What is an Anti-Infective?

Anti-infective means against or capable of defeating infection. This is a general term used in medicine to describe all medications or therapies that can cure or fight an infection. The term is general because there are so many types of infections, and a single anti-infective treats a specific sort of infection instead of treating them all. The wrong choice could lead to making some infections worse. Thus an anti-infective is usually classified by types of infections it cures, and some of the main types include the following: antibiotic, antifungal, antiparasitic, and antiviral.

An antibiotic is an anti-infective that treats bacterial infections. Doctors may prescribe these for conditions like strep throat, endocarditis, bacterial pneumonia, or infected wounds. Antibiotics are also use prophylactically at times to prevent infection. There are numerous types of antibiotics, and some may be condition-specific. In other words, some work very well for only one or two types of bacteria, and others are broad-spectrum and treat a variety of infections well.

Another anti-infective is the antifungal, which can help cure fungal infections. Illnesses like athlete’s foot, jock itch, and thrush are caused by fungus overload in a defined area of the body. There are many types of antifungal medications too, and the use of one or another type is usually dependent on condition.

Antiparisitic anti-infectives treat conditions where the body has acquired parasites. For example, a tapeworm or pinworm infection needs to be treated with an antiparasitic. These medications are also frequently condition-specific and the best one to use depends on the type of parasitic infection.

Antivirals are another type of anti-infective but they don’t always cure disease. Many people use antiviral medications for illnesses like HIV or herpes. These drugs may dramatically reduce symptoms of HIV or herpes but they do not provide cure. Patients may also take antiviral medications when they get the flu to reduce length of the flu. Drugs like Tamiflu® generally reduce number of days ill, but the majority of people recover completely from this illness whether or not they take the drug.

It’s easy to see that types of anti-infective medications can’t be substituted for each other. An antifungal drug won’t treat a bacterial infection. An antibiotic doesn’t cure a virus. Health care practitioners need to more closely understand the types of infections that each medication treats so they make the right choice when prescribing any kind of drug. This is why it is less common to see this term used, though in medical literature or when referencing medications broadly, it may be the appropriate word selection.