How Antibiotics & Vaccines Work
Science: KS3, topic 1.6.40
How Antibiotics and Vaccines Work
Antibiotics can fight bacterial infections, and vaccines can prevent infectious diseases. Disease-causing microorganisms are called pathogens.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Test yourself on How Antibiotics & Vaccines Work
What does a vaccine introduce into the body?
What is the danger of stopping antibiotics too early?
Choose the true statement in each pair.
Fleming noticed that the bacteria in his culture were not growing near a mould that had contaminated it. What did this show about the mould?
A patient feels better after 3 days of a 7-day course of antibiotics, so they stop taking them. What is the likely result?