AQA GCSE Biology contents

Unit 3 · Infection & Response

Antibiotics, Painkillers & Drug Development

2 min read · part of the full Exam Guide

Antibiotics and painkillers

  • Antibiotics, such as penicillin, cure bacterial diseases by killing the bacteria inside the body. Specific bacteria need specific antibiotics
  • Antibiotics have greatly reduced deaths from bacterial disease, but strains of bacteria resistant to antibiotics are emerging and are a great concern
  • Antibiotics cannot kill viruses. Viruses reproduce inside the body's cells, so it is difficult to develop drugs that kill the virus without damaging the body's tissues
  • Painkillers and other medicines treat the symptoms of a disease but do not kill the pathogen

Full Exam Guide

The rest of this topic is in the full Exam Guide

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In the full topic

  • Antibiotics and painkillers
  • Antibiotic resistance and the culture practical
  • Discovery and development of drugs
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