Antibiotics

Antibiotics are medicines used to treat and prevent infections caused by bacteria by killing them or stopping their growth.

Discovery

The first widely used antibiotic, penicillin, was discovered by Alexander Fleming in 1928 and transformed medicine by making once-deadly infections treatable.

Resistance

Overuse and misuse of antibiotics have led to antibiotic resistance, where bacteria evolve to survive the drugs. This is a major global health concern, so antibiotics should be used only when needed.

Frequently asked questions

What do antibiotics treat?

Bacterial infections; they do not work against viruses.

What is antibiotic resistance?

When bacteria evolve to survive antibiotics, making infections harder to treat.