Which statement about antibiotics is true?

Which statement about antibiotics is true?

• A. Antibiotics are used to treat bacterial infections
• B. Antibiotics treat viral infections
• C. Antibiotics cure all infections
• D. Antibiotics are used to treat poisoning

Answer: (A)

Antibiotics target bacteria, not viruses, because they exploit differences between bacterial cells and human cells. They work by disrupting bacterial cell walls or inhibiting bacterial ribosomes, which stops bacteria from growing or causes them to die, while human cells aren’t affected in the same way. Since viruses replicate inside our own cells and have a different biology, antibiotics don’t kill them, so they aren’t effective for viral infections. They also aren’t a cure-all for all infections, since many infections are viral or caused by non-bacterial problems. They don’t treat poisoning, which involves toxins rather than bacterial infection. So the true statement is that antibiotics are used to treat bacterial infections.

Antibiotics target bacteria, not viruses, because they exploit differences between bacterial cells and human cells. They work by disrupting bacterial cell walls or inhibiting bacterial ribosomes, which stops bacteria from growing or causes them to die, while human cells aren’t affected in the same way. Since viruses replicate inside our own cells and have a different biology, antibiotics don’t kill them, so they aren’t effective for viral infections. They also aren’t a cure-all for all infections, since many infections are viral or caused by non-bacterial problems. They don’t treat poisoning, which involves toxins rather than bacterial infection. So the true statement is that antibiotics are used to treat bacterial infections.