Making anti-viral drugs is more difficult than making anti-bacterial medicines because
(a) viruses make use of host machinery
(b) viruses are on the borderline of living and non-living
(c) viruses have very few biochemical mechanisms of their own
(d) viruses have a protein coat
Answer: The correct option is (c) viruses have very few biochemical mechanisms of their own
Solution: Anti-bacterial medicines block the bacteria from forming a cell wall. As there is no cell wall of a bacteria, it is unable to divide which leads to their termination. This functionality is provided by the antibiotics without affecting the cells of the host’s body.
In the case of a viral disease, the virus uses the cells of ithe nfected person as the host and uses their biochemical mechanisms to sustain and divide as the viruses have very few biochemical mechanisms of their own. Anti-viral drugs are difficult to make as the drug needs to be extremely specific in destroying the viruses causing the disease without affecting or killing a significant number of the human body’s cells.
Hence, C is the correct answer.