3.1.8 Antibiotics and painkillers

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Created by
Kd

Cards (13)

  • What are antibiotics?
    ● Medicines that help to cure bacterial disease by killing infective bacteria inside the body (without harming body cells)
    ● Specific bacteria should be treated by specific antibiotics
    ● Example - penicillin
  • Antibiotics cannot kill viruses
  • What is antibiotic resistance?
    Use of antibiotics has greatly reduced deaths from infectious bacterial diseases, however: Emergence of strains resistant to (no longer killed by) antibiotics is of great concern.
  • What are painkillers?
    ● Painkillers and other medicines are used to treat symptoms of disease eg. pain
    ● Do not kill pathogens
  • Why is it difficult to develop drugs that kill viruses?
    ● Viruses exist / reproduce inside cells
    ● So difficult to develop drugs that destroy viruses without also damaging body cells / tissues
  • Why is this statement wrong?
    “Antibiotics kill viruses.”
    Antibiotics have no effect on viruses - viruses aren’t even cells
  • Why is this statement wrong?
    “Antibiotic resistance is where bacteria become immune to antibiotics.”
    Bacteria don’t have immune systems. Being resistant means they resist their effect, ie. they are not killed.
  • Why is this statement wrong?
    “Antibiotic resistance is where a person becomes resistant to antibiotics”
    It’s the bacteria that become resistant to a particular type of antibiotic, not our bodies.
  • Why is this statement wrong?
    “Painkillers kill bacteria.”
    Clue is in the name (kill pain) so treat the symptoms of disease
  • Explain why [named virus eg. HIV] cannot be cured with antibiotics. (1)
    ● Antibiotics are only effective against bacteria / do not kill viruses
  • Give one problem linked with the overuse of antibiotics. (1)
    ● Bacteria are more likely to evolve antibiotic resistance
  • The use of antibiotics has not reduced the death rate of all infectious diseases to zero. Suggest why. (2)
    ● Antibiotics only kill bacteria
    ● Some bacteria are resistant to antibiotics
    ● Correct antibiotics not always used / course not completed
  • Suggest why the number of deaths caused by bacteria has decreased over the past 25 years. (2)
    ● More use of hand washing / disinfecting or raised awareness / education about hygiene
    ● As stops / reduces bacteria being transferred / spreading