How do antiseptics differ from antibiotics in their scope and target?

• A. Antiseptics kill spores and are systemic
• B. Antiseptics act on living tissue to broadly inhibit or kill microbes; antibiotics specifically target bacterial processes within pathogens
• C. Antiseptics target only viruses
• D. Antiseptics are used inside the body to treat infections

Answer: (B)

Antiseptics and antibiotics differ in where they act and how specifically they work. Antiseptics are applied to living tissue to broadly inhibit or kill a wide range of microbes on skin or surfaces. They’re not designed to target a particular microbe or to work inside the body; their purpose is surface disinfection or wound cleansing. Antibiotics, by contrast, are used to treat infections inside the body and are designed to disrupt specific bacterial processes, such as cell wall synthesis or protein synthesis, exploiting differences between bacterial cells and human cells. They are not typically used topically on living tissue for infection prevention the way antiseptics are, and they’re not intended to treat viral infections.