An antibiotic is useless against which type of organism?

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Test your knowledge on anti-infective medications with an engaging examination. Challenge yourself with multiple choice questions, each providing explanations. Prepare effectively for your test!

Multiple Choice

An antibiotic is useless against which type of organism?

Explanation:
Antibiotics target features that are present in bacteria but not in viruses, such as the bacterial cell wall or bacterial ribosomes. Viruses don’t have their own ribosomes or a peptidoglycan cell wall and they replicate by hijacking the host cell’s machinery, so there’s nothing for an antibiotic to disrupt without harming the host. That’s why antibiotics are useless against viruses. In contrast, bacteria have the targets antibiotics attack, fungi require antifungals, and protozoa require antiprotozoals.

Antibiotics target features that are present in bacteria but not in viruses, such as the bacterial cell wall or bacterial ribosomes. Viruses don’t have their own ribosomes or a peptidoglycan cell wall and they replicate by hijacking the host cell’s machinery, so there’s nothing for an antibiotic to disrupt without harming the host. That’s why antibiotics are useless against viruses. In contrast, bacteria have the targets antibiotics attack, fungi require antifungals, and protozoa require antiprotozoals.

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