Treatment Differences for Viruses and Bacteria
Thursday, May 10, 2012
1 Comment
Bacteria are single-celled organisms, with plant and animal characteristics, and one of the first forms of life on Earth. Bacteria is very prolific, but most forms are not harmful to humans. In fact, millions of bacteria live in our bodies and help with digestion, kill harmful bacteria, and make themselves right at home.
Harmful bacteria cause infections by secreting toxic waste that damage your cells. Your body activates the immune system and responds with fever, nausea, vomiting, body aches, headache, and other common responses to fight an infection. Bacteria is commonly treated with antibiotics, but in some circumstances the infection will go away with or without them. For instance, strep throat will typically die off in 5-7 days with or without antibiotics.
Antibiotics are created from the toxic secretions of good bacteria that kill the harmful bacteria. Cultures of an infection are taken and grown in a laboratory. A pathologist matches the kind of harmful bacteria with the corresponding antibiotic as treatment.
A virus is an extremely tiny infectious agent that cannot be seen under a standard microscope. It is inactive until it infects your body, enters the cells, and replicates itself over and over again. Fever, nausea, vomiting, chills, body aches, and other symptoms are the result of your immune system activating to fight off the viral invader.
Everyone can recall, "We can send men to the moon, but we can't cure the common cold." Unfortuantely, this statement still holds true. Despite our best efforts, viruses cannot be cured. If you suffer from common cold or flu symptoms, you can only manage the symptoms. Your healthcare provider may offer an antiviral medication, like Tamiflu, but if symptoms have appeared, it's unlikely the medication will be effective.
Antibiotics should never be used to treat a virus. Most healthcare providers have stopped prescribing antibiotics to prevent a "secondary infection" due to the appearance of resistant bacteria. These super strain bacteria are unaffected by antibiotics and have impacted the health of people of all ages. However, if a secondary infection should occur, such as pneumonia, it may be bacterial in nature and is treated with antibiotics.
It is important to note that some populations, the elderly, young children, and people with medical conditions are at high risk and should be treated more aggressively under the supervision of a healthcare provider.
Most episodes of the cold, flu, or bacterial infections do not need a healthcare provider to treat them. The exceptions to this are:
* Persistent fever
* Persistent vomiting and nausea with inability to keep fluids down
* Dehydration
* Painful swallowing
* Persistent coughing
* Difficulty breathing
* Persistent chest congestion
* Persistent headaches
Deborah Russ has an informative website Get more informative answers right now. Visit this link Ask a Nurse to learn more.
Harmful bacteria cause infections by secreting toxic waste that damage your cells. Your body activates the immune system and responds with fever, nausea, vomiting, body aches, headache, and other common responses to fight an infection. Bacteria is commonly treated with antibiotics, but in some circumstances the infection will go away with or without them. For instance, strep throat will typically die off in 5-7 days with or without antibiotics.
Antibiotics are created from the toxic secretions of good bacteria that kill the harmful bacteria. Cultures of an infection are taken and grown in a laboratory. A pathologist matches the kind of harmful bacteria with the corresponding antibiotic as treatment.
A virus is an extremely tiny infectious agent that cannot be seen under a standard microscope. It is inactive until it infects your body, enters the cells, and replicates itself over and over again. Fever, nausea, vomiting, chills, body aches, and other symptoms are the result of your immune system activating to fight off the viral invader.
Everyone can recall, "We can send men to the moon, but we can't cure the common cold." Unfortuantely, this statement still holds true. Despite our best efforts, viruses cannot be cured. If you suffer from common cold or flu symptoms, you can only manage the symptoms. Your healthcare provider may offer an antiviral medication, like Tamiflu, but if symptoms have appeared, it's unlikely the medication will be effective.
Antibiotics should never be used to treat a virus. Most healthcare providers have stopped prescribing antibiotics to prevent a "secondary infection" due to the appearance of resistant bacteria. These super strain bacteria are unaffected by antibiotics and have impacted the health of people of all ages. However, if a secondary infection should occur, such as pneumonia, it may be bacterial in nature and is treated with antibiotics.
It is important to note that some populations, the elderly, young children, and people with medical conditions are at high risk and should be treated more aggressively under the supervision of a healthcare provider.
Most episodes of the cold, flu, or bacterial infections do not need a healthcare provider to treat them. The exceptions to this are:
* Persistent fever
* Persistent vomiting and nausea with inability to keep fluids down
* Dehydration
* Painful swallowing
* Persistent coughing
* Difficulty breathing
* Persistent chest congestion
* Persistent headaches
Deborah Russ has an informative website Get more informative answers right now. Visit this link Ask a Nurse to learn more.
I have being researching about bacterial infections and reading your blog, I found your post very helpful. Amoxicillin can be used to treat infections caused by bacteria.
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