Drugs and Antibiotics: Fighting the Invaders

 

What are Drugs?

Definition:

• A drug is any substance taken into the body that changes or affects chemical reactions.

Examples:

• Medicinal drugs: Antibiotics, painkillers.
• Recreational drugs: Alcohol, nicotine.

 

Antibiotics

What are Antibiotics?

• Antibiotics are medicines that kill bacteria or stop them from growing.
• They are used to treat bacterial infections like strep throat and pneumonia.

Key Fact: Antibiotics only work against bacteria, not viruses like the flu or COVID-19. 

Analogy:
Think of antibiotics as a shield that only works against certain types of enemies (bacteria) but doesn’t stop others (viruses).

 

How Do Antibiotics Work?

1. Killing Bacteria:

   • Antibiotics damage the bacterial cell wall or membrane.
   • Example: Penicillin breaks down bacterial cell walls, causing them to burst.

2. Stopping Growth:

   • Some antibiotics prevent bacteria from reproducing.
   • Example: Tetracycline stops bacteria from making proteins they need to grow.

 

Why Don’t Antibiotics Kill Viruses?

Viruses are different from bacteria:

• They are much smaller and live inside cells.
• Antibiotics can’t target viruses without harming your body cells.

Key Difference:

Bacteria	Viruses
Living organisms that reproduce on their own.	Non-living particles that need a host cell.
Have cell walls and membranes.	No cell walls; they hijack your body cells.

 

Antibiotic Resistance: The Bacterial Supervillains - Extended

What is Antibiotic Resistance?

• Some bacteria develop ways to survive antibiotics.
• These are called resistant bacteria, like MRSA (Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus).

How It Happens:

1. When antibiotics are used too often or incorrectly, bacteria can mutate.
2. The resistant bacteria survive and reproduce.
3. The infection becomes harder to treat.

Analogy:
Think of it as bacteria wearing armor that the antibiotics can’t break through.

 

How to Prevent Antibiotic Resistance

1. Use antibiotics only when needed.
2. Finish the full course of antibiotics prescribed by your doctor.
3. Avoid sharing antibiotics or using leftovers.

 

Step-by-Step Example: How Antibiotics Work

Scenario:
A person has a bacterial infection in their throat.

1. Step 1: Doctor prescribes an antibiotic like penicillin.
2. Step 2: Antibiotic targets the bacterial cell walls.
3. Step 3: Bacteria are killed, and the infection clears up.
4. Step 4: The patient finishes the prescribed dose to ensure all bacteria are killed.