Antibiotics vs. Antivirals: What's the Difference?
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Antibiotics are medicines that kill bacteria or stop them multiplying, while antivirals interfere with viruses as they copy themselves inside the body's own cells. Because bacteria and viruses are built so differently, an antibiotic has nothing to attack on a virus, which is why antibiotics do not cure colds or flu. Only a doctor can decide which medicine, if any, an infection needs.
At a glance
| Antibiotics | Antivirals | |
|---|---|---|
| Target | Bacteria, which are living single cells | Viruses, which can only multiply inside host cells |
| How they work | Damage bacterial cell walls, ribosomes or DNA copying | Block virus entry, genome copying or release from cells |
| Range | Many act on a broad range of bacteria | Usually specific to one virus or virus family |
| Example uses | Tuberculosis, typhoid, bacterial pneumonia | Influenza, HIV, herpes, hepatitis B and C |
| Resistance | Bacteria evolve resistance with misuse | Viruses can also mutate and resist them |
Which should you use?
Antibiotics are prescribed for infections caused by bacteria, such as tuberculosis, typhoid or a bacterial urinary tract infection, where the drug can target structures human cells lack.
Antivirals are used for specific viral infections, such as influenza in high-risk patients or long-term treatment of HIV and hepatitis C, where blocking viral copying controls the disease.