Antibiotics Flashcards
What are antibiotics?
An antibiotic is a specific medicine that can destroy certain pathogen such as bacteria.
What is a pathogen?
A pathogen is an organism that doesn’t exist in your body. They can cause illnesses, diseases and infections.
On what will antibiotics not work?
Antibiotics will not work on viruses and fungi.
How are viruses treated?
Viruses are generally treated through your defence mechanisms such as your immune system, i.e. antibodies produced by white blood cells.
What if you have an immune-suppressive disease?
If you have an immune-suppressive disease, Doctors can give you anti-virals on epidemics or pandemics such as swine flu or bird flu.
Describe how Sir Alexandra Fleming discovered the first antibiotic, Penicillin.
Sir Alexandra Fleming discovered Penicillin in 1928. He left a petri dish while he went on holiday for months. When he returned, he had noticed that the fungus had killed the bacteria around it.
What are the three types of pathogens?
The three types of pathogens are bacteria, viruses and fungi.
Describe Bacteria.
Bacteria are microscopic organisms. Once inside the body, they release poisons that make us feel ill. Diseases caused by bacteria include: food poisoning and whooping cough.
