Infections, Antibiotics, and
Vaccination
How to reduce the chances of
being infected
 Avoid crowded areas especially if you have a compromised
immune system
 Wash your hands often and thoroughly
 Wash food thoroughly and ensure that all food is cooked
properly
 Avoid sharing drinks or other objects used by others
 Use gloves when working with objects that are dirty or may
be contaminated with bacteria
How to treat infections:
Antibiotics
 Antibiotics are materials taken from bacteria or
fungi, which are used to destroy harmful bacteria or
fungi.
 E.g. Penicillin (made from the mould Penicillium notatum)
is used to destroy the bacteria cell wall
Note: Antibiotics
are not used for
virus
Antibiotics and Resistance
 Antibiotics kill nearly all bacteria
 The variations of bacteria that are not affected by the
antibiotics are antibiotic resistant.
 Those bacteria will then reproduce and repopulate.
The result is that nearly all of the bacteria living will
be antibiotic resistant.
Evolution
Antibiotics and Resistance
 Many parasitic bacteria (and fungi) are becoming
resistant to many drugs.
 E.g. Some tuberculosis causing bacteria are now resistant
to 7 different antibiotics
 A new “super bacteria” may be the potential
outcome
Antibiotics: The Good and Bad
 Good: Antibiotics help treat diseases, reduce the risk of
disease, and can even help promote growth
 Bad: Antibiotics not only kill bad bacteria, but good
bacteria as well
 Can eliminate most good bacteria, especially in the
digestive system
 Bad: Antibiotic resistance
Antibiotics vs. Vaccination
Antibiotics
Vaccinations
-Bacteria (Good and Bad),
fungi, protists
Destroys which
organisms?
-Breaks down structure of
the bacteria causing it to
die
How does it work?
-Stimulates the body to
develop an immune
response to kill the virus
in the future
-Various components
What is it made of?
-Dead or inactive
components of a virus or
bacteria
- Affects good bacteria
and can cause fever,
nausea, and diarrhea
-Viruses, Bacteria (in
some cases)
What are the side effects? -Few side effects (most
allergy related)
Vaccine Dilemma and Community
Immunity
 Few scientific journals reported that vaccination
caused severe side effects including autism and other
disorders
 The journals were proven to be incorrect, yet many
refuse to get vaccinated
 When most people are vaccinated nearly everyone is
protected through “Community Immunity”