Transcript

HOST:

These essential differences mean that we have to use very different weapons for fighting viruses and bacteria. Of course, one big weapon in a doctor's toolkit or medicine bag is their antibiotics. There are several different types of antibiotics, and because they work in subtly different ways, it means they're a tremendously versatile drug.

What almost all antibiotics have in common is the ability to cripple a particular function of the bacterial cell. Now, there are many ways of doing this.

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With so many parts to attack, antibiotics can disable bacteria in many different ways.

Whereas with a virus, there's nothing to disable. This is just the wrong tool for the job, which is why antibiotics are useless for viruses.

So unless you have a bacterial infection, there is no point your doctor prescribing antibiotics.

Nine times out of 10 with coughs and colds, it's a virus that's causing the problem.

Drugs to combat viruses work in a totally different way.

Most anti-viral drugs need to physically block the virus from getting into or out of the cell it needs in order to replicate. That should do it.