how does an antibiotic work on human body?
147948
I'll try to use a simple talk.\nAntibiotics work to kill bacteria. Bacteria are single-cell organisms. If bacteria make it past our immune systems and start reproducing inside our bodies, they cause disease. We want to kill the bacteria to eliminate the disease. \nAn antibiotic is a selective poison. It has been chosen so that it will kill the desired bacteria, but not the cells in your body. Each different type of antibiotic affects different bacteria in different ways. For example, an antibiotic might inhibit a bacterium's ability to turn glucose into energy, or its ability to construct its cell wall. When this happens, the bacterium dies instead of reproducing. At the same time, the antibiotic acts only on the bacterium's cell-wall-building mechanism, not on a normal cell's. Ok?
1105344
it's important to maintain a certain concentration level of the antibiotic in order to kill the bacteria if you stop the antibiotic it just won't be able to work the next time you need it cause the bacteria is resistant to it. and a vaccine is usually inactivated virus and when they get into your body your body developes antibodies and when you get an active virus the antibodies will fight it
197107
No, antibiotics do not work on Viral infections.  Maybe the Dr. is concerned about a secondary infection of some sort.  Call his office and ask them.
64693
no they wont affect them at all.antibiotics will tho.
860819
The best way to see what antibiotic is best is to get a UA (urine analysis) done.  They'll culture it and decide which antibiotic will clear it up.  Only your doctor can do this and it's the best way to find out what will work for you.  Sometimes antibiotics alone won't do it.  Make sure you're drinking TONS of water, the best defense :)
1114451
There are two ways that antibiotics potentially can reduce the action of birth control pills. Birth control pills contain estrogens. Some antibiotics, e.g., rifampin, griseofulvin, cause the enzymes in the liver to increase the break-down of estrogens and thereby can decrease the levels of estrogens in the body and the effectiveness of the pills. This can result in unwanted pregnancy. Therefore, individuals taking birth control pills should use a second method of birth control when taking these antibiotics or other drugs that can increase the break-down of estrogens.\n\nThe other way that antibiotics could interfere with the effectiveness of birth control pills is by reducing the re-circulation of estrogens within the body. Estrogens, e.g., ethinyl estradiol, in birth control pills are broken-down by conversion in the liver to other chemicals which are then secreted into the intestines in the bile that is produced by the liver. Bacteria in the intestine are able to convert these chemicals back into the active estrogen which is then reabsorbed into the body.. This re-circulation is called entero-hepatic cycling. Theoretically, antibiotics can kill the bacteria that convert the inactive chemicals to the active estrogen, and, therefore, may interfere with the effectiveness of birth control pills. Unwanted pregnancies could occur. Although it has not been proven that unwanted pregnancies can occur by this means, drug manufacturers caution that antibiotics could decrease the effectiveness of birth control pills. Since it is better to be safe than sorry, individuals taking birth control pills are advised to use a second reliable method of birth control when taking antibiotics.
326491
as far as i know, its the same way it becomes immune to antibiotics and other medication...your body develops a tolerance.
613810
Antibiotics work on the protein in a cell's membrane, usually denaturing the proteins and causing the cell to rupture.\n\nVirus do not have a cell membrane. They are not actually living, but instead take over the operations within a host cell. In order for an antibiotic to work on a virus, it would have to rupture the cell membrane of the host cell. In that case, the antibiotic would be toxic, and probably more deadly than the viral infection.
1108763
It's to be certain that all the germs have been killed by the antibiotic.  If you stop the drug after a few days, the remaining germs can mutate and develop a resistance to the drug, and come back to make you sicker than you were before.
420430
Supposedly we have "created" viruses and bacteria that are resistant to our treatments. It happens when you don't take all of your medicine a doctor gives you, the medicine starts to act but when you stop (if you don't take it all), the bacteria now have the "information" on that medicine and they then mutate to make themselves immune to it.
4271
Antibiotics are a valuable tool for fighting bacterial infections which persistantly do not resolve with your body's own Immune System.\n\nAntibacterial products have been touted to reduce infection from exposure to things you touch, wear, etc.  This is valuable for some people with compromised immune systems, but the normal healthy person really has no need for such products.\n\nIn fact, the use of those products and antibiotics are creating stronger more resistant bacteria in our environment.  With stronger more resistant bacteria comes the risk of NOT being able to get rid of an infection when one occurs.  \n\nExamples of resistant bacteria are MRSA and VRE.  These are very difficult infections to fight BECAUSE of their resistance.\n\nSo, to recap, most of the time exposure to bacteria will actually increase your immune systems ability to FIGHT that bacteria later and using too many products to kill bacteria can actually, in the end, hurt us.
1111981
Consider, a hundred years ago medicine was practiced completely differently, it is an evolving practice.  Personally I would prefer to take homeopathics that have been used for thousands than an antibiotic that has been used for less than a hundred years.  Yes, each doctor has his or her own idea of how to treat an ailment, however there are certain socio-economic conditions affecting treatment.  Antibiotics are cheap, commonly accepted and easily prescribed, they are monitored to be the same in each dose and the individual only has to understand to take the medication as prescribed whereas an individual trying to take a more natural route has to understand when, how in what combination to take herbal supplements, dietary needs and changes and possibly the finances to see a doctor that is less likely to prescribe antibiotics.  I, like your sister took many antibiotics as a child (perhaps girls are prescribed more antibiotics than boys, generally men go to the doctors less than women do) was freguently sick and as a result have worked hard to improve my immune system with the assistance of an excellent holistic healer and get sick rarely.
202128
Chemical agents and antibiotics work by binding to key elements of the body such as enzymes or receptors.  When they bind they prevent the enzyme or receptor from carrying out its function due to competitive inhibition.  In order to bind they must have the proper chemical structure.  \n\nThe phenomena of antibiotic resistant bacteria is due to mutations in those enzymes and receptors that antibiotics target.  A mutation can alter the amino acid sequence, which in turn changes the structure of the enzyme. If the enzyme retains its function, and it's structure changes enough so that the antibiotic can no longer bind to it, then the antibiotic becomes ineffective.
927254
Bacterias and virus's are evolving, new antibiotic's are being created. We have over used these antibiotic's over the years and they no longer are as effective. \n\nSome times it is healthier to just not take the antibiotic and let the virus run its course.  You kill everything good and bad in your body when you take antibiotic's.  Try asking the doctor for local, topical treatments when ever possible when you have an injury and tell the doctor you do not want to take an antibiotic if you can help it.  It is to your benefit.
398359
Bacterial infections. Be aware that viral infections do not respond to antibiotics.\n\nHowever, some drugs considered in the "antibiotics" class are used to treat cancers, called chemotherapy antibiotics. These include plicamycin, bleomycin, etc.
1082860
Nope, natural selection/evolution leads to bacterial resistance to antibiotics. No antibiotic is perfect. If we wipe some out, there would still be some left.
165247
Yes.  \n\nImproper use of antibiotics is the primary cause of the appearance of antibiotic resistant bacteria.  When antibiotics are used unnecessarily (say, in reponse to a viral infection), the bacteria that are in the patient's body but not causing disease are exposed to the antibiotics.  Those bactieria that are not resistant are killed, allowing the one or two mutant resistant to the antibiotic to florish and reproduce.\n\nAntibiotic resistance can also result from failure to complete a course of antibiotics.  Many people will take antibiotics until the feel better, and will not compelete the prescibed course.  This is a major problem because there are still some bacteria in their body, and the ones that are left are the ones that are most resistant to the antibiotics.  These resistant bacteria can then be transmitted to another person, but this time, the antibiotics won't work at all.\n\nPenicillin resistant bacteria began to appear within a few years of the drug's commercial debut at the end of World War II.  Now, penicillin is rarely used to treat serious bacteria infections as there are very few strains against which it is still effective.  Antibiotic resistant bacteria force scientists to look for new antibiotics.  The more rapidly resistance occurs, the more urgently new drugs are needed.  Science can't keep up.  Bacteria that are resistant to all known antibiotics leave the patient with no better chance of survival than he would have had 100 years ago.