Treating Disease

What are antibiotics

Drugs that kill or inhibit the growth of bacteria

How do antibiotics work

They target bacterial enzymes ribosomes and cell processes

Give examples of antibiotic action

Prevent cell wall synthesis disrupt protein synthesis disrupt DNA replication inhibit enzymes

Why are antibiotics effective against bacteria

Bacteria have unique enzymes ribosomes and cell structures that can be targeted

Why are antibiotics ineffective against viruses

Viruses lack their own metabolism and use host cells so antibiotics have no target

What is antibiotic resistance

Bacteria surviving and reproducing despite antibiotic treatment

How does antibiotic resistance arise

Random mutations produce resistant bacteria that survive antibiotic treatment

What happens after antibiotic treatment

Non resistant bacteria die resistant bacteria survive and reproduce

How is antibiotic resistance inherited

Resistance alleles are passed to offspring and can spread via plasmids

What is conjugation in bacteria

Transfer of plasmids containing genes between bacteria

Name two antibiotic resistant bacteria

MRSA and Clostridium difficile

Why is MRSA dangerous

It is resistant to multiple antibiotics and causes difficult to treat infections

Why is antibiotic resistance a problem

Infections become harder to treat and mortality increases

How can antibiotic resistance be reduced

Only use when needed complete full courses use narrow spectrum antibiotics avoid farming misuse

Why should antibiotic courses be completed

To ensure all bacteria are killed and prevent resistant survivors

What are broad spectrum antibiotics

Antibiotics that act against many types of bacteria

What are narrow spectrum antibiotics

Antibiotics that target specific bacteria

What is an example of a medicine from mould

Penicillin

What is aspirin derived from

Compounds found in willow bark

What is prialt derived from

Cone snail venom

Why is biodiversity important for medicine discovery

New organisms may provide new drugs for diseases

What are personalised medicines

Drugs tailored to an individual’s DNA to improve effectiveness

What is synthetic biology in medicine

Genetic engineering used to produce drugs and therapeutic proteins