Explain why tetracycline would not help a person diagnosed with viral meningitis

Tetracycline is an antibiotic that does not work on viruses.

Explanation:

Antimicrobials are compounds capable of disrupting microorganism growth for viruses, bacteria, and fungi.

Antibiotics are naturally-derived or man-made synthetic compounds that inhibit bacterial growth, these halt protein synthesis within the bacterial cell.  Tetracycline specifically affects bacterial metabolism by targeting tRNA molecules, carrying RNA macromolecules to 30s ribosome sites for further synthesis.

Meningitis is a form of inflammation of the meninges, the fluid, and membrane surrounding the spinal cord and brain. These result from several types of infections and may be caused by a range of microorganisms. Viral meningitis is sometimes treated with antiviral medicine.