Giving a proper first aid assistance immediately can help reduce a person’s recovery time and make the difference between the patient having a temporary or long-term disability. One fails to realise that there is more to first aid than just cleaning the wound and slapping a band-aid. Antiseptic and antibiotic are a major component of a first aid treatment too. Antibiotic refers to a class of drugs that are administered to kill and inhibit the growth of bacteria inside the body. While antiseptic is any chemical substance that applied topically on the living tissues to kill and inhibit the growth of a wide range of microorganisms. Both antiseptics and antibiotics, are chemical substances that prevent the growth and development of the microorganisms, but antibiotics are effective only against bacteria while antiseptic acts against a wide range of microorganisms. These two terms are confusing as they share a few similar characteristics, but they are different in many ways. Here, in the article, we discuss the various difference between antiseptic and antibiotic.
Antiseptic vs Antibiotic
| Antiseptic | Antibiotic |
| Effective against a wide range of microorganisms | Effective against bacteria only |
| Inhibits the growth and development of microorganisms without necessarily killing them | Kills and inhibits the growth and development of bacteria |
| Antiseptics applied topically | Usually taken orally |
| A few common examples of antiseptic are hydrogen peroxide, boric acid, alcohol and iodine | A few common examples of antibiotic are penicillin, Keflex, Zithromax |
The listed were a few differences between antibiotic and antiseptic. At BYJU’S learn more differences like the difference between virus and bacteria.