Antibiotics, is it for virus, or bacteria, or both? teacher doesn't really sure abt it?

Anti-biotics do NOT kill viruses - they are useless against them. The over prescribing of them for virus related illnesses is part of what is causing the "resistance crisis" right now. Viruses require "antivirals" - drugs specifically targeted for affecting viruses. Viruses are DNA or RNA "genetic parasites". The anti-biotics are for bacteria, which are vastly bigger and more complex than viruses.

Antibiotics, is it for virus, or bacteria, or both? teacher doesn't really sure abt it?
bacterial infections. Not viral.
Reply:Bacteria only BACTERIA
Reply:Antibiotics are given for infection.
Reply:bacteria





I just gotta know, you said your teacher doesn't know.





Please give more info





Grade level class ect.
Reply:Not virus.
Reply:Germs and Bacteria only.





Anti virual drugs are used to treat a virus
Reply:Yup only bacterial infections.
Reply:antibiotics do absolutely nothing for a virus. the virus has to take it's corse inorder for you to get rid of it. bacteria on the other hand can be taken care of with the proper antibiotic.
Reply:bacteria
Reply:Your teacher is not really in a position perhaps to be teaching if he/she doesn't know this basic piece of medicine. Viruses are not affected by anti-biotics, only bacteria are!
Reply:It only works on bacteria.
Reply:bacteria only not possible for it to kill viruses
Reply:bacteria.





There are anti-viral medications these days, They have one for herpes simplex 1 that causes chicken pox in the young and shingles in the older people.





A few months ago my doctor told me about it and prescribed me one. Anti-biotics will never ever kill a virus
Reply:An antibiotic is a drug that kills or slows the growth of bacteria.
Reply:antibiotics are for bacterial infections and have little if any effect on viral infections
Reply:Only works on bacteria, however given for viruses sometimes because of risk of viral infections causing secondary bacterial infections.
Reply:Being a mother, by experience i can tell u that antibiotics are for bacteria...
Reply:Anitbiotic is for bacteria. antiviral is for virus. bacteria is a micro living thing and virus is a poision.
Reply:bacteria but it also may be for virus to go to google and make a move
Reply:As stated by others, bacterial infections can be treated with antibiotics, but not viruses.
Reply:Current medical definition of an antibiotic is a drug that kills or halts the growth of bacteria.





Antimicrobials is the larger classification of antibiotics, antivirals, antifungals, and antiparasitic drugs.
Reply:Was that your music teacher? English teacher?


Bacteria are killed by antibiotics.


Viral infections are treated with antivirals.
Reply:BACTERIA ONLY.
Reply:Antibiotics are for Bacteria , while antiviral are for viruses. Antibiotics are one class of antimicrobials. This antimicrobials also includes antifungal and anti parasitic drugs.
Reply:Antibiotics are specifically for bacterial infections. Bacteria are single celled organisms. The antibiotic attacks their cell wall. It doesn't attack our cells because bacteria have different compounds/markers on their cell wall that the antibiotic attaches to. It destroys the cell and the body cleans it up. Viruses are not cells, they are little strands of DNA/RNA that via a capsule insert themselves into our cells and using our cells resources, replicate itself until there are so many of them inside the cell that it bursts. So, since antibiotics don't attack our cells, it cannot attack viruses.
Reply:A virus is "self-limiting" which means that it will only last for a week - 10 days and antibiotics won't do any good for it. Bacteria, on the other hand, can multiply indefinitely unless you use antibiotics. What kind of a teacher do you have anyway?
Reply:For viruses; antibiotics work by interfering with bacterial replication. There are some specific medicines that work for viruses, like anti-retrovirals, but I have never heard of antibiotics for viruses.
Reply:Antibiotics exist for both bacteria (such as penicillin) and for viruses (acyclovir). Use Yahoo's excellent search engine and look up the Merck Manual for more info.

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