b6 Flashcards
how do vaccines work?
inject small amount of dead or inactive pathogens which have antigens. these cause the body to produce antibodies to attach to them. (triggers an immune response)
the antibodies produced are stored as memory cells, so when infected, body can produce those antibodies much quicker
pros of vaccines
- help control lots of communicable diseases that were once very common - polio, measles
- big outbreaks (epidemics) can be prevented if a large percentage of the population is vaccinated. fewer people can pass on the disease so fewer can catch it. (herd immunity)
cons of vaccination
they do not always work - do not always give immunity
could sometimes have a bad reaction to the vaccine
antibiotics
treat bacterial disease by stopping bacteria cellular processes so do not work against viruses as they reprodice inside cells - the cause of the disease
painkillers
treat the symptoms of the disease, not the disease
why is it difficult to treat viral diseases?
viruses reporduce inside cells so killing viruses would also cause harm to body cells
ways to prevent resistant bacteria
- avoid overuse of antibiotics
- do not use antibiotics in non-serious infections
- do not use for viruses
- patients should finish whole course of antibiotics so that all bacteria are killed and none are left to mutate to resistant strains
- reduce agricultural use of antibiotics
how to reduce spread of resistant strains
- good hygiene practices like hand washing and sanitisers
- isolation of infected patients
where does digitalis come from
foxgloves - its a heart drug (strengthens heart beat)
where does aspirin come from
willow bark and is a pain killer
where does penicillin come from
penicillium mould, alexander flemming. is an antibiotic
what are drugs tested for?
toxicity, efficacy, dosage
preclinical testing
in a lab using cells, tissues, and live animals
clinical trials
uses healthy volunteers, then patients
- low does of the drug are given at start of trial
- if drug is safe, further clinical trials are carried out for optimum dose of drug
- can be double blind and iven placebos
why are placebos used
to remove the psychological effect of the drug. it is a medicine that does not contain the active drug being tested