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What are antibiotics?
Drugs that kill or stop bacteria growing
Who discovered penicillin?
Alexander Fleming
What do antibiotics kill?
Bacteria
Why don’t antibiotics kill viruses?
Viruses have no cell wall or metabolism
Why doesn’t penicillin harm human cells?
Humans have no cell walls
What does penicillin do?
Stops cell wall formation in bacteria
What is a broad spectrum antibiotic?
What is antibiotic resistance?
When bacteria are no longer killed by an antibiotic
How do bacteria become resistant?
By mutations or getting resistance genes
What is a narrow spectrum antibiotic?
Works on one or few types of bacteria
How can antibiotic resistant bacteria be controlled?
By good hygiene and careful antibiotic use
Why do you have to finish a course of antibiotics?
To kill all bacteria and stop resistance
What happens if antibiotics are overused?
Resistance increases
What are semi-synthetic antibiotics?
Modified natural antibiotics
Use antibiotics only when needed
Why are antibiotics used in medicine?
To treat bacterial infections