Biology Essentials - Antibiotics Flashcards
How do antibiotics find the bacteria?
When you swallow an antibiotic, it enters your digestive tract and is absorbed into the blood stream, moving throughout the body, until it reaches its target area.
What 3 areas to antibiotics target in bacteria?
Cell wall or membranes that surrounds the bacterial cell
The production of nucleic acids, DNA and RNA
The protein production (the ribosome and associated proteins)
What are narrow-spectrum antibiotics?
Specific to certain groups or strains of bacteria
What are broad-spectrum antibiotics?
Work against a wider range of bacteria
Why are narrow-spectrum bacteria preferred?
Effect on non-disease causing bacteria is limited
How does an antibiotic attack the cell wall?
Prevention of peptidoglycan in the cell wall, which provides the wall with the strength it needs
