Cold & Flu Season: When are Antibiotics Effective?

James Stanga, MD
Family Practice
Memorial Medical Center, Neillsville

Since their introduction in 1941, antibiotics have relieved and prevented suffering.
In the right setting, antibiotics are a powerful tool. So, when is it appropriate to take an antibiotic for your respiratory infection? To answer this, you should understand the difference between a viral and bacterial respiratory infection because they are quite different.

Bacteria

Bacteria are single-celled organisms that reproduce and inhabit every environment on earth, including soil, water, ice, plants and animals. Most bacteria are harmless, some are beneficial. Bacteria help break down organic waste and recycle elements. Some bacteria live in the human digestive tract, performing necessary functions. Other bacteria cause infections: Staphylococcus, which can cause skin infections; Streptococcus which can cause pneumonia and strep throat; and E. coli which can cause urinary tract infections.

Bacterial infections of the skin, ears, sinuses, throat, lungs and urinary tract all share one common hallmark. Harmful bacteria were introduced to an area where they did not belong, and they proceeded to grow and divide. Cleansing the area with a disinfectant that kills bacteria is often successful for mild skin infections, yet not always possible on more sensitive body tissues.

Viruses

Viruses reproduce by attaching to a host cell. Once inside the cell they begin producing virus copies. After approximately 50-100 copies, the cell is destroyed, and the copies spread to infect other cells.

Viruses are responsible for many illnesses including measles, mumps and chickenpox. Viruses are also responsible for hepatitis, smallpox and polio. You are most likely to encounter cold viruses and the influenza virus.

The cold virus enters your body via cells in the nose and throat. The virus begins multiplying and more cells become infected. Symptoms appear within 1-3 days; your eyes tear, nose runs, voice gets husky, breathing is obstructed, and taste and smell are dulled. It is possible to have a moderate headache and even a slight fever. Once the cold has fully developed, it usually continues for several days.

Influenza, also caused by a virus, can trigger a respiratory infection as well. However, whereas a cold virus usually confines itself to the upper respiratory tract (nose and throat), influenza can infect the lower respiratory tract as well, including the lower bronchial structures.

Symptoms are similar to a cold, but with influenza, the symptoms tend to be far worse. Patients experience a moderate headache, fever, chills, body aches, extreme tiredness and cough. Because influenza is far more debilitating, there is the risk of serious health problems, such as pneumonia and bacterial infections that can lead to hospitalization.

While influenza tends to be worse than a cold, it can be difficult to distinguish between the two during initial stages. Influenza is often diagnosed by observing symptoms. Doctors can pinpoint which virus strain is infecting you by testing a swab from your nose or throat. Cold viruses are not routinely tested because the illness is usually short-lived and the strains are so varied that no good lab test has been established.

Antibiotics?

Insisting that your doctor prescribes an antibiotic may be pointless. Antibiotics work by “stalling” or destroying bacterial machinery. This gives the immune system time to develop antibodies to defeat the bacterial infection.

Although antibiotics are useful for treating bacterial infections, they are worthless against viral infections. Antibiotics can actually make colds worse by killing beneficial bacteria and creating an environment more favorable to the cold virus.

If the one billion colds in the U.S. this year were “treated” with antibiotics, billions of dollars would be spent, at least 100 million people could suffer side effects, and zero people would have their cold end quicker or even have milder symptoms.

If prescribed, take antibiotics responsibly. They are powerful in fighting certain infections, but they are not a cure-all.

Tips for how not to catch a cold!

1. The #1 thing you can do is wash your hands frequently. Liquid, anti-bacterial soaps and anti-bacterial hand gels are great to use – often better than bar soap.
2. Don’t share drinking glasses.
3. Use disposable tissues instead of handkerchiefs, and use the tissues only
   once before throwing them away.
4. Cold and flu germs are spread via hand contact. Until you can wash your hands, avoid touching your eyes and nose after you have touched surfaces or other individuals. If you are sneezing, use a tissue or even your shoulder or sleeve rather than your bare hand to protect others.
5. Clean household surfaces and hand towels frequently, and throw out well-used sponges.
6. Stop smoking. Smoking is a respiratory irritant and smoking increases an individual’s susceptibility to viruses that cause colds and the flu.

For more information or to schedule an appointment with
Dr. James Stanga » 715.743.3101, Memorial Medical Center, Neillsville