Part 1 of 5 · freeIntroduction
When bacteria invade our body, the immune system fights back: white blood cells attack the infection and we feel better a few days later. But if our defenses are weakened, or overwhelmed, we need backup: antibiotics. A bactericidal antibiotic destroys the bacterium by attacking its cell wall and its contents; a bacteriostatic one only stops it from multiplying.
Depending on the infection, the doctor chooses a broad-spectrum antibiotic, active against many species, or a narrow-spectrum one, reserved for a few. Effective, cheap and easy to get, these drugs cover a huge range of infections. That very success is what led the modern world to overuse them. And the bacteria began to fight back.
The rest is in the Sophia app.The remaining parts, the open-book quiz and the full glossary. Free to start; Premium unlocks everything.
- 2How bacteria learn to resist
- 3Genes that travel: the case of MRSA
- 41.27 million deaths a year: the WHO's warning
- 5A world without effective antibiotics
Open-book quiz8 questions whose answers are in the text.
Glossary7 terms explained in a tap.
30 languagesThe same course, from French to Japanese.
