Why can we treat bacterial infections but not viruses?

Antibiotics cannot kill viruses because viruses have different structures and replicate in a different way than bacteria. Antibiotics work by targeting the growth machinery in bacteria (not viruses) to kill or inhibit those particular bacteria.

How is treating a viral infection different from treating a bacterial infection?

As you might think, bacterial infections are caused by bacteria, and viral infections are caused by viruses. Perhaps the most important distinction between bacteria and viruses is that antibiotic drugs usually kill bacteria, but they aren’t effective against viruses.

Why is it easier to treat bacterial infections?

As a general rule, bacterial infections are easier to treat than viral infections, since the armamentarium of antimicrobial agents with activity against bacteria is more extensive.

Why must we treat viral and bacterial infections differently?

While bacteria and viruses can both cause mild to serious infections, they are different from each other. This is important to understand, because bacterial and viral infections must be treated differently. Misusing antibiotics to treat viral infections contributes to the problem of antibiotic resistance.

Why don t antibiotics work against viruses?

Viruses and bacteria also have a different structure and a different way of surviving. Viruses are surrounded by a protective protein coating; they don’t have cell walls that can be attacked by antibiotics like bacteria does. It is because of this that antibiotics don’t work on viruses.

Why do antibiotics not work against viruses?

How are viruses treated GCSE?

The tobacco mosaic virus infects tobacco and lots of other closely related species, such as tomatoes and peppers. It is transmitted by contact between plants, either naturally or through the hands of farmers.

How do viruses cause illness GCSE?

They infect a host, reproduce themselves or replicate if it is a virus, spread from their host and infect other organisms . They also all have structural adaptations that make them successful at completing their life cycles, which enable them to cause further disease.