What is the causative agent of the common cold. How do antibiotics work? Are the common cold and antibiotics compatable for treatment? After you have investigated these questions you should formulate and argument for or against the above statement.
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PART A.
ReplyDeleteThe causative agents of colds are rhinoviruses, ‘rhin’ coming from the Latin word ‘nose’. These viruses are the most common viral infectious agents in humans. As with most viruses, this mutates and changes over time, enough to re-infect you again. So far, cure wise, there is no solution. Interferon-alpha was shown to be effective, but nasal bleeding accompanied it and slowly the body built up a defence to the drug. Pleconaril was being developed for fighting against viruses, but during clinical trials mucus secretions failed and illness symptoms began to show. This medicine is currently under observation for efficiency.
An antibiotic is a selective virus that kills bacteria but not human cells, or viruses. As these are made purely to kill BACTERIA, they would not help with something as elusive as a virus.
Antibiotics would not help with such a fast-moving contagion such as a cold. (that’s an against argument)
PART B..
ReplyDeleteOne thing I’d like to point out to that post, a COMMON COLD has only the symptoms of a runny nose, sneezing, coughing, sore throat, chills and headaches. It does not include a fever. If it came with a fever, it would be called the “flu.”
Although Savannah was right about common colds almost half the time resulting from the virus “Rhinoviruses.”
The Rhinovirus enters the cells lining your nose and begins to increase in numbers.
Something I found quite interesting was this:
People often believe that a cold is developed from cold weather though this is false! It actually arrives from other people and the fact that cold weather causes us humans to congregate indoors in order to keep warm, the transmission of the virus is much easier.
Antibiotics work to kill the bacteria of a cold. The bacteria are single-celled organisms and if they manage to make it past our immune system, they reproduce and cause this disease, a common cold. Antibiotics are designed to kill the desired bacteria but not your own body cells. Therefore it is a selective poison. Antibiotics do not work on viruses though because viruses are non-living. Viruses are just single pieces of DNA or RNA.
Before I make a final statement: Just the other day I had gone to my doctor as I had a common cold. My mother asked the doctor if I specifically would need antibiotics to get better and our doctor did say that antibiotics would help with getting better or getting rid of symptoms.
So all in all, I say antibiotics are complete waste. They should only be used if symptoms get far worse and they should only be used under the consult of a doctor. And adding to that, common colds are spread easily in this type of weather and if you do manage to get rid of the cold, it will only come back!
(against)
Part A: Ashley Baxter
ReplyDeleteI am writing this comment in return to the comment made by Savannah previously. As she states clearly above, and I completely agree with her on all terms, she fails to answer an important area of this question. She states that the common cold is not a bacterium, which is what the antibiotics attack, but a virus. If this is the case, of what use do the antibiotics provide. The reason that doctors prescribe antibiotics to a victim of the common cold is simply understood when you know how antibiotics work
Antibiotics work by strengthening the immune system in the, sometimes unlikely, chance that a bacterium may emerge and threaten the body. By strengthening the immune system the antibiotics protect your body, but there is a risk. We all know that over-dosage of antibiotics can make the immune system used to it, which is an all important reason not to take antibiotics regularly. Firstly the likelihood of picking up a bacterium that could threaten your body is most unlikely, if you are in an area where antibiotics is affordable. By taking the antibiotics when the risk is minimal, it makes the body's immune system even more used to them which means that if a real threat occurs, by that time the use antibiotics provide may be unhelpful.
Secondly if you take the antibiotics only when a threat occurs, not before in case something threatens, it lowers your body's immunity to the antibiotics thus protecting it better than if regularly taken.
In conclusion, I state that antibiotics should not be prescribed to victims of the common cold unless the risk is too high that their body may pick up a bacterium or a threatening bacterium is already in their system.
Part B.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with what is said above, but I wish to add facts about the rhinovirus.
The rhinovirus has 100 serotypes, and enters through the upper respiratory tract (nose, mouth and throat), and makes contact with the epithelial lining.
This triggers the immune system that widens the local blood vessels and boost fluid secretion glands beneath the respiratory epithelium. This is how you catch the common cold.
To sum up, I believe that antibiotics should not be prescribed for the common cold, as a round of antibiotics takes 7-10 days to be effective, the same duration that a common cold lasts.
Part A
ReplyDeleteAntibiotics are a medicine that kills bacteria or keep them from reproducing. A quote from the article, What are Antibiotics? from wisegeek.com says "One of the most prevalent and unstoppable myths about antibiotics is that they can cure a cold." This is true but not all colds should be 'cured' with antibiotics. Symptoms of a common cold are runny nose, sneezing and coughing, these usually go away in a few weeks even with out antibacteria. Most common colds are not caused by bacteria though, they are viruses but if you get a cold that is bacterium, you don't need any antibiotics because some bacterium are beneficial to your body.
PART B
ReplyDeleteBeliz states above (May 20, 2009 2:48 AM) That colds come from congregating inside, not the cold. Although this is right on most accounts, the cold actually affects your immune system, so instead of staying out in the cold to avoid the inevitable metting of another contaminated person, it would be better stay within warmth to preserve your immunity.
This is partly what anti-biotics do (as Ashley said) they protect you from any bacterium that may emerge from a cold, taking advantage of the momentary lapse of the immune system's protection.
But anti-biotics can't fight against the actual cold, just bacteria that threatens to create more sickness.
So... I suppose that even though anti-biotics wouldn't do anything if there were no bacteria, it wouldn't hurt to have them watch your back.
PART B
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, I think that Beliz’ and Ashley’s blogs are well-written because they made me want to do some research on the topic myself. I disagree, though, with the fact that a cold accompanied by a fever is only known as flu. The symptoms of the flu are more intense compared to the symptoms of a common cold (as a common cold most of the time only consists of a sore throat, coughing, and a runny nose) but many of the times, patients experience low fevers, if any at all.
On the other hand, I strongly agree with Beliz and Ashley saying that antibiotics should NOT be prescribed for a common cold. Antibiotics would either have no effect on the illness, or make it even worse. Also, I agree with Savannah that even though a common cold isn’t caused by chilly weather, the weather does weaken the immune system, making it easier to catch the virus.
On my last paragraph i meant to agree with Beliz' statement that common colds are not caused by cold weather.
ReplyDeletePart A:
ReplyDeleteAntibiotics, like all the other drugs, is an extremely dangerous chemical. One must think about the damage they are doing to the body. Sure, antibiotics can be used when the cold gets serious, but some people out there take antibiotics whenever they have a cold, just to save time. But one day, when those people are old, they will discover that the antibiotics won't work for them anymore, because they have used it too often, and the immune system took action, unintentionaly.