5 ms·

Very rarely (I'd heard the term "stomach bug"), and I would expect that to be slang—used by people who don't know whether the disease-causing agent is a virus,

Very rarely (I'd heard the term "stomach bug"), and I would expect that to be slang—used by people who don't know whether the disease-causing agent is a virus, a bacterium, or something else (likely people who aren't very clear on the distinction between a virus and a bacterium). Does anyone who studies bacteria call them "bugs"? Edit: I tried googling "does anyone who studies bacteria call them bugs". The first relevant result is https://www.sciencenewsforstudents.org/article/bugs-within-us https://www.sciencenewsforstudents.org/article/bugs-within-u... , an article that contains: "You are full of bugs. No, not cockroaches and ants. These bugs are tiny, single-celled bacteria". The author is a "science journalist"... although, according to her resume, she does have a bachelor's degree in biology and studied something to do with an immune response gene, and worked on genetics and software for a few years. The second relevant result is https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/microbiome-survey/ https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/microbiome-survey... , whose author is also a "science journalist"... who majored in English and then went to a journalism school. That's more than I expected to find, though still not examples of someone who actively studies bacteria referring to them as bugs.

DFHippie 5y ago
Eh, my mother has always spoken of stomach bugs and she's always known they weren't caused by insects. Her father was a botanist and her mother a geologist, so she grew up in closed proximity to people who spent a lot of time talking about the natural science. Likewise she knows that insect bugs aren't "true bugs" and that jellyfish and starfish are not jelly, fish, or stars.
bee_rider 5y ago
This post seems to indicate that it is colloquially used in the field: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29627747 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29627747 Although, I'd expect a science writer in the field to understand that the general public doesn't use this slang.
ciphol 5y ago
My infectious diseases professor said of Ebola "that's a horrible bug". It seems to be standard slang in the field.
ianmcgowan 5y ago
I have a friend who's a microbiologist and hanging out with him and his lab, "bug" is the preferred US slang term for any kind of microbe. In a more formal setting they'd be specific about the type of microbe. I don't think anyone is getting insects and microbes confused.

DFHippie 5y ago

Eh, my mother has always spoken of stomach bugs and she's always known they weren't caused by insects. Her father was a botanist and her mother a geologist, so she grew up in closed proximity to people who spent a lot of time talking about the natural science. Likewise she knows that insect bugs aren't "true bugs" and that jellyfish and starfish are not jelly, fish, or stars.

bee_rider 5y ago

This post seems to indicate that it is colloquially used in the field: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29627747 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29627747 Although, I'd expect a science writer in the field to understand that the general public doesn't use this slang.

ciphol 5y ago

My infectious diseases professor said of Ebola "that's a horrible bug". It seems to be standard slang in the field.

ianmcgowan 5y ago

I have a friend who's a microbiologist and hanging out with him and his lab, "bug" is the preferred US slang term for any kind of microbe. In a more formal setting they'd be specific about the type of microbe. I don't think anyone is getting insects and microbes confused.