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Questions and Answers
What are antibiotics?
Drugs that kill or stop the growth of bacteria without harming the cells of the infected organism.
How do antibiotics work?
Antibiotics affect both bacteria and viruses.
False
What is the role of penicillin in bacteria?
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Antibiotics do not affect ______.
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What can lead to bacteria becoming resistant to antibiotics?
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Bacteria can mutate and develop resistance to antibiotics.
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What are the consequences of antibiotic resistance?
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Study Notes
What Are Antibiotics?
- Antibiotics are drugs that kill or stop the growth of bacteria.
- They are designed to harm bacterial cells, not the infected organism's cells.
How Do Antibiotics Work?
- Antibiotics disrupt key processes in bacterial cells.
- They interfere with cell wall synthesis, cell surface membrane protein activity, enzyme action, and DNA and protein synthesis.
- Antibiotics weaken the structural integrity of bacteria, disrupt essential processes, and prevent reproduction.
How Penicillin Acts on Bacteria
- Penicillin prevents the synthesis of cross-links in bacterial peptidoglycan walls.
- This weakens the cell wall, making bacteria susceptible to bursting when taking up water.
Antibiotics Do Not Affect Viruses
- Antibiotics target bacterial processes, and viruses are structurally different.
- Viruses lack a peptidoglycan cell wall and have a protein coat.
- Viruses lack their own metabolism and rely on host cells.
- Viruses have few organelles, which limits potential targets for antiviral drugs.
How Bacteria Become Resistant to Antibiotics
- Incomplete courses of antibiotics can leave resistant bacteria behind.
- Mutations within bacterial DNA can lead to resistance.
- Resistant bacteria survive and reproduce, spreading resistance within populations.
Consequences of Antibiotic Resistance
- Increased risk of infections that are harder to treat.
- Longer hospital stays and higher healthcare costs.
- Increased mortality rates from infections.
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Description
This quiz covers the essential aspects of antibiotics, including their definition, how they work, and their specific actions on bacteria such as penicillin. Additionally, it highlights the crucial distinction between bacteria and viruses in relation to antibiotic effectiveness.
