International A Level Biology / Immunity

Antibiotic resistance and hospital-acquired infections revision notes

Edexcel International A Level Biology (YBI11), chapter 18: Immunity, specification point 6.15. Part of the full course.

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Antibiotic resistance develops when antibiotics select bacteria that already have a resistance mutation, and it can spread between bacteria on plasmids. Responsible prescribing and hospital infection-control practices reduce the spread of resistant bacteria and hospital-acquired infections.

More lessons in Immunity

• Non-specific responses: inflammation, lysozyme and interferon
• Phagocytosis
• Antigens, antibodies and antigen-presenting cells
• The specific response: B cells and antibodies
• The specific response: T helper, T killer and T memory cells
• Natural, artificial, active and passive immunity
• The evolutionary race between pathogens and hosts
• Antibiotics: bacteriostatic and bactericidal
• Core practical 14: the effect of antibiotics on bacteria