Will treating a viral infection with antibiotics affect the course of the infection?
A) No; antibiotics work by inhibiting enzymes specific to bacteria. Antibiotics have no effect on eukaryotic or virally encoded enzymes.
B) No; antibiotics do not kill viruses because viruses do not have DNA or RNA.
C) Yes; antibiotics activate the immune system, and this decreases the severity of the infection.
D) Yes; antibiotics can prevent viral entry into the cell by binding to host-receptor proteins.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Antibiotics are specific to bacteria and work by inhibiting bacterial enzyme activity. Viruses do not have the same enzyme targets as bacteria, so antibiotics do not affect viral infections.

Answer: B
 Antibiotics only target bacteria and are not effective against viruses. Viruses do not have the same cellular machinery as bacteria and are not affected by antibiotics.

Answer: C
 Antibiotics do not activate the immune system. They only work to kill or inhibit the growth of bacteria. The immune system is responsible for fighting viruses and activating an immune response.

Answer: D
 Antibiotics do not prevent viral entry into the cell. Viruses infect cells by binding to specific receptors on the cell surface, and antibiotics do not affect these interactions.

Will Treating a Viral Infection with Antibiotics Affect the Course