in droplets when an infected person coughs, sneezes, or talks (common with colds, flu, COVID-19)
  • Close contact with an infected person (hugging, kissing, sharing drinks or utensils)
  • Exposure to infected bodily fluids, such as through:
    • Sexual contact (e.g., HIV, hepatitis B)
    • Sharing needles or other injection equipment
  • Touching contaminated surfaces (doorknobs, phones, public transit rails, gym equipment) and then touching your eyes, nose, or mouth
  • Contact with vomit or stool from an infected person (e.g., norovirus outbreaks)
  • Bites from infected animals or insects (e.g., certain mosquito- or tick-borne viruses, though most are rare in West Michigan)

Handwashing, masking when appropriate, staying home when sick, and following public health guidance from the Kent County Health Department are important ways to reduce viral spread—especially during peak cold and flu season in our cold-weather months.

How the Immune System Fights Viral Infections

Viruses pose a special challenge because they hide inside human cells. This makes it harder for antibodies and some medications to reach them.

The body responds by:

  • Producing antibodies that can:
    • Recognize and neutralize viruses circulating in the bloodstream or body fluids
    • Block viruses from entering new cells
  • Activating T-lymphocytes (T cells), specialized immune cells that:
    • Recognize cells infected by viruses
    • Destroy those infected cells to stop the virus from multiplying

Some viruses, once released from infected cells, are quickly neutralized by antibodies created after infection or vaccination. This is the principle behind many vaccines used routinely in Grand Rapids clinics and schools.

Antibiotics vs. Antivirals: Why Antibiotics Don’t Work on Viruses

Antibiotics are useless against viral infections. This is because:

  • Bacteria are living cells with their own metabolism, which antibiotics can target.
  • Viruses are extremely simple and rely on your own cells to reproduce. Antibiotics have nothing to target in a virus.

Instead, antiviral medications are used for certain viral infections. These drugs:

  • Interfere with viral enzymes or processes
  • Slow or stop the virus from multiplying

Currently, antiviral drugs are available for only some viral infections, such as:

  • Influenza (flu)
  • Herpes simplex (cold sores, genital herpes)
  • Hepatitis B and C
  • HIV
  • Certain COVID-19 treatments

A naturally occurring protein called interferon, which your body produces to help fight viruses, can also be made in the laboratory and is used in some treatments (for example, certain hepatitis C regimens).

Vaccines for Viral Infections in Grand Rapids

Vaccination is one of the most effective ways to prevent serious viral infections. In Grand Rapids, vaccines are widely available through:

  • Pediatric and family medicine practices
  • Pharmacy-based clinics (e.g., flu and COVID-19 vaccines)
  • Hospital outpatient clinics
  • Kent County Health Department and Grand Rapids Public Health programs

Vaccines are available for:

  • Measles, mumps, rubella (MMR)
  • Hepatitis A and B
  • Human papillomavirus (HPV)
  • Influenza (flu) – especially important during Michigan’s long winter season
  • COVID-19
  • Varicella (chickenpox) and shingles

A global vaccination campaign led by the World Health Organization (WHO) successfully eliminated smallpox. This shows how powerful vaccination can be.

However, some viruses—such as those that cause the common cold—mutate quickly. By the time a vaccine is developed, the virus may have changed. This is why we don’t yet have vaccines for all viral infections and why flu vaccines are updated regularly to match circulating strains.

How Bacteria and Viruses Commonly Spread

Bacteria and viruses can enter the body in similar ways:

  • Cuts and broken skin
  • Contaminated food or water
  • Close contact with an infected person
  • Contact with stool (feces) or vomit from an infected person
  • Breathing in droplets from coughs or sneezes
  • Touching contaminated surfaces and then touching your face
  • Bites from infected animals or insects

In Grand Rapids, prevention strategies include:

  • Regular handwashing with soap and water
  • Using alcohol-based hand sanitizer when soap and water aren’t available
  • Staying home when sick, especially during winter respiratory virus season
  • Proper food handling and storage
  • Staying up to date on recommended vaccines

When to Seek Medical Help in Grand Rapids

Contact a healthcare provider or seek urgent care if you or your child has:

  • High fever that doesn’t improve or returns after going down
  • Difficulty breathing or chest pain
  • Severe sore throat, ear pain, or sinus pain
  • Painful urination or blood in the urine
  • Persistent vomiting or diarrhea, especially with signs of dehydration
  • A spreading rash or painful skin infection
  • Symptoms of a sexually transmitted infection (STI)
  • Symptoms that suddenly worsen or don’t improve after a few days

You can get help from:

  • Your primary care provider or pediatrician
  • Local urgent care centers and walk-in clinics
  • Emergency departments at Corewell Health, Trinity Health Grand Rapids, Metro Health, or Mercy Health
  • Your pharmacist, who can advise on over-the-counter medications and when to see a doctor
  • The Kent County Health Department and Grand Rapids Public Health for testing, vaccination, STI clinics, and community health resources

Key Points About Bacterial and Viral Infections in Grand Rapids

  • Many human infections are caused by either bacteria or viruses.
  • Immunization is available to prevent many important bacterial and viral diseases.
  • To cause disease, pathogenic bacteria must enter the body, often through cuts, contaminated food or water, or close contact with an infected person.
  • Disease-causing bacteria are broadly classified by shape—bacilli, cocci, spirochetes, and vibrio.
  • Antibiotics treat bacterial infections, but they do not work against viruses.
  • Antiviral drugs and vaccines are key tools against certain viral infections.
  • Local healthcare providers and public health agencies in Grand Rapids offer testing, treatment, and vaccination to help protect the community year-round, especially during Michigan’s high-risk winter months.

If you’re unsure whether your symptoms are due to a bacterial or viral infection, contact a Grand Rapids healthcare provider for guidance. Proper diagnosis is essential to getting the right treatment and preventing complications.