Flashcards · Biology · Human Defences and Immunity
Antibiotics
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What are antibiotics?
Drugs that kill bacteria or stop them from growing.
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Do antibiotics work on viruses?
No.
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Why do antibiotics not harm human cells?
They target structures, such as the cell wall, that human cells do not have.
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How does penicillin kill bacteria?
It stops them from building their cell wall, so they burst.
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Who discovered penicillin?
Alexander Fleming, in 1928.
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Who developed penicillin into a medicine?
Florey and Chain.
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From which organism is penicillin made?
The mould Penicillium.
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Why do antibiotics not work on viruses?
Viruses have no cell wall or ribosomes of their own, and live inside host cells.
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How can a viral disease be prevented?
By vaccination.
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What is an antiviral drug?
A drug designed to stop a specific virus from reproducing.
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Why should you complete a course of antibiotics?
To kill all of the bacteria, and not leave resistant ones.
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What is a broad-spectrum antibiotic?
One that works against many types of bacteria.
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Why should antibiotics not be used for a cold?
A cold is caused by a virus, and antibiotics do not work.
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What does a clear zone around an antibiotic disc show?
The antibiotic stops the bacteria growing.
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What is the common mistake about antibiotics?
Thinking they kill viruses.
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Which Nobel Prize did Fleming, Florey and Chain share?
The 1945 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.