Question

Why does the word antibiotic suggest that these medications would be ineffective against viruses?

Answer 1

Answer: The word bio in the word antibiotic suggests that antibiotics kill living things. Viruses have genetic information, but they don’t have cells. They don’t fully meet the definition of being alive.

Answer 2

Antibiotics are ineffective against viruses because viruses do not have cells. Viruses are infectious agents that live within the cells of other living things. Antibiotics work by breaking down the cell walls of bacteria or interfering with the bacteria's ability to repair its cell's DNA, according to How Stuff Works.