Humans need to take antibiotics to kill all of the bacteria in their digestive systems.

• A. True
• B. Depends on the person
• C. False
• D. Only when prescribed by a doctor

Answer: (C)

Antibiotics are used to treat infections by killing or inhibiting the bacteria causing the illness, not to sterilize the digestive tract. The gut hosts a large, diverse community of beneficial bacteria that help with digestion, vitamin production, and immune function. Trying to kill every bacterium would disrupt these essential processes and can lead to serious problems like diarrhea, malabsorption, and vulnerability to opportunistic infections such as C. difficile. In reality, antibiotics reduce or eliminate many bacteria but do not remove all of them, and some may be resistant or unreachable by the drug. Doctors prescribe antibiotics only when there is a bacterial infection and aim to target the pathogen while preserving as much of the normal gut flora as possible, so the statement is not correct.