Which of the following statements about antibiotics is true?

• A. Antibiotics are effective against bacterial infections.
• B. Antibiotics cure viral infections.
• C. Antibiotics treat all illnesses.
• D. Antibiotics are used to stop bleeding.

Answer: (A)

Antibiotics work by targeting bacteria, either killing them or stopping their growth, so they are useful when the infection is bacterial. Viruses operate very differently from bacteria, so antibiotics don’t cure viral infections like the common cold or flu. Using antibiotics for viruses won’t help and can cause unnecessary side effects and contribute to antibiotic resistance. Antibiotics don’t treat every illness because many conditions aren’t bacterial infections to begin with, and stopping bleeding is handled by clotting, not by antibiotics. So the true statement is that antibiotics are effective against bacterial infections.