Dr. Musoke was had been experiencing symptoms of the ebola disease and tried anything to get rid of them. He came to believe he had typhoid fever or another infection of some sort, and resorted to antibiotic pills; they had no effect whatsoever on his symptoms (Preston 30). Antibiotics fail mainly because they are medicines used to treat the diseases that are caused by bacteria. This eventually ties back on to the debate on whether viruses should be considered living or not. Bacteria are able to reproduce freely, through binary fission, and they have internal structures that let them do so (enzymes, ribosomes, etc). Antibiotics work generally to disrupt the ways that bacteria reproduce; by destroying their cell wall/affecting protein synthesis or even killing them on the spot. Viruses, on the other hand, are obligate intracellular parasites and rely on the machinery of their host cells to reproduce. This creates evidence that they may not live; viruses cannot reproduce on their own, so therefore it is difficult to cause a disruption in their reproduction. Due to the lack of any machinery in the actual organism, antibiotics essentially do not have a target (Dworkin, 2003). The antibiotic has no cell wall to destroy or protein synthesis process to disrupt. Going back towards the debate on viruses, they are merely genetic material (nucleic acids) stuffed into a protein box that are unaffected by antibiotics.
Dworkin, B. (2003, January 28). Microbiology 101: Why antibiotics don’t kill viruses. Retrieved April 18, 2015, from http://www.drbarrydworkin.com/2003/01/28/microbiology-101-why-antibiotics-dont-kill-viruses/
Preston, R. (1994). The Hot Zone (p. 422). New York City, New York: Anchor Books.
Medical treatments that work against viruses are called antiviral medications as well as vaccines. Vaccines work mainly to grow the immune response to the host victim. Weakened forms of the virus are grown, and then later are injected into a person. This would lead to host victims to grow an immune response, capable of taking on the regular virus. Along with vaccines are antiviral medications. Unlike antibiotics, whose major goal is to destroy their targets, antivirals aim at inhibiting viral development (What You Should Know About Flu Antiviral Drugs, 2015). This is done by targeting major points of a virus’s lifetime; most of the time is to block essential proteins before reproduction. Examples of this are fusion inhibitors that aim to block entry to host cell and nucleoside inhibitors to inhibit reverse transcriptase
What You Should Know About Flu Antiviral Drugs. (2015, January 8). Retrieved April 18, 2015, from http://www.cdc.gov/flu/antivirals/whatyoushould.htm
Antibiotics are medications used to treat infections or diseases that are caused by bacteria. For example, “many respiratory tract infections- such as cold and flu-are caused by viruses, so antibiotics are of no use”(NSP MedicineWise).Antibiotics are not needed for viruses in the first place. Antibiotics are only needed for severe problems. Antibiotics does not work against viruses. One thing is important to know is that antibiotics doesn’t fight viruses- it fights against bacteria. Viruses aren’t constructed the same way as a bacteria and they don’t reproduce the same way as a bacteria does. When using an antibiotics for viruses it can cause sometimes cause a bacterial infection that is resistant to antibiotic treatment. Also because antibiotics is used to kill of living things and viruses are technically not living so antibiotics won’t work on them. Carr, N. (2012, April 5). Antibiotics don't kill viruses. Retrieved April 18, 2015, from http://www.nps.org.au/medicines/infections-and-infestations/antibiotics/for-individuals/antibiotics-dont-kill-viruses
Dr. Musoke was had been experiencing symptoms of the ebola disease and tried anything to get rid of them. He came to believe he had typhoid fever or another infection of some sort, and resorted to antibiotic pills; they had no effect whatsoever on his symptoms (Preston 30). Antibiotics fail mainly because they are medicines used to treat the diseases that are caused by bacteria. This eventually ties back on to the debate on whether viruses should be considered living or not. Bacteria are able to reproduce freely, through binary fission, and they have internal structures that let them do so (enzymes, ribosomes, etc). Antibiotics work generally to disrupt the ways that bacteria reproduce; by destroying their cell wall/affecting protein synthesis or even killing them on the spot. Viruses, on the other hand, are obligate intracellular parasites and rely on the machinery of their host cells to reproduce. This creates evidence that they may not live; viruses cannot reproduce on their own, so therefore it is difficult to cause a disruption in their reproduction. Due to the lack of any machinery in the actual organism, antibiotics essentially do not have a target (Dworkin, 2003). The antibiotic has no cell wall to destroy or protein synthesis process to disrupt. Going back towards the debate on viruses, they are merely genetic material (nucleic acids) stuffed into a protein box that are unaffected by antibiotics.
ReplyDeleteDworkin, B. (2003, January 28). Microbiology 101: Why antibiotics don’t kill viruses. Retrieved April 18, 2015, from http://www.drbarrydworkin.com/2003/01/28/microbiology-101-why-antibiotics-dont-kill-viruses/
Preston, R. (1994). The Hot Zone (p. 422). New York City, New York: Anchor Books.
Hi Ricardo, what does work on viruses then?
ReplyDeleteMedical treatments that work against viruses are called antiviral medications as well as vaccines. Vaccines work mainly to grow the immune response to the host victim. Weakened forms of the virus are grown, and then later are injected into a person. This would lead to host victims to grow an immune response, capable of taking on the regular virus. Along with vaccines are antiviral medications. Unlike antibiotics, whose major goal is to destroy their targets, antivirals aim at inhibiting viral development (What You Should Know About Flu Antiviral Drugs, 2015). This is done by targeting major points of a virus’s lifetime; most of the time is to block essential proteins before reproduction. Examples of this are fusion inhibitors that aim to block entry to host cell and nucleoside inhibitors to inhibit reverse transcriptase
DeleteWhat You Should Know About Flu Antiviral Drugs. (2015, January 8). Retrieved April 18, 2015, from http://www.cdc.gov/flu/antivirals/whatyoushould.htm
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ReplyDeleteAntibiotics are medications used to treat infections or diseases that are caused by bacteria. For example, “many respiratory tract infections- such as cold and flu-are caused by viruses, so antibiotics are of no use”(NSP MedicineWise).Antibiotics are not needed for viruses in the first place. Antibiotics are only needed for severe problems. Antibiotics does not work against viruses. One thing is important to know is that antibiotics doesn’t fight viruses- it fights against bacteria. Viruses aren’t constructed the same way as a bacteria and they don’t reproduce the same way as a bacteria does. When using an antibiotics for viruses it can cause sometimes cause a bacterial infection that is resistant to antibiotic treatment. Also because antibiotics is used to kill of living things and viruses are technically not living so antibiotics won’t work on them.
ReplyDeleteCarr, N. (2012, April 5). Antibiotics don't kill viruses. Retrieved April 18, 2015, from http://www.nps.org.au/medicines/infections-and-infestations/antibiotics/for-individuals/antibiotics-dont-kill-viruses