what all do antibiotics do? (complicated question)

[Midnight12]

if this is something i need to ask my dr so be it. and i apologize

what all do antibiotics do? i mean obviously make a person better.
but should i come across someone who is also sick am i still protected or still vunerable?

i have another week of antibiotics left and went to help a sick friend thinking it was a bad cold and if i got sick i would deal with it. it turns out to be bronchitis, i am still sanitizing and cleaning the house for everyone else. do i need to do more?

[RecoveringKinkoid]

antibiotics do not kill viruses, and so are useless against cold and flu.

They kill bacteria and fungus and things like that. For instance, if you had a flu, they wouldn't give you an antibiotic. If your congestion turned into bacterial pneumonia or a sinus infection, they'd likely give you and antibiotic.

[MournBlade]

Its also very important you use all of your antibiotic. Not doing so can cause the bacteria they are trying to kill to become resistant. Also not finishing them won't completely clear up what they were proscribed to treat either. I'm not a medical professional, I have just had to take a lot of anti biotics for several reasons - its a pain taking them when you feel better but better than the alternatives.

[42_42_42]

Depends on if your friend has viral or bacterial bronchitis. If it's viral, the antibiotic you're on won't make any difference, if it's bacterial, it's more likely to be of help. Generally speaking, however, if you're still recovering (and if you haven't finished your course of antibiotics yet, then you're still recovering) it's better not to expose yourself to any new sickness if you can help it as your immune system is still not back up to full force.

More specifically to your original question, antibiotics kill bacteria.

[Seshat]

Antibiotics kill bacteria.
Antifungals kill fungi.
Antivirals kill viruses.

Broad-spectrum antibiotics (such as the penicillin family) kill a wide variety of bacteria - including the ones in the gut that we rely on. This is why a lot of doctors recommend that you eat yoghurt or take a probiotic while you're on antibiotics.
The yoghurt (or the probiotic) feeds the good-bacteria, but never leaves your digestive system, so the bacteria that the antibiotic is actually aimed at doesn't get supported.

Anyway:
Broad-spectrum antibiotics kill a wide variety of bacteria.
Narrow-spectrum antibiotics kill specific bacteria: but it can easily take a week or longer to find out exactly which bacterium has infected a patient. So most of the time, doctors use a broad spectrum antibiotic.
(Usually you find the narrow-spectrum ones being used in the Infectious Diseases ward of a hospital.)

They give you enough antibiotic to help your own natural immune system kill a typical infection; plus a bit more. The reason for that is so that your body + the antibiotic kill ALL of the invading bacteria.
If you stop taking the antibiotic early, some bacteria are left over. The toughest ones. The ones that are most immune to that antibiotic. Then they infect you again - or they infect someone else. And if some of these tough ones survive that person's attempt to kill them with antibiotics, they infect the next person, and the next, and we get SUPERBUGS.
Multiply Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus is one of them. (Here's a more helpful MRSA link)

An antibiotic is not going to stop you from getting sick; and it doesn't exactly 'make you better' - it helps destroy the critters that are making you sick. But only if they're a particular type of critter.


Antifungals also come in 'broad spectrum' and 'narrow spectrum'; and like antibiotics, if you're told to 'use this for at least a week after the rash is gone', do so. Otherwise once again, we make superbugs.


Antivirals are different. Antivirals ONLY come in 'narrow spectrum'. Tamiflu only affects influenza viruses. The antiherpetics only affect viruses from the Herpes family. All antivirals (that I know of) are artificially created chemicals, as well. Basically, we studied the virus structure, and came up with something that will destroy it.
I don't know if viruses can become antiviral resistant. Maybe.

[Midnight12]

thank you very much for the info.
finishing ALL of my antibiotics. and taking medicine for my throat as i feel something coming on and fighting it off.
was worried about getting bronchitis even though i knew i was going to help a sick friend.
its not a cold its bronchitis and she is doing ok now at home with her medicine. i am just worried about keeping people here from getting sick.

again thank you for the info :-D

[Sapphire Silk]

Bronchitis and pneumonia are usually low risk for transmission if the sick person coughs into their arm, and well persons use good handwashing and avoid handling the personal items of the sick person (cups, silverware, etc).

[BlaqueKatt]

and well persons use good handwashing

and as a reminder, refresher, or learning opportunity, proper handwashing techniques from the CDC

[Seshat]

The carer for someone with bronchitis, pneumonia, or anything else transmissible by contact should wash their hands before and after doing anything patient-care related (eg collecting used cups and cutlery).

However, it's better to put the used cups and cutlery in a modern dishwasher (even with other peoples' things) than to handwash them separately: the dishwasher reaches bacteria-killing temperatures (for most bacteria that affect humans).

[Sapphire Silk]

However, it's better to put the used cups and cutlery in a modern dishwasher (even with other peoples' things) than to handwash them separately: the dishwasher reaches bacteria-killing temperatures (for most bacteria that affect humans).

Ditto this. It's the next best thing to an autoclave.

[Midnight12]

at worst my friend coughed but away from me and did wash her hands. i washed the sheets she laid on before having to take her to the er
and she is fine now and back to work
however it was her daughter that coughed all over the bed sheets and did not wash her hands that i did not let touch food save for her own plate. the friends daughter is also doing better now. me being me more concerned for my kid and hubs did what i thought was right and treated it like it was a quarantine area and sanitized, with lysol spray and wipes and washed the bedsheets

[ralerin]

Since I don't have a dishwasher, I usually add a splash of bleach to the dishes I wash when me or someone else in the house is sick. And I use the hottest water I can.

[Midnight12]

ooh thankies. duly noted. set the dishwasher on sanitize but i do have bleach handy should i need to use the sink instead

[Sapphire Silk]

ooh thankies. duly noted. set the dishwasher on sanitize but i do have bleach handy should i need to use the sink instead

That's overkill. Hot and soapy water will do fine if you need to wash by hand. Just wear kitchen gloves.

[Seshat]

Bacteria are alive, and require food just like other living organisms do. Removing all traces of food will prevent bacteria from remaining alive on your dishes, cutlery, crockery etc.

The reason just rinsing dishes isn't enough, is that fats and oils are food too. Cold water alone can't remove those; hot water can melt some of it, soap/detergent makes fats and oils 'dissolve' in water.
(It's not actual 'dissolving', but a full explanation can be found by searching for the word 'surfactant'.)

You can never completely remove bacteria or virii from your home; they're in the air, there's food in the air, there's food in skin cells and hairs you're constantly dropping, there's food in the skin oils you leave on everything you touch....

The point of cleaning, however, is to keep the food limited; preventing bacteria from multiplying to a dangerous level. Keeping the food supply limited means that there's very rarely enough bacteria or virii to overwhelm your immune system. For this purpose, a soap-and-water or detergent-and-water clean of most surfaces; and a vacuuming of carpets and upholstry, is quite enough.

If someone is sick with a particularly dangerous bacterium or virus, your doctor or nurse may ask you to use stronger measures. That's when you break out the 'Hospital Grade Domestos (tm)' or whatever fancy 'bacteria killing cleaner' is out there: but I'd strongly recommend that you consult with a nurse before actually buying any of those.
Find out what the nurse recommends, and how she recommends you use it.


If you really want to keep your family safe from dangerous bacteria; do a food safety course. More people get sick from the family fridge than the family toilet.