- Definition: Chemicals that kill bacteria (bactericidal) or stop their growth (bacteriostatic)
- Target: Only work against bacterial infections, NOT viral infections
- Sources: Originally from fungi and bacteria, now many are synthetic
- Examples: Penicillin, amoxicillin, tetracycline, erythromycin
- Broad-spectrum: Work against many types of bacteria
- Narrow-spectrum: Target specific bacterial species
This key facts covers Key Facts About Antibiotics within Antibiotics and Drug Resistance for GCSE Biology. Antibiotic function, bacterial resistance evolution, responsible use, global health impact It is section 2 of 18 in this topic. Use this key facts to connect the idea to the wider topic before moving on to questions and flashcards.
Practice questions for Antibiotics and Drug Resistance
What do antibiotics kill or stop growing?
Explain how antibiotic resistance develops in bacteria through natural selection. (3 marks)
Quick recall flashcards
What are antibiotics and what do they target?
Antibiotics are chemicals that kill bacteria or stop them from growing.
They target structures that bacteria have but human cells do not, such as cell walls.
Examples: penicillin, amoxicillin, streptomycin.
Why do antibiotics NOT work against viruses?
Antibiotics target bacterial cell walls and bacterial processes.
Viruses do not have cell walls and use the host cell's own machinery to reproduce.
There is nothing for the antibiotic to target in a virus.