1.6 Drugs and Disease

Drugs

Painkillers - don't actually kill or affect pathogens they just relieve pain.

Antibiotics kill infective bacteria in the body.

• Penicillin is an example. Discovered in 1928 by Alexandra Flemming

Bacteria

Treatment = antibiotics

Bacteria live inbewteen body cells making them easier to treat than viruses.

Viruses

Treatment = vaccine

Reproduce inside our body cells. The virus inject its DNA into our cells and in the cells they reproduce untill the the cell bursts.

Usually our immune system overcomes the viral pathogens