In some cases the immune system needs help. Antimicrobials are medicines used to kill or slow the growth of microbes. Antibiotics are either bactericidal, meaning they kill the bacteria, or they are bacteriostatic, meaning they slow the growth of bacteria.

Bacteria are continually adapting to develop ways of not being killed by antibiotics. This is called antibiotic resistance. Resistance develops due to mutations in the bacterial DNA. Antibiotic resistant bacteria can be carried by healthy or ill people and can spread to others just as other types of microbes would, for example by shaking hands or touching all types of surfaces on animals, vegetables or food where bacteria are present.

Antibiotic resistance arises in bacteria found in the body, animals or the environment, due to the overuse and misuse of antibiotics. The more often a person takes antibiotics, the more likely they are to develop antibiotic resistant bacteria in their body. To prevent resistance, antibiotics should only be taken as prescribed by a doctor or nurse.

In this lesson plan, students will learn about how antibiotics work to kill bacteria and how bacteria are becoming resistant to antibiotics. They will learn that not all antibiotics are effective treatments for all bacteria and that this is why it is important to take antibiotics as prescribed by a doctor.