antibiotics

Antibiotics are medicines used to kill bacteria or stop them from multiplying inside the body.

• How they work: Many antibiotics attack parts of a bacterial cell (like its cell wall or protein-making machinery) that human cells do not have, so they can harm bacteria without harming us in the same way.
• When they help: They are used for bacterial infections such as strep throat, some types of pneumonia, typhoid, or infected wounds (the exact antibiotic depends on the bacteria).
• When they don’t help: Antibiotics do not work for viral illnesses like the common cold, flu, most coughs, or dengue—because viruses are built and behave very differently from bacteria.
• Different types: Some antibiotics are narrow-spectrum (target only a few kinds of bacteria) and some are broad-spectrum (work against many kinds). Doctors choose based on the infection and what is safest.
• Why finishing the course matters: Stopping early can leave behind the toughest bacteria, which may survive and multiply—this is one way antibiotic resistance grows.

Think of antibiotics like a special “lock-and-key” tool designed for bacteria—powerful when used correctly, but not useful against germs that aren’t bacteria.