Why are antibiotics ineffective against viral infections?

Antibiotics are bacteria killers. Viral "infections" are really not infections in the purest sense of the word. They are more like colonizations of a virus. Bacteria and Viruses are two very different things, and that is why a drug designed to kill bacteria doesn't work on a virus. It's like asking why you can't catch a kangaroo in a mouse trap.

Antibiotics do not kill viruses, they only kill bacterial infections, and they only kill specific bacteria. Antivirals kill viruses, but only work if caught within the first 24 hours.

Bacteria are small single celled organisms. Antibiotics attach themeselves to bacteria's ribosomes preventing them from making proteins. If bacteria can't make proteins they can't replicate/reproduce and they die off.

A virus on the other hand is a small piece of DNA or RNA inside of a protein coat. They are much smaller than bacteria and don't have ribosomes for antibiotics to affect. Antibiotics are useless against them. Hope that helps!

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