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How Antibiotics and Vaccines Work

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How Antibiotics and Vaccines Work

Antibiotics can fight bacterial infections, and vaccines can prevent infectious diseases. Disease-causing microorganisms are called pathogens.

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Alexander Fleming

  • Fleming was born in 1881 in Scotland.
  • Fleming studied the bacteria staphylococci at St. Mary's Hospital in London.
  • On September 3rd, 1928, Fleming noticed that the bacterial cultures he was working with had been contaminated with mould.
    • The bacteria wasn’t growing near the mould.
    • Fleming called this mould penicillin.
  • Fleming is credited with finding the first antibiotic medicine.
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Antibiotics

  • Antibiotics treat bacterial infections, not viral infections.
    • Antibiotics destroy bacteria and prevent bacteria from spreading.
  • Antibiotics may take a few days to start working.
  • A person must continue taking their antibiotics, even if they feel better.
    • Stopping antibiotics early could lead to antibiotic resistance.
    • Only take antibiotics when they are prescribed by a doctor.
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Edward Jenner

  • Jenner was born in 1796 in England.
  • Jenner is credited with discovering the first vaccine.
  • Jenner inoculated James Phipps with cowpox pus.
    • Phipps caught cowpox.
    • However, Phipps was unaffected when he was later infected with smallpox.
  • As a result of Jenner's discovery, smallpox has been eradicated.
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What are vaccinations?

  • Vaccinations are a weakened version of a virus.
    • People take vaccines to protect them from viruses.
  • Being inoculated with a virus does not cause the disease in the person.
    • Inoculation causes the immune system to respond to the weakened virus antigens.
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After vaccination

  • Once someone is vaccinated, their immune system produces an antibody attached to the specific virus antigens.
  • If someone is infected with the antigen again, their body remembers its immune system response.
    • The vaccine-boosted response is much quicker.

Jump to other topics

1Biology

1.1Cells, Tissues & Organs

1.2Reproduction & Variation

1.3Ecological Relationships & Classification

1.4Digestion & Nutrition

1.5Plants & Photosynthesis

1.6Biological Systems & Processes

2Chemistry

2.1Particles

2.2Chemical Reactions

2.3Atoms, Elements, Compounds

2.4The Periodic Table

2.5Materials & the Earth

2.6Reactivity

2.7Energetics

2.8Properties of Materials

3Physics

3.1Energy

3.2Forces & Motion

3.3Waves

3.4Electricity & Magnetism

3.5Matter

3.6Space Physics

4Thinking Scientifically

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