Disease And The Immune .System :) Flashcards

1
Q

What organisms can get diseases?

A

Both plants and animals

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2
Q

What is a pathogen?

A

An organism that causes disease

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3
Q

What types of pathogens are there?

A

Bacteria
Viruses
Fungi
Protoctista

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4
Q

What is protoctista?

A

A type of single-celled eukaryotic organism

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5
Q

What are communicable diseases?

A

Diseases that spread between organisms

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6
Q

What diseases do you need to know about?

A

Tuberculosis, bacterial meningitis, ring rot, HIV/AID’s/ influenza/ tobacco mosaic virus, black Sigatoka, ringworm, athlete’s foot, potato/ tomato late blight/ malaria

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7
Q

What is mostly affected by tuberculosis?

A

Animals, typically humans and cattle

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8
Q

What causes tuberculosis?

A

Bacterium

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9
Q

What is mostly affected by bacterial meningitis?

A

Humans

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10
Q

What causes bacterial meningitis?

A

Bacterium

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11
Q

Who is mostly affected by ring rot?

A

Potatoes, tomatoes

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12
Q

What causes ring rot?

A

Bacterium

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13
Q

What causes HIV/AID’s?

A

Virus

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14
Q

Who is mostly affected by HIV/AID’s?

A

Humans

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15
Q

Who is mostly affected by influzena?

A

Animals, including humans

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16
Q

What causes influenza?

A

Virus

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17
Q

What causes tobacco mosaic virus?

A

Virus

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18
Q

Who is mostly affected by tobacco mosaic virus?

A

Plants

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19
Q

Who is mostly affected by black sigatoka?

A

Banana plants

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20
Q

What causes black Sigatoka?

A

Fungus

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21
Q

What causes athlete’s foot?

A

Fungus

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22
Q

Who is mostly affected by athlete’s foot?

A

Humans

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23
Q

Who is mostly affected by potato/ tomato late blight?

A

Potatoes/ tomatoes

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24
Q

What causes potato/ tomato late blight?

A

Protoctist

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25
Who is mostly affected by malaria?
Animals, including humans
26
What causes malaria?
Protoctist
27
What is a disease?
A condition that impairs normal functioning of an organism
28
What is direct transmission?
When a disease is transmitted directly from one organism to another
29
How can direct transmission happen?
``` Droplet infection (coughing or sneezing tiny droplets of mucus or saliva directly into someone. Sexual intercourse Touching an infected organism ```
30
How is HIV transmitted?
Directly between humans via sexual intercourse
31
How can athlete's foot be spread?
Via touching
32
What is indirect transmission?
When a disease is transmitted from one organism to another via an intermediate
33
Name some indirect transmission forms?
Air Water Food Another organism (vector)
34
How is potato/tomato late blight spread?
When spores are carried between plants- first in the air, then in water
35
How is malaria spread?
Between humans and other animals via mosquitoes insects (vector) that feed on blood
36
Do mosquitoes cause malaria?
No just spread the protoctista that cause it
37
What three things affect disease transmission?
Living conditions Climate Social factors
38
What type of living conditions increases transmission of many communicable diseases?
Overcrowded living conditions
39
Give an example of when overcrowded living conditions increase transmission of a communicable disease? Is
TB spread directly via droplet infection and indirectly because bacteria can remain in air for long periods of time and infect new people.
40
What happens to risk of TB infection in overcrowded areas?
It increases
41
Give a plant example of when climate affects infection of disease?
Potato/ tomato late blight is especially common during wet summers because spores need water to spread.
42
Give a animal example of when climate affects infection of disease?
Malaria is most common in tropical countries which are humid and hot because ideal conditions for mosquitoes (vector) to breed
43
In humans what also can increase transmission of communicable diseases?
Social factors
44
Give an example of when social factors can increase transmission of communicable diseases?
The risk of catching HIV is high in places with limited access to: good health care, good health education
45
How can limited access to good healthcare increase risk of HIV?
People are less likely to be diagnosed and treated for HIV and the mort effective anti-HIV drugs are less available do virus more likely to be passed on to others
46
How can limited access to good health education increase risk of HIV?
You can't inform people about how HIV is transmitted and how it can be avoided such as safe-sex like using condoms
47
What are the two types of defences plants have?
Physical and chemical
48
Name three physical defences of plants?
Waxy cuticle Cell wall Callose
49
How is a waxy cuticle a physical defence for a plant?
Provides physical barrier against pathogen entry May also stop water collecting on leaf reducing risk of infection by pathogen transferred between plant and water. Most plant leaves and stems have them
50
How is a cell wall a physical plant defence?
Plant cells are surrounded by cell walls forming physical barrier against pathogens that make it past the waxy cuticle
51
What is callose?
A polysaccharide produced by plants.
52
What happens to callose during times of stress?
Gets deposited between plant cell walls and plasma membrane
53
What's a time of stress?
Pathogen invasion
54
How does callose help as a physical defence?
Callose desposition may make it harder for pathogens to enter cells. Callose deposition at plasmodesmata may limit spread of viruses between cells.
55
What else other than physical defences do they rely on?
Chemical defences | Produce antimicrobials chemicals which kill pathogens or inhibit growth.
56
Name two chemicals plants produce as chemical defence?
Saponins | Phytialexins
57
What do saponins do?
May destroy cell membranes of fungi and other pathogens
58
What do phytoalexins do?
Inhibit growth of fungi and other pathogens
59
What are other chemicals by plants for insects?
Toxic reducing amount of insect-feeding on plants reducing risk of infection by plant viruses carried by insect vectors
60
What do pathogens need to do to cause disease?
Enter an organism
61
What does pathogens needing to enter an organism to cause disease mean most animals including have?
A range of primary, non-specific defences to help prevent this from happening
62
Name 6 primary non-specific defences in animals?
Skin, mucous membranes, blood clotting, inflammation, wound repair and expulsions reflexes
63
How is skin a primary non-specific defence?
Acts as physical carrier blocking pathogens from entering the body Acts as chemical barrier by producing antimicrobial chemicals inhibiting growth of pathogens and can lower pH
64
How is mucous membranes a primary non-specific defence?
Protect body openings that are exposed to environment.
65
What do some membranes secrete?
Mucus
66
What is mucus?
A sticky substance that traps pathogens and contains antimicrobial enzymes
67
What are some body openings exposed to the environment?
``` Mouth Nostrils Ears Genitals Anus ```
68
What is a blood clot?
A mesh of protein (fibrin) fibres
69
How is blood clotting a primary non-specific defence?
Plugs wounds to prevent pathogen entry and blood loss
70
How are blood clots formed?
By a series of chemical reactions that take place when platelets are exposed to damaged blood vessels
71
What are platelets?
Fragments of cells in the blood
72
What are the signs of inflammation include?
Swelling, pain, heat and redness
73
What is inflammation triggered by?
Tissue damage
74
How does tissue damage trigger inflammination?
Damaged tissue releases molecules increasing permeability of blood vessels so they start to leak fluid to surrounding areas.
75
What does the leaking fluids to surroundings area do?
Swelling Helps to isolate any pathogens Cause vasodilation
76
What does vasodilation lead to?
Widening of the blood vessels increasing blood flow to affected area making areas got and being white blood cells to area fight off any pathogens present.
77
What is the skin able to do in event of injury?
Repair itself and reform a barrier against pathogen entry.
78
How is skin repaired?
Surface repaired by outer layer of skin cells dividing and migrating to edges of wound. Skin below wound then contacts to bring edged of wound closer together.
79
What is skin repaired with?
Collagen fibres
80
What causes a scar?
Too many collagen fibres
81
Name two repulsive reflexes?
Coughing and sneezing
82
When does a sneeze happen?
When mucous membranes in the nostrils are irritated by things such as dust or dirt.
83
What a cough stem from?
Irritating in the respiratory tract
84
What are both coughing and sneezing attempts at?
To expel foreign objects including pathogens from the body
85
What are expulsive reflexes?
Automatic
86
What are antigens?
Moles found on the surface of cells
87
What are antigens usually?
Proteins or polysaccharides
88
What happens when a pathogen invades the body?
The antigens on its cell surface are identified as foreign which activates cells in the immune system
89
What two types of stages does the immune response involve?
Specific and non-specific stages
90
Explain non-specific responses?
Happens in all microorganism whatever foreign antigens they have
91
Explain specific response?
Antigen-specific aimed at specific pathogens involving white blood cells called T and B lymphocytes
92
What is a phagocyte?
A type of white blood cell that carries out phagocytosis
93
What is phagocytosis?
Engulfment of pathogens
94
Where are phagocytes found?
In blood and in tissues and carry out non-specific immune responses
95
Basic stages of phagocytosis?
``` Recognises pathogen Engulf pathogen Pathogen in phagosome Lysosomes breaks down pathogen Phagocyte presents pathogens antigens ```
96
Explain recognition stage phagocytosis?
Phagocyte recognises antigens on pathogen
97
Explain engulfing stage phagocytosis?
Cytoplasm of phagocyte moves round pathogen engulfing it may be made easier by opsonins
98
What are opsonins?
Molecules in blood that attach to foreign antigens to aid phagocytosis
99
How do opsonins?
Some hide negative charge on membrane of pathogen making it easier for negatively-charged phagocytes to get closer to the pathogen
100
Explain pathogen contained stage?
Pathogen contained in phagosome (type of vesicle) in cytoplasm of phagocyte
101
Explain lysosomes step?
Lysosomes contains digestive enzymes fuses with phagosomes. The enzymes break down the pathogen
102
Explain phagocyte presents?
Phagocyte presents pathogens antigens sticking antigens on its surface to activate other immune system cells. When phagocyte does this by acting as antigen presenting cell
103
What are neutrophils?
A type of phagocyte the first white blood cells to respond to a pathogen inside the body.
104
What do neutrophils do near wounds?
Move towards them in response to signals from cytokinesis that acts as messenger molecules. Cytokinesis released by cells at site of the wound
105
What is a T-lymphocyte?
A type of white blood cell
106
What is the outside of the T lymphocyte covered with?
Receptors
107
What do the T lymphocytes receptors do?
Bond to antigens present by antigen-presenting cell (APC)
108
Are receptors on all antigens the same?
No each T lymphocyte has a different receptor on its surface
109
What can these receptors on T lymphocytes do?
Meet a complementary antigen it binds to it so each T lymphocyte will bind to a different antigen
110
What happens when each T lymphocyte binds to a different antigen?
T lymphocytes are activated in a process called clonal selection
111
What happens after clonal selection?
T lymphocytes undergo clonal expansion
112
What's clonal expansion?
T lymphocytes divides to produce clones of itself
113
What do different types of T lymphocyte do?
Different functions
114
Name some T lymphocytes cells that are activated in clonal selection?
T helper cells T killer cells T regulatory cells T Memory cells
115
What do T helper cells
Release substances to activate B lymphocyte and T killer cells
116
What do T killer cells do?
Attach and kill cells that are infected with a virus
117
T regulatory cells do what?
Suppress the immune response from other white blood cells to help stop immune system cells from mistakenly attaching the host's body cells
118
What are B lymphocytes?
Another type of white blood cell
119
What are B lymphocytes covered in?
Proteins called antibodies
120
What do the antibodies on the B lymphocytes do?
Bind to antigens to form an antigen-antibody complex
121
True or false B lymphocytes have a similar shaped antigen on its surface?
False | B Lymphocytes have a different shaped antigen on its surface
122
What can a antibody of a B lymphocyte do?
Meet a complementary shaped antigen it binds to it so each B lymphocyte will bind to a different antigen
123
After each B lymphocyte has bonded to a different antigen?
Together with substances released from T helper cells activates the B lymphocyte (clonal selection
124
B lymphocyte clonal expansion?
Activated B lymphocyte divides by mitosis into plasma cells and memory cells
125
How do cells communicate?
Cell signalling
126
Explain cell signalling
Cell may release or present a substance that binds to receptors on another cell causing a response of some kind in the other cell
127
Why is cell signalling important in the immune response?
It helps activate all the different types of white blood cells needed
128
Give example of cell signalling?
T helper cells release interleukins that bind to receptors in B lymphocyte activating B lymphocytes
129
What are the helper cells signalling?
B lymphocytes that there's a pathogen in the body
130
What is interleukins?
A type of cytokine
131
What are plasma cells?
Clones of B lymphocytes
132
What do plasma cells secrete?
Loads of antibodies specific to antigen into the blood
133
What do the antibodies bind to?
The antigens on the surface of the pathogen to form a lot antigen-antibody complexes
134
Name bits of antigens you need to know?
Variable region Hinge region Constant region Disulfate bridges
135
What does the variable region of an antibody do?
Form antigen binding sites . Shape of region complementary to particular antigen. Variable region differs between antibodies
136
Describe hinge region?
Allows flexibility when antibodies bind to antigen
137
Describe constant region?
Allows binding to receptors on immune system cells e.g. Phagocytes. Constant region always the same in all antibodies
138
Disulfide bridges describe
Type of bond | Holds polypeptide chains of proteins together
139
Name three wars antibodies help to clear an infection?
1) agglutinating pathogens 2) neutralising toxins 3) preventing pathogen binding to human cell
140
agglutinating pathogens explain
Each antibody has 2 binding sites so antibody can bind to 2 pathogens at the same time. Pathogens become clumped together. Phagocytes bind to antibodies and phagocytose a lot of pathogens at once. (Agglutinins= antibodies behaving like this)
141
neutralising toxins explain?
Toxins have different shapes. Antibodies called anti-toxins bind to toxins produced by pathogens preventing toxins from affecting human cells so toxins neutralised. Toxin-antibodies complexes phagocytosed.
142
preventing pathogen binding to human cell explain?
When antibodies bind to antigen on pathogens they may block cell surface receptors that pathogens need to bind to host cells meaning pathogens can't attach to or infect host cells.
143
Which is quicker primary or secondary response?
Secondary
144
What happens when a pathogen enters the body for the first time?
Antigens on surface activates the immune system (primary response)
145
Why is primary response slow?
They aren't many B lymphocytes that make the antibody needed to bind to it.
146
What will the body eventually do? Primary response
Produce enough of the right antibody to overcome the infection. Meanwhile infected person shows symptoms of the disease.
147
What do T and B lymphocytes produce after exposed to an antigen?
Memory cells which remain in the body for a long time.
148
What will memory T lymphocytes?
Remember specific antigen and will recognise it a second time around
149
What will memory B lymphocytes do?
Record the specific antibodies needed to bind to the antigen
150
What will the person be after primary response?
Immune so immune system had ability to respond quicker to a swine infection.
151
What happens if the same pathogen enters the body again?
The immune system will produce a quicker, stronger immune response (secondary response)
152
Secondary response does clonal selection happen?
Faster
153
What happens to memory B lymphocytes secondary response?
Activated and divide into plasma cells that produce the right antibody to the antigen.
154
What happens to memory T lymphocytes secondary response?
Activated and divide into the correct type of T lymphocyte to kill cell carrying the antigen.
155
Secondary response often what?
Gets rid of pathogen before you begin to show any symptoms
156
Primary response
Pathogen enters for 1st time Slow response B and T lymphocytes activated Symptoms
157
Secondary response
Enters for 2nd time Fast response Memory cells activated No symptoms
158
What is a blood smear?
Sample of blood smeared over microscope slide
159
What are added to blood smears and why?
Stains to sample to make different cells easy to see
160
Likely to see what when looking at blood smear?
Red blood cell White blood cell Platelets
161
Do white blood cells have granules in their cytoplasm?
Some do some don't
162
How to spot red blood cells?
No nucleus so easy
163
Neutrophil recognise?
Nucleus looks like three interconnected blobs (multi-loved). Cytoplasm is grainy
164
Lymphocyte recognise
Much smaller than neutrophil Nucleus takes up most of the cell Very little cytoplasm to be seen not grainy Can't tell if T or B lymphocytes under light microscope
165
Monocytes
Biggest white blood cell Type of phagocyte Kidney-bean shaped nucleus Non-grainy cytoplasm
166
Active immunity
Your immune system makes own antibodies after stimulated by antigen
167
Active natural immunity
Become immune after catching disease | E.g. If you have measles as child you can't catch it again
168
Active artificial
Become immune after given vaccination containing harmless dose of antigen
169
Passive immunity
Type of immunity you get from being given antibodies made from different organism- immune system doesn't produce antibodies of its own
170
Passive natural
Baby become immune due to antibodies it receives from mother through placenta and in breast milk
171
Passive artificial
Immune after injected with antibodies from someone else e.g. Contract tetanus can be injected with antibodies against tetanus toxin collected from blood donation
172
Active immunity summary
Requires exposure to antigen Take while to gain protection Long term Memory cells produced
173
Passive immunity summary
No exposure to antigen Immediate protection Short-term protection No memory cells produced
174
What does an autoimmune disease involve?
An abnormal immune response
175
What causes an autoimmune disease?
Sometimes, an organism isn't able to recognise self-antigens- antigens present on organisms own cells When this happens, immune system treats self-antigens as foreign antigens and launched immune response against organism own tissue resulting in a disease called an autoimmune disease
176
Two examples of autoimmune diseases?
Lupus | Rheumatoid arthritis
177
Lupus describe
Caused by immune system attacking cells in connective tissues damaging tissues and causing painful inflammination. Lupus affects skin, joints and organs (heart)
178
Rheumatoid arthritis describe
Caused by immune system attacking cells in joints causing pain and inflammination
179
Autoimmune disease last and how can they be helped?
Usually chronic but often treated but not cured
180
What's your immune system doing while you are suffering from a disease
While B lymphocytes are busy dividing to built up numbers to deal with pathogen (primary response)
181
What can vaccines do?
Help avoid you suffering from the disease
182
How do vaccines work?
By containing antigens that cause your body to produce memory cells against particular organisms without pathogen causing disease meaning immunity without symptoms
183
What happens if most people in a community are vaccinated?
Disease becomes extremely rare meaning people who haven't been vaccinated are unlikely to get the disease because there's no one to catch from (herd immunity)
184
What does herd immunity help prevent?
Epidemics, mass outbreaks of disease
185
What do antigens always contain?
Antigen may be free of attached or dead or attenuated pathogens
186
Attenuated means?
Weakened
187
Why are booster vaccines needed later on?
To make sure memory cells are produced
188
Vaccination and immunisation?
Vaccination administration of antigens in a vaccine into body Immunisation is process by which you develop immunity
189
Link between vaccination and immunisation?
Vaccination causes immunisation
190
Name two routine vaccines offered to everyone?
MMR | Meningitis C vaccine
191
MMR describe
Protects against measles, mumps and rubella Usually given to children as infection around a year old and before starting school Contains attenuated measles, mumps and rubella viruses
192
Meningitis C virus describe
Protects against bacteria that causes Meningitis C First given as injection to babies at 3 months Boosters given to 1 years olds and teenagers
193
What happens to flu vaccine every year?
Changes because antigens on surface of influzena virus change regularly forming new strains of virus
194
Why does the flu vaccine have to change due to antigen flu virus changes?
Memory cells produced from vaccination with one stain of flu won't recognise other strains with different antigens. Strains are immunologically distant
195
What happens every year flu strains?
Different influzena virus strains circulating in population so different vaccine has to be made
196
Laboratories do what for influzena?
Collect samples of different strains and organisations like WHO and CDC test effectiveness of different influzena vaccines against them
197
WHO
World health organisation
198
CDC
Centre for disease control
199
Who is a influzena vaccine chosen?
New vaccines are developed and one is chosen every year that is most effective against recently circulating influzena viruses
200
What must governments and health authorities?
Implement programmes of vaccination using most suitable vaccine. Sometimes people are given vaccine that protects from strain causing epidermis in another county helping stop strain spreading globally
201
What do your genes determine?
How your body responds to certain drugs
202
Different people respond to the same drug how?
In different way so makes certain drugs more effective for some people then others. So personalised medicines are a good idea.
203
Personalised medicines are?
Medicines tailored to individual DNA.
204
Theory behind personalised medicines?
If doctors have genetic information, they can use it to predict how you will respond to different drugs and only prescribe ones that will be most effective
205
What do scientists hope relating to personalised medicine?
By studying relationship between someone's genetic make up and responsiveness to drugs the more effective drugs can be produced in the future
206
What does synthetic biology involve?
Using technology to design and makes things like artificial protein, cells or even microorganisms
207
Applications of synthetic biology?
Lots of different areas including medicine e.g. Scientists are looking at engineering bacteria to destroy cancer cells leaving healthy body cells intact
208
What are antibiotics?
Chemicals that kill or inhibit the growth of bacteria
209
When are antibiotics used by humans?
As drugs to treat bacterial infections. Useful because they can target bacterial cells without damaging human body cells
210
What was penicillin?
First antibiotic isolated by Alexander Fleming in 1928
211
Antibiotic use became widespread from?
Mid-twentieth century partly thanks to successful treatment of soldiers with penicillin in WW2
212
Past few decades we have dealt with bacterial infections?
Pretty easily using antibiotics causing death rate from infectious bacterial disease has fallen dramatically
213
What are some risks of antibiotics?
Can cause side effects, severe allergic reactions in some people, biggest risk is antibiotic resistance
214
Bacterial infections treatment in animals?
Antibiotics
215
What is their in the bacteria population?
Genetic variation
216
What makes some bacteria naturally resistant to antibiotics?
Genetic mutations
217
What is the ability to resist an antibiotic to a bacterium?
A big advantage
218
Why is the ability to resist an antibiotic to a bacterium a big advantage?
It's better able to survive, even in a host who's being treated with antibiotics to get rid of the infection and so it lives fit longer and reproduces many more times.
219
What's does the host being the bacteria living longer and reproducing more times mean for the ability to resist an antibiotic?
Leads to the allele for antibiotic resistance being passed on to lots of offspring. Example of natural selection. This is how antibiotics spread and become more common in a population of bacteria over time.
220
What is the issue with bacteria being resistant to antibiotics for people?
People who become infected with these bacteria can't easily get rid of them with antibiotics
221
What does increased use of antibiotics mean?
Antibiotic resistance is increasing. Superbugs that are resistant to most known antibiotics are becoming common meaning we are less able to treat potentially life-threatening bacterial infections.
222
Two examples of antibiotic resistant bacteria?
MRSA | Clostridium difficile
223
MRSA
Methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus
224
MRSA describe
Causes serious wound infections | Resistant to several antibiotics including meticillin
225
Clostridium difficile describe
Infects digestive system Usually causing problems with people already treated with antibiotic Thought to be harmless bacteria that are normally present in digestive system being killed off by antibiotics which C. difficile is resistant to Allowing C. difficile to flourish
226
What symptoms does Clostridium difficile cause?
Produces a toxin causing diarrhoea, fever and cramps
227
What are two ways of overcoming problems of antibiotics?
Developing new antibiotics Modifying existing ones (Harder work to do than learning this lol)
228
Ways in which the likelihood of antibiotics resistance developing?
Doctors encouraged to reduce use of antibiotics Patients advised to take all antibiotics they're prescribed to make sure the infection is cleared and all the bacteria have been killed reducing risk of population of antibiotic-resistant bacteria developing
229
Doctors encouraged to reduce use of antibiotics examples?
Not to prescribe for minor infections Not to prescribe to prevent infection (except for patients with already weakened immune system e.g. HIV sufferers, elderly)
230
How are many medicinal drugs manufactured?
Using natural compounds found in plants, animals or microorganisms e.g. Penicillin obtained from fungus Some cancer drugs made from soil bacteria Daffodils now grown to produce a drug used to treat Alzheimer's disease
231
What proportion of organisms have been investigated so far?
Only a small proportion of organisms have been investigated so far, it's possible that plants or microorganisms exist that contain compounds that could be used to treat currently incurable disease such as AID's. Others may produce new antibiotics
232
What do possible sources of drugs need to be?
Protected by maintaining biodiversity on earth. If we don't protect them some species could die out before we have a chance to study them
233
Even organisms studied could do what?
Prove to be useful sources of medicines as new techniques are developed for identifying, purifying and testing compounds