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This lesson covers the important distinction between antibiotics and painkillers — two very different types of medicine that students often confuse. You also need to understand why antibiotic resistance is a growing global concern and how it links to natural selection. This topic is frequently examined in AQA GCSE Biology.
Antibiotics are medicines that kill or inhibit the growth of bacteria inside the body. They are one of the most important medical discoveries of the 20th century.
| Feature | Detail |
|---|---|
| What they treat | Bacterial infections only |
| How they work | Kill bacteria or prevent them from reproducing |
| Example | Penicillin — discovered by Alexander Fleming in 1928 |
| What they do NOT treat | Viral infections — antibiotics have no effect on viruses |
| Prescription required? | Yes — to reduce the risk of antibiotic resistance |
This is one of the most commonly examined facts in GCSE Biology:
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