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When to Call Your Doctor... |
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Call your doctor if you experience the following symptoms:
Fever of 102 or greater
Thick, greenish mucus
Severe headache
Stiff neck
Sudden onset of symptoms
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Antibiotics
How do antibiotics work?
Because bacteria are complete life forms, they perform many chemical processes to stay alive. They must manufacture their structural elements, digest and assimilate nutrients, replicate themselves as they multiply, and protect themselves from hostile elements in their environment. Antibiotics hinder these processes. Some can kill bacteria by interrupting a vital process. Others merely slow them down or stop them from multiplying until your body's immune system can kill them.
Remember to take your antibiotics as prescribed and finish the whole prescription.
More on Bacterial Infections What Causes a Bacterial Infection?
In the Encyclopedia: Abscess incision & drainage
Nocardiosis
X-linked agammaglobulinemia
Aminoglycosides
Anaerobic infections
This article was reviewed and updated June 2007.
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