4.3.1.8 Antibiotics and painkillers

Antibiotics

\: Drugs that kill ineffective bacteria.

Antiseptics:

Solutions that kill microorganisms in the environment.

Antibodies:

Made by lymphocytes, to help destroy pathogens.

Analgesics:

Painkillers

what is antibiotic resistance

certain antibiotics were no longer effective against certain bacteria as the antibiotics have been over used and the bacteria had evolved so that they were no longer killed by antibiotics

The great concern is that bacteria are becoming resistant to antibiotics.

● Mutations can occur during reproduction resulting in certain bacteria no longer being killed by antibiotics

● When these bacteria are exposed to antibiotics, only the non-resistant one die

● The resistant bacteria survive and reproduce, meaning the population of resistant bacteria increases

● This means that antibiotics that were previously effective no longer work

facts about antibiotics

specific antibiotics is used to kill specific bacteria

antibiotics cannot kill viruses

painkillers

treat the symptoms of a disease by relieving pain

don’t kill pathogens/ treat disease itself

why is it difficult to develop drugs that kill viruses

viruses live and reproduce inside human cells, because of this it is difficult to develop drugs which kill viruses without also damaging the body’s tissues

**Preventing resistant bacteria**

* To reduce the number of bacteria that are becoming resistant to antibiotics:
* Doctors need to avoid the overuse of antibiotics, prescribing them only when needed – they may test the bacteria first to make sure that they prescribe the correct antibiotic
* Antibiotics shouldn't be used in non-serious infections that the immune system will ‘clear up’
* Antibiotics shouldn't be used for viral infections
* Patients need to finish the whole course of antibiotics so that all the bacteria are killed and none are left to mutate to resistant strains
* Antibiotics use should be reduced in industries such as agriculture – controls are now in place to limit their use in farming

penicillin

discovere 1940s

first antibiotic