Antibiotics and painkillers Flashcards – AQA GCSE Biology - Foundation (8461)

What is a drug?

Any substance taken into the body that modifies or affects chemical reactions in the body.

What are antibiotics?

Drugs used to treat bacterial infections by killing bacteria.

Why are antibiotics ineffective against viral infections?

Antibiotics do not affect viruses.

How does antibiotic resistance affect the treatment of bacterial infections?

It reduces the effectiveness of antibiotics against infections caused by the resistant bacteria.

How do viruses use body cells to reproduce?

They reproduce inside body cells, using the cells’ machinery to make more viruses.

Why is it difficult to develop antiviral drugs that do not damage body tissues?

Viruses use host-cell machinery, so targeting the virus or its reproduction can also harm the cells it uses.

How can a new antibiotic-resistant bacterial strain arise?

A mutation can produce a strain resistant to an antibiotic.

Why can bacterial populations change over many generations in a short time?

Bacteria reproduce rapidly.

How can antibiotic resistance become established in a bacterial strain?

Resistance can be inherited by descendants over generations.

When can a resistant bacterial strain spread particularly readily between people?

When people lack immunity to the strain.

What effect does antibiotic resistance have on treating and limiting the spread of an infection?

It makes the infection harder to treat. Without an effective antibiotic, treatment cannot readily eliminate the infection and limit its spread.