What is the role of antibiotics in treating infectious diseases?

Antibiotics play a crucial role in treating infectious diseases primarily by killing bacteria or inhibiting their growth. They function by targeting specific bacterial processes or structures essential for bacterial survival and reproduction, such as cell wall synthesis, protein synthesis, and DNA replication. This action helps to eliminate the infection by reducing the number of viable bacteria and allowing the immune system to clear the remaining pathogens.

While enhancing the immune response is important in managing infections, that is not the direct mechanism by which antibiotics operate. Also, antibiotics are specifically designed to act on bacterial infections and do not have any efficacy against viral infections, which require different treatment approaches. Fungal infections are treated with antifungal agents, as antibiotics do not work on fungi either. Therefore, the correct answer highlights the direct action of antibiotics against bacterial pathogens, which is fundamental to their use in clinical practice.