Question

Why doctor advise only rest and no antibiotics during cold?

Answer 1

Antibiotics interfere with the normal activities of ribosomes in prokaryotic cell by preventing translation of cell's genetic code into proteins. Without proteins , the cell has no enzymes and no chemical reactions. A prokaryotic cell treated with an antibiotic soon dies.The ribosomes of eukaryotic cells, on the other hand, are not adversely affected by antibiotics.

A virus has no ribosomes of it's own. During a viral infection, the virus uses the ribosomes within its host cell----- a human body cell, for example----- for translation of its genes into viral proteins. Consequently, an antibiotic ( e.g., penicillin, streptomycin, tetracycline) has no effect on the progress of a viral infection in human cells.