Given the following list of antibiotics and their targets, explain how each stops bacteria without harming human cells. Base your analyses on the differences between eukaryotic and prokaryotic cells. Considering the targets of these antibiotics, explain why antibiotics in general would not be useful for treating a viral infection.

Antibiotic

Target

Penicillin

Blocks cell wall synthesis

Tetracycline

Blocks protein synthesis by binding to the 30S Unit of the ribosome

Chloramphenicol

Blocks protein synthesis by binding to the 50S Unit of the ribosome

Sulfonamides

Inhibit folic acid synthesis

Vancomycin

Blocks cross-linking of the peptidoglycan in the cell wall

Antibiotics cannot be used for the treatment of viral infection because cellular architecture of both virus and bacteria are very much different with respect to each other.

Explanation:

Antibiotics target various physiological process of bacteria such as cell wall synthesis, assembly of ribosomal subunit, folic acid synthesis, cross linking of peptides to the peptidoglycan of the cell wall.

But if we study the viral cell we will found that virus neither contain cell wall nor ribosomes and viral metabolites are very simple in comparison to that of bacteria. That"s why antibiotic cannot be used for the treatment of viral infection.

Antibiotics wil unable to find any target in viral cell to exert its function.