Question

Antiviral chemotherapeutic agents biology discussion

Answer 1

Antibiotics which have revolutionized the control of diseases caused by bacteria and some other pathogenic agents are totally ineffective against viruses, because the viruses do not have a cell and they are heavily dependent on the host cell for multiplication.

Therefore, the target sites at which antibiotics act in bacteria are lacking in viruses. For example, the 3-lactam antibiotics like penicillins and cephalosporin’s or cephamycins interfere with bacterial cell wall, a structure which is absent in animal cells.