Fighting Diseases - Drugs Flashcards
(23 cards)
Some drugs are_______ whilst others _______ the problem
Relieve symptoms
Cure
Are drugs like painkillers for example a relieve symptom or cure the the disease?
Relieve symptom, they don’t tackle the disease they just reduce the symptoms
Do “cold remedies” cure the disease?
No, they only reduce the symptoms. They don’t actually cure the cold
Do antibodies like penicillin kill the the bacteria or relief the pain?
They actually kill (or prevent the growth) of the bacteria
How do antibodies work when they kill the disease?
The kill or stop the growth of the bacteria without killing your own body cells. Different antibodies kill different types of bacteria so it’s important to be treated with the right one
How do antibodies work with viruses such as the flu or cold viruses?
They do not destroy them. This is because they reproduce rapidly using your own body cells, therefore it makes it very difficult to develop drugs that destroy the viruses without killing your body cells
Bacteria can become resistant to
Antibodies
Bacteria can
Mutate - sometimes the mutations cause them to be resistant to ( not killed by) an antibiotic
If you have an infection, some of the bacteria may be_______ to _________
Resistant to antibiotics
When a bacteria becomes resistant to antibiotics, when treated….
Only the non-resistant strains of bacteria will be killed
What will happen to individual bacteria which is resistant to the antibiotics once the infection is treated?
It will survive and reproduce, this means the population of the resistant strain will increase
(THIS IS AN EXAMPLE OF NATURAL SELECTION)
What is an affect of the resistant strain
It can cause serious infection that can’t be treated by antibiotics.
E.g MRSA causes serious wound infections and is resistant to the powerful antibiotic methicillin
How do you slow down the rate of development of resistant strains?
Doctors will avoid over-prescribing antibiotics. This means you will only get them for more serious matters and not just for a sore throat for example.
How can antibiotics be investigated
By growing microorganisms in the lab
How can you test the action of antibiotics and disinfectants
By growing cultures of microorganisms
How are microorganisms (cultured) grown?
In a “culture medium”. This is usually agar jelly containing the carbohydrates, minerals, proteins and vitamins they need to grown
What round dish is the hot agar poured into
A Petri dish
When the jelly is cooled, what is used to transfer microorganisms and to where
Inoculating loops (wire loops) to the culture medium. This means the microorganism will the multiply in the culture medium.
What are paper disks soaked in and where are they placed
In different types of antibodies and placed on the jelly. Antibiotic resistant bacteria will continue to grow around them but no strains will die
What must be sterilised before use
Petri dish, culture medium and inoculating loops. For example the inoculating loops are passed through a flame. If equipment isn’t sterilised it will cause unwanted microorganisms in the culture medium to grow and affect the result
What must the Petri dish have to stop microorganisms contaminating the culture
A lid, it will stop microorganisms in the air contaminating the culture. The lid should be taped on.
What temperature are microorganisms kept in at school and why
25 degrees because harmful pathogens aren’t likely to grow at this temperature
In industrial conditions why are cultures incubated a high temperatures
So pathogens can grow a lot faster
