A girl with typhoid fever is given a medicine to bring her temperature down…
Contributed by StemPy LabTry it on paper first. A hint, the key idea and the worked solution are here when you need them.
A girl with typhoid fever is given a medicine to bring her temperature down. She is also given an antibiotic. Which medicine treats the symptoms, and which treats the cause? Why are both useful?
Need a reminder? The key ideaShow
Treatment can ease the symptoms or kill the cause. Antibiotics block steps that bacteria need, such as building a cell wall, and do not work on viruses. Resistant bacteria survive an unfinished course and multiply. Prevention uses general ways, such as clean water and no stagnant water, and the specific way of immunisation.
The worked solution
Have you tried it?
Work it out on paper first. It is fine to get stuck or make a mistake: that is how we learn. When you are ready, go through the solution one step at a time, and check each step against your own.
Step 1. The symptoms. The medicine for the temperature treats a symptom, which is the fever.
Step 2. The cause. Typhoid fever is caused by a bacterium, Salmonella typhi. The antibiotic kills it, so it treats the cause.
Step 3. Both. The first makes her comfortable. The second removes the microbe, so that she recovers.
Answer: the fever medicine treats the symptoms, and the antibiotic treats the cause.
Discussion (0)
Log in to join the discussion.
Loading…