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The document discusses drugs, particularly focusing on antibiotics, which are substances that combat bacterial infections without affecting viruses. It highlights the issue of antibiotic resistance caused by overuse and incomplete courses of treatment, leading to the emergence of 'superbugs' like MRSA. The document also provides recommendations for preventing antibiotic resistance, such as only using antibiotics when necessary and completing prescribed courses.

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33 views

drugs igcse bio 0610 notes

The document discusses drugs, particularly focusing on antibiotics, which are substances that combat bacterial infections without affecting viruses. It highlights the issue of antibiotic resistance caused by overuse and incomplete courses of treatment, leading to the emergence of 'superbugs' like MRSA. The document also provides recommendations for preventing antibiotic resistance, such as only using antibiotics when necessary and completing prescribed courses.

Uploaded by

srilakshyasai2009
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Cambridge (CIE) IGCSE Biology Your notes

Drugs in Medicine
Contents
Drugs in Medicine

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Drugs in Medicine
Your notes
What are drugs?
Drug definition
A drug is any substance taken into the body that modifies or affects chemical reactions in the body
Some drugs are medicinal drugs that are used to treat the symptoms or causes of a disease - for
example, antibiotics
The liver is the primary site for drug metabolism

Antibiotics
What are antibiotics?
Antibiotics are chemical substances made by certain fungi or bacteria that affect the working of
bacterial cells, either by disrupting their structure or function or by preventing them from
reproducing.
Antibiotics are effective against bacteria but not against viruses.
Antibiotics target processes and structures that are specific to bacterial (prokaryotic) cells; as such
they do not generally harm animal cells.

How do antibiotics work?

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Your notes

How antibiotics work

Antibiotic resistance: extended


Commonly prescribed antibiotics are becoming less effective due to a number of reasons:
overuse and being prescribed when not really necessary
patients failing to complete the fully prescribed course by a doctor
large scale use of antibiotics in farming to prevent disease when livestock are kept in close
quarters, even when animals are not actually sick
This has led to the effectiveness of antibiotics being reduced, and the incidence of antibiotic
resistance increasing
These bacteria are commonly known as superbugs and the most common is MRSA

How to prevent antibiotic resistance

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Ways individuals can help prevent the incidence of antibiotic resistance increasing include:
only taking antibiotics when absolutely essential Your notes
when prescribed a course of antibiotics, ensure that the entire course is completed even if you
feel better after a few days

Mechanism of antibiotic resistance diagram

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Antibiotic resistance
Your notes

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