What are antibiotics used for?

Study for the 9th Grade Biology SOL Test. Prepare with flashcards and multiple choice questions, each featuring hints and explanations. Get ready for your exam!

Multiple Choice

What are antibiotics used for?

Explanation:
Antibiotics are medicines that treat infections caused by bacteria by either killing the bacteria or stopping them from multiplying. They take advantage of differences between bacterial cells and human cells, such as bacterial cell walls or bacterial ribosomes, which human cells don’t have, so the drug can target the bacteria more than the person. Because viruses lack those bacterial features, antibiotics generally don’t work on viral infections. Fungi need different drugs that affect fungal cells, not bacteria. So antibiotics are used to deal with bacteria.

Antibiotics are medicines that treat infections caused by bacteria by either killing the bacteria or stopping them from multiplying. They take advantage of differences between bacterial cells and human cells, such as bacterial cell walls or bacterial ribosomes, which human cells don’t have, so the drug can target the bacteria more than the person. Because viruses lack those bacterial features, antibiotics generally don’t work on viral infections. Fungi need different drugs that affect fungal cells, not bacteria. So antibiotics are used to deal with bacteria.

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