6.3 Action of antibiotics

Question 1

What are bactericidal antibiotics ?

Answer 1

• They kill the bacteria by destroying their cell wall, causing them to lyse and burst

Question 2

What are bacteriastatic antibiotics

Answer 2

• Prevents the replication of bacteria cells and stops binary fission

Question 3

What are broad spectrum antibiotics ?

Answer 3

• They destroy a wide range of bacteria

Question 4

What are narrow spectrum antibiotics

Answer 4

• They target one or two specific pathogenic targets

Question 5

What is the named example of a bactericidal antibiotic

Answer 5

• Penicillin

Question 6

How does penicillin work ?

Answer 6

• Works on gram positive only.
• Prevents the formation of cross links in the peptidoglycan layer.
• When water enters the cell, this causes the cell to lyse and die.

Question 7

What is the named example of a bacteriostatic antibiotic

Answer 7

• Tetracycline

Question 8

How does tetracycline work

Answer 8

• Prevents protein synthesis from happening as it attaches to the 30s sub unit

Question 9

What are some factors which effect the effectiveness of drugs

Answer 9

• Local pH
• Concentration of blood

Question 10

Explain what recommendations could be used to reduce the spread of antibiotic resistance

Answer 10

-Antibiotics only prescribed if the illness could be caused by bacteria
- As antibiotics acts as a selection pressure for bacteria.

Question 11

Explain why doctors have been advised to limit the prescription of antibiotics

Answer 11

• Antibiotic acts as a selection pressure for bacteria
• This can cause some bacteria to become resistant and pass on resistance