Antibiotics are best for which illnesses?

The answer is c, ear infections. Antibiotics cure most ear infections, which are bacterial infections. But they do not cure colds and flu or sore throats, which are usually viral infections. In short, antibiotics only treat bacterial infections; they don't work on infections caused by viruses.

So what do you do for colds, flu, coughs, bronchitis and sore throats -- infections caused by virus -- since antibiotics are no help at all? You'll have to wait for those viral infections to run their course, and that might take two weeks. There are cough syrups, throat lozenges, etcetera that can relieve the symptoms while you tough it out.

Bacteria germs are tough, resilient little things.

Doctors have found that when antibiotics are overused, bacterial germs develop ways to resist drugs. This is because every time an antibiotic is used, some germs will survive and either mutate or pick up resistant genes from other bacteria. The surviving genes multiply quickly to produce drug-resistant strains. These germs are called antibiotic-resistant bacteria and make illnesses harder to cure. Almost all significant bacterial infections are becoming drug resistant. In fact, antibiotic resistance is one of the major public health concerns today.

Resources:

The Food and Drug Administration provides an excellent fact sheet on antibiotic resistance.

For more information, and to take more quizzes on viruses and bacteria, visit the Centers for Disease Control Web site.

The Family Doctor site offers good advice. Also, do you really need an antibiotic?

The Flu Facts page has links to help you deal with both viral and bacterial infections.

What do these critters look like anyway? Find out at Microbe.org.