Final answer:
Antibiotics do not work against viruses because they specifically target bacteria, not viruses. Viruses do not have the same structures or processes that antibiotics can target, and they rely on the host's own cellular machinery for replication.
Step-by-step explanation:
Antibiotics do not work against viruses because antibiotics specifically target bacteria, not viruses. Antibiotics are designed to interfere with specific processes in bacterial cells, such as cell wall synthesis or protein synthesis. Viruses, on the other hand, are not living cells and do not have the same structures or processes that antibiotics can target.
Additionally, viruses reproduce inside host cells, using the host's cellular machinery to replicate. Antibiotics cannot target this replication process because it relies on the host's own cellular processes, which are not affected by antibiotics.
It is important to note that while antibiotics are ineffective against viruses, there are antiviral drugs available that specifically target viral replication processes and can be used to treat certain viral infections.