biology chapter 6 gcse

• Vaccinations involve administering small quantities of an inactive pathogen to a person
• This process makes people immune to certain pathogens
• Vaccinations stimulate white blood cells to produce the correct antibodies
• If a live pathogen enters the body, memory white blood cells will produce the correct antibodies to destroy it
• Medicines can help relieve symptoms of a disease or kill the infectious pathogen
• Painkillers include paracetamol, aspirin, and morphine
• Antibiotics like penicillin cure bacterial diseases by killing the bacterial pathogens inside the body
• Antibiotics do not destroy viruses because they reproduce in the cells, making it difficult to develop drugs that kill the virus without harming the cell
• The evolution of strains of bacteria resistant to antibiotics is a significant concern
• Drugs can be extracted from plants and micro-organisms
• The heart drug digitalis originates from foxgloves
• The painkiller aspirin originates from willow
• Penicillin was discovered by Flemming from the penicillium mould
• Most new drugs are synthesised by the pharmaceutical industry
• New drugs must undergo testing and trials before being approved for use