International A Level Biology / Immunity

Antibiotics: bacteriostatic and bactericidal

Edexcel International A Level Biology (YBI11), chapter 18: Immunity, specification point 6.13. Part of the full course.

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Antibiotics are chemicals that kill bacteria or stop them growing. Bactericidal and bacteriostatic antibiotics work differently, and neither affects viruses because viruses lack the structures they target.

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
• Core practical 14: the effect of antibiotics on bacteria
• Antibiotic resistance and hospital-acquired infections