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Biology Paper 1 · B3 · Lesson 3.9

Antibiotics, painkillers and resistance

Choose the right type of medicine and explain antibiotic resistance.

Key ideas1 of 3

Different medicines do different jobs

Antibiotics kill bacteria or stop them growing. They do not kill viruses. Painkillers relieve symptoms such as pain; they do not kill the pathogen causing an infection.

An antibiotic acts on bacteria, while a painkiller relieves symptoms.

The correct antibiotic must be chosen for the bacterial infection.

Next: Discovering and testing medicines →
Topic resources and sources

Daily 5 · Exam practice · Download the A4 revision sheet

Core content is shared by Foundation and Higher Tier. Challenge questions ask you to explain and apply it.

AQA Combined Science Trilogy specification · 4.3.1.8. Notes, questions and diagrams are original teaching material.

Rose leaf: LiquidGhoul / Wikimedia Commons, public domain. Mosquito: CDC / Jim Gathany, PHIL 5814, public domain. This photograph shows a vector species; it does not establish that this individual carries malaria.