Antibiotic resistanceAntimicrobial resistance, AMRAntibiotic resistance is what happens when bacteria change so that a medicine that used to kill them no longer does. It is driven by antibiotics being taken when they are not needed, in the wrong dose, or for too short a time, and it makes ordinary infections harder and costlier to treat.
Antibiotics: when they help and when they harm
Antibiotics kill bacteria and do nothing to viruses, yet most courses taken for coughs and colds are for viral illness. This quiz covers what they treat, why leftover tablets are a bad idea, and how resistance actually develops.
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Question 1/8
1. Antibiotics work against:
Every question, with the answer explained
The full set, for revision or for reading straight through. The correct answer is marked, and the explanation says why.
1. Antibiotics work against:
- Bacteria only
- Viruses only
- Both equally
- All germs including fungi
Bacteria only. Antibiotics target bacterial machinery. Viruses have none of it, which is why an antibiotic does nothing for a cold, flu, dengue or most sore throats.
2. Which common illness usually needs no antibiotic?
- The common cold and most coughs
- Bacterial pneumonia
- A confirmed urinary tract infection
- Typhoid fever
The common cold and most coughs. Colds and most acute coughs and sore throats are viral and settle on their own. Green phlegm is not evidence of bacterial infection.
3. What happens if you stop an antibiotic early because you feel better?
- Nothing at all
- The infection may not be fully cleared and can relapse
- It always causes allergy
- It makes the drug stronger next time
The infection may not be fully cleared and can relapse. Feeling better often precedes clearing the infection. Take the course as prescribed, and if you are unsure whether it is still needed, ask rather than guess.
4. How does antibiotic resistance develop?
- Your body becomes immune to the drug
- Bacteria that survive exposure multiply and pass resistance on
- The drug expires
- Only in hospitals
Bacteria that survive exposure multiply and pass resistance on. It is the bacteria that become resistant, not you. Every unnecessary course selects for survivors, which is why resistance is a shared problem rather than a personal one.
5. Is it safe to take leftover antibiotics for a new illness?
- Yes, if the symptoms feel similar
- No — wrong drug, wrong dose and an incomplete course
- Yes, if within a year
- Only for children
No — wrong drug, wrong dose and an incomplete course. A partial course of the wrong antibiotic treats nothing reliably and breeds resistance. Buying antibiotics without a prescription carries the same problem.
6. Which side effect of antibiotics is most common?
- Diarrhoea and stomach upset
- Hair loss
- Weight gain
- Blurred vision
Diarrhoea and stomach upset. Antibiotics disturb the gut's normal bacteria. Severe or bloody diarrhoea during or after a course needs medical review rather than an anti-diarrhoeal.
7. A sore throat needs an antibiotic when:
- It hurts a lot
- It is confirmed or strongly suspected to be streptococcal on clinical scoring or a test
- It lasts more than a day
- There is any fever
It is confirmed or strongly suspected to be streptococcal on clinical scoring or a test. Most sore throats are viral. Antibiotics are for the minority that are streptococcal, judged on specific features or a rapid test — not on severity of pain.
8. What does 'broad-spectrum' mean?
- Stronger and always better
- Active against a wider range of bacteria, with more collateral damage
- Safe for everyone
- Only used in hospital
Active against a wider range of bacteria, with more collateral damage. Broader is not better. A narrow-spectrum drug that covers the actual organism does less damage to normal flora and drives less resistance.
Words used in this quiz
- BacteriaBacterium, GermsBacteria are single-celled living organisms, most of them harmless or useful, a minority of which cause infection. Unlike viruses they can be killed by antibiotics, which is the whole reason the distinction matters at the point of treatment.
- VirusViral infectionA virus is genetic material in a protein coat that can only reproduce inside a living cell. Antibiotics have no effect on viruses, which is why they are not prescribed for a common cold.
- PathogenInfectious agent, GermA pathogen is any organism capable of causing disease — a bacterium, a virus, a fungus or a parasite. The term covers the cause of an infection regardless of which kind of organism it is.
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