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Why do bacteria become resistant, rather than the person taking antibiotics?

When an antibiotic stops working against an infection, it is easy to imagine the patient’s body has got used to it. Resistance refers to changes in the microbes. That distinction turns a familiar phrase into a question about which bacteria survive and how a resistant population spreads.

3–7 min

Questions you could explore

  • What is the difference between a resistant bacterium and an antibiotic failing for another reason?

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Health and the body

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3–5 min

How does daylight set the body’s clock?

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How does a vaccine give the immune system a memory?

The immune system can respond differently to something it has encountered before. Vaccines make use of recognition and memory, though different vaccine types introduce the relevant information in different ways.

4–5 min

How does a vaccine give the immune system a memory?

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Health and the body

Why won’t an antibiotic treat a viral cold?

The word infection covers illnesses caused by very different organisms. An antibiotic that helps against certain bacteria has no matching target in the viruses that cause a cold.

2–3 min

Why won’t an antibiotic treat a viral cold?

Health and the body2–3 minThe word infection covers illnesses caused by very different organisms. An antibiotic that helps against certain bacteria has no matching target in the viruses that cause a cold.

Why do bacteria become resistant, rather than the person taking antibiotics? | Speech Topic | speaking.app