Antibiotics
Biology: AQA GCSE Higher, topic 3.1.15
Antibiotics
Antibiotics, such as penicillin, are drugs developed to cure infections caused by bacteria. Some antibiotics work by destroying the cell wall of the bacteria so that they can't replicate.
Antibiotics do not affect viruses
- Antibiotics do not destroy viruses because viruses stay inside host cells and are not living cells.
Antibiotics are specific
- Specific antibiotics are prescribed by medical doctors for specific diseases.
- The use of antibiotics has greatly reduced the number of deaths from infectious bacterial diseases.
Test yourself on Antibiotics
What happens to bacteria when antibiotics destroy their cell wall?
Why do antibiotics not destroy viruses?