Why is it ineffective to treat viral disease with antibiotics?

Answer 1

Antibiotics are only effective against bacteria.

Viruses replicate is essentially by 'hacking' a cell and inserting their genetic material into the host's. The host cell is then induced to replicate the viral genome.

However, bacteria replicate by binary fission. The cell wall separates to form two new cells. Antibiotics work by stopping the cell wall from splitting during binary fission, which causes the bacteria to burst.

This is why antibiotics don't work in viruses: They can't stop viral reproduction.

By signing up, you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Answer 2

Sebastian Alvarado

Antibiotics do not work on viruses; they specifically target bacteria, not viruses; furthermore, antibiotics have no effect on viral infection or replication. For these reasons, treating viral diseases with antibiotics is ineffective.

By signing up, you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Answer from HIX Tutor

When evaluating a one-sided limit, you need to be careful when a quantity is approaching zero since its sign is different depending on which way it is approaching zero from. Let us look at some examples.