Antibiotics are ineffective against viruses because they target bacterial cell wall synthesis, a mechanism absent in viruses which utilize host cell machinery for replication.
Antibiotics target bacterial cell wall synthesis, but viruses lack these structures and rely on host cells for metabolism, making them unaffected by antibiotics.
| Front | Why are antibiotic ineffective against viral diseases like aids |
|---|---|
| Back | Antibiotics like penicillin inhibit certain enzymes reuqired for the synthesis and assembly of the peptide cross-linkages in bacterial cell walls. This weakens the cell wall so when water enters via osmosis the cell bursts and bacterium dies. Viruses are unaffected by antibiotics as they are no metabolic mechanics to disrupt as viruses use host cells for metabolic mechanisms. |
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