4.1.16 Antibiotics (redo)

Question 1

Antibiotics noytes

Answer 1

Substances that inhibit or kill bacterial cells with no or little harm done to human tissue

Penicillin is a well known example discovered by sir alex flemming

Question 2

What is bactericidal and bacteriostatic?

Answer 2

• Kills bacteria
• Inhibits growth

Question 3

How can mutation cause resistance in bacteria?

Answer 3

• Bacteria have single loop of DNA
• So any alleles that contain mutations are instantly arisen in phenotype

Question 4

What is horizontal transmission?

Answer 4

Where one non-pathogenic bacteria that contains resistance passes the resistance onto a pathogenic different bacteria

Question 5

What are some causes of antibiotic resistance?

Answer 5

• Overuse when not necessary
• Large scale of antibiotic use in farming
• Patients failing to complete full course prescribed

Question 6

What is MRSA?

Answer 6

• Resistant bacteria strain to methicillin
• Also resistant to penicillin now
• Lives on human skin but can enter through wounds

Question 7

What is clostridium difficile?

Answer 7

• bacteria in human gut
• Usually kept low because of other bacteria in gut
• but antibiotics can kill friendly gut bacteria
• increasing numbers of clostridium difficile
• causing diarrhoea and fever because they disrupt the epithelium of the intestine

Question 8

How can we reduce antibiotic resistance and its impact?

Answer 8

• Tighter regulations regarding prescription of antibiotics (not overusing them, not using them for non-serious infections)
• Making sure patient finishes entire course (so all bacteria are killed and none left to mutate and cause resistant strains)
• Not used for viruses
• Using narrow spectrum antibiotics
• Used more tightly in agriculture

Spread of resistant strains can be reduced by :
- Good hygiene
- Self isolation
- Face masks