AQA · GCSE · Biology
Course version: 8461 · Version from Sept 2018
The use of antibiotics has greatly reduced deaths from infectious…
Full specification wording
Antibiotics and painkillers: The use of antibiotics has greatly reduced deaths from infectious bacterial diseases.
Antibiotics are medicines that kill bacteria inside the body or stop them growing, so the immune system can clear the infection.
Checked against the AQA 8461 specification (opens in a new tab) on .
- Point 4 of 8
- 4 key terms
Study notes
From the checked teaching notes for this specification point.
The idea
Antibiotics are medicines that kill bacteria inside the body or stop them growing, so the immune system can clear the infection. Before antibiotics, a simple wound infection or pneumonia could kill; since their introduction, deaths from infectious bacterial diseases such as tuberculosis and septicaemia have fallen dramatically. Antibiotics work only on bacteria because they target bacterial structures, for example the cell wall or bacterial ribosomes, which human cells do not have. A doctor may prescribe a course for a bacterial infection, and the patient must finish the course to reduce the chance of surviving bacteria becoming resistant. Antibiotics do not work on viruses, fungi or other pathogens, so they are not a universal cure.
What earns the marks
- Antibiotics are medicines that kill bacteria or prevent their growth inside the body.
- Antibiotics act on bacterial structures such as the cell wall or bacterial ribosomes, which are absent from human cells.
- The immune system still helps clear the infection after the antibiotic has stopped bacterial growth.
- Examples of bacterial diseases whose death rates fell include tuberculosis and septicaemia.
- Completing a prescribed course helps reduce the survival of resistant bacteria.
Common mistakes and how to put them right
Saying antibiotics kill all pathogens.
Put it right by stating they act on bacteria, not viruses.
Confusing antibiotics with painkillers.
Put it right by explaining that painkillers treat symptoms while antibiotics kill bacteria.
Claiming antibiotics directly boost the immune system.
Put it right by saying they reduce the bacterial population so the immune system can clear the infection.
Exam tips
- Link the statement to named bacterial diseases such as tuberculosis to show the scale of the reduction in deaths.
- Use the phrase infectious bacterial diseases rather than infections generally, because antibiotics do not affect viral infections.
- When explaining how antibiotics work, refer to a bacterial target such as the cell wall rather than saying they attack germs.
Try the lesson
The start of the Antibiotics and painkillers: The use of antibiotics has greatly reduced deaths from infectious bacterial diseases. lesson, made from checked teaching notes for this specification point.
Have a go first
What has been the main impact of the discovery and use of antibiotics on human health?
Listen
Antibiotics are medicines that kill bacteria inside the body or stop them growing, so the immune system can clear the infection. Before antibiotics, a simple wound infection or pneumonia could kill; since their introduction, deaths from infectious bacterial diseases such as tuberculosis and septicaemia have fallen dramatically. Antibiotics work only on bacteria because they target bacterial structures, for example the cell wall or bacterial ribosomes, which human cells do not have. A doctor may prescribe a course for a bacterial infection, and the patient must finish the course to reduce the chance of surviving bacteria becoming resistant. Antibiotics do not work on viruses, fungi or other pathogens, so they are not a universal cure. A strong answer earns marks for these points. Antibiotics are medicines that kill bacteria or prevent their growth inside the body. Antibiotics act on bacterial structures such as the cell wall or bacterial ribosomes, which are absent from human cells. The immune system still helps clear the infection after the antibiotic has stopped bacterial growth. Examples of bacterial diseases whose death rates fell include tuberculosis and septicaemia. A common slip: Saying antibiotics kill all pathogens. Instead, stating they act on bacteria, not viruses. Exam tip: Link the statement to named bacterial diseases such as tuberculosis to show the scale of the reduction in deaths.
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Key words
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Antibiotics
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Reduction in mortality from infection
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Selective action on bacterial cells
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Completing a prescribed course
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See every definition
- Antibiotics
- Medicines that kill bacteria inside the body or stop them growing, so the immune system can clear the infection.
- Reduction in mortality from infection
- Deaths from infectious bacterial diseases such as tuberculosis and septicaemia have fallen dramatically since the introduction of antibiotics.
- Selective action on bacterial cells
- Antibiotics work only on bacteria because they target bacterial structures, for example the cell wall or bacterial ribosomes, which human cells do not have.
- Completing a prescribed course
- The patient must finish the course to reduce the chance of surviving bacteria becoming resistant.
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