Antibiotics Flashcards
What did Lister create?
The development of antiseptics
What did Pasteur create?
The germ theory of disease
What did Fleming create?
The discovery of penicillin
What is the difference between antiseptics and antibiotics?
Antiseptics are antimicrobial substances, and they kill microorganisms such as bacteria, fungi, viruses etc. OUTSIDE THE BODY
Antibiotics area a medicinal substance which is sued to destroy bacteria INSIDE THE BODY
Why can’t you treat a virus with an antibiotic?
Antibiotics work by the bacteria ingesting them and then damaging the cell structure. Usually cell wall or protein synthesis.
Viruses don’t feed and don’t have a cell structure to damage
What 3 things can cause antibiotic resistance?
- Overuse of antibiotics
- Not finishing a course of antibiotics
- Taking antibiotics when you don’t need them
What are the steps involved in antibiotic resistance?
- A mutation occurs in some bacteria which gives them a resistance to the antibiotic
- Bacteria that are not resistant die
- Bacteria with resistance survive
- Surfing bacteria reproduce passing the resistance gene on
- Eventually the whole population becomes resistant
State 2 problems associated with antibiotic resistance
- Resistant strains are now very hard to treat (e.g. MRSA)
- Hard to find new antibiotics and treatments
How is antibiotic resistance prevented?
- It is important that doctors only prescribe antibiotics when necessary and that the patient completes the dose
- Reduces chance of bacteria becoming resistant
- All microbes should be killed before resistance can fully develop
Where is penicillin sourced from?
Originally from mould growing on melons
What is the action of penicillin?
Antibiotic - first effective treatment (inhibits synthesis of bacterial cell walls)
Where is docetaxel sourced from?
Yew trees
What is the action of Docetaxel?
Treatment for breast cancer (it induces cell death by mitotic catastrophe)
Where is aspirin sourced from?
Willow bark
What is the action of aspirin?
- Pain killer
- Anti-coagulant
- Anti-inflammatory
- Anti-pyretic (reduces fever)
Where is Prialt sourced from?
Venom of a cone snail
What is the action of Prialt?
It is a pain killer 1000x more effective than morphine
Where is vancomycin sourced from?
A soil fungus
What is the action of vancomycin?
A very powerful antibiotic
Where is digoxin sourced from?
Foxgloves
What is the action of digoxin?
It treats atrial fibrillation and heart failure
What is pharmacogenetics?
- By testing peoples genomes it is now possible to detect whether or not a drug will work
- Doctors can prescribe a drug that will work rather than the ‘one fits all’ system that has previously been in place
- Big advances in this field are for breast cancer patients
- Herceptin is only prescribed if cancer cells are found to have a lot of the receptors that are complimentary to it
What does synthetic biology involve?
Development of molecules that mimic aspects of biology:
- Enzymes
- Pigments e.g. tomatoes engineered to have anthocyanin (health benefits)
- Bacterial cells have been built from scratch and have huge potential
Define vaccine
Stimulating an immune response so that immunity is achieved, usually a dead or weakened pathogen or an antigen
Define immunisation
The process whereby a person is made immune or resistant to an infectious disease, typically by the administration of a vaccine
Define epidemic
A rapid spread of disease through a high proportion of the population
Define pandemic
An infectious disease that spreads across continents
Define antigenic variability
The antigens of some pathogens are constantly changing. Each antigen causes its own immune response
