vaccinations + medicine Flashcards
What is a vaccination?
Contains a dead or inactivated form of the pathogen which stimulates white blood cells to produce antibodies to the pathogen.
In the case of a second infection, memory cells can rapidly produce the correct antibodies and prevent illness.
What is herd immunity?
If a sufficiently high proportion of a population are immune to a disease (especially through vaccination), the spread of this disease will be limited.
What are the advantages of vaccinations?
● They have eradicated many deadly diseases eg. smallpox.
● Many epidemics can be prevented by
vaccinations.
● Herd immunity protects those who cannot have vaccinations.
What are the disadvantages of vaccinations?
● Not guaranteed to work - might not protect against multiple strains of a pathogen.
● May be side effects or adverse reactions.
What drugs are used to cure some bacterial
diseases?
Antibiotics - they can kill bacterial pathogens inside the body
How do antibiotics work?
Antibiotics, eg. penicillin, kill bacterial pathogens inside the body, but do not kill human cells.
Whilst some antibiotics kill a wide range of bacteria, it is important that the right antibiotic is used for specific bacteria.
Why can antibiotics not be used to treat viral diseases?
Antibiotics have no effect on viral pathogens as they live inside the host’s (human) cells. Therefore, it is difficult to design drugs that would kill the virus and
not destroy human cells at the same time.
What is antibiotic resistance?
Antibiotic resistance occurs when mutations lead to individual bacteria being resistant to an antibiotic.
These bacteria are able to survive, reproduce and pass on their
alleles, leading to a greater proportion of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
This is concerning as some types of bacteria are becoming resistant to all known antibiotics, so the diseases that they cause cannot be cured.
How can we prevent antibiotic resistance?
● Avoid overuse and unnecessary use of antibiotics - eg. antibiotics are often used for viral infections.
● Finish antibiotic courses - to ensure all bacteria is killed.
What effect do painkillers have on
infectious diseases?
Painkillers can only treat the symptoms but do not kill pathogens.
What antibiotic was discovered by Alexander Fleming from a type of mould?
Penicillin
What are the four qualities of a good medicine?
● Effective
● Safe
● Stable
● Able to be taken in and removed easily
What three main factors are tested for when
developing new drugs?
● Toxicity
● Efficacy
● Dose
How is preclinical testing carried out?
In a laboratory - uses cells, tissues and live animals
How is clinical testing carried out?
- Uses healthy volunteers and patients. Firstly, the drug is tested at a low dose on healthy people
- then tested on patients and on a larger scale to find the optimum dose
- Often, one group receive a placebo (not the test drug) and the other group receive the actual drug, in order to assess its efficacy.