Question 1
Multiple choiceMedium1 markA patient is diagnosed with a viral infection, and an antibiotic is considered. Which explanation accounts for why the antibiotic will not control the infection?
Show answer and explanation
Answer: B. Antibiotics block processes that occur in bacteria but not in eukaryotic cells. Viruses rely on host-cell processes to reproduce, so they do not carry out the bacterial processes targeted by antibiotics.
A: correctly identifies viral reliance on human cells, but incorrectly claims the antibiotic target is shared with human cells.
C: identifies the bacterial target, but incorrectly states that viruses reproduce independently of host cells.
D: correctly describes viral reliance on host cells, but reverses the selectivity of antibiotics.
Remember: antibiotics target bacterial processes, not viral reproduction in host cells.