Antibiotics are compounds or substances that inhibit or kill the growth of bacteria. Antibiotics belong to the group of antimicrobial compounds, which are used to treat infections caused by microorganisms. Antibiotics are of the first class of antimicrobials. In other words, antibiotics are small molecules or compounds that are effective in treating infections caused by organisms such as bacteria, fungi and protozoa.
Antibiotics are not effective on viruses because viruses are not living. It is just a piece of RNA or DNA whereas bacteria are living organisms that reproduce rapidly. Antibiotics cannot cure diseases like cancer because cancer is not a bacterium or a virus.
Vaccines are preparations that increase immunity against certain diseases. It contains a small amount of the agent, which resembles a microorganism. These agents enter the body and interact with the immune system and stimulate it so that it can recognize microorganisms and destroy them. Once detected, the immune system remembers it and destroys these microorganisms later on. In other words, a vaccine is a dead or inactivated organism or compound used to provide immunity against a particular infection or disease.
Types of Antibiotics
Classification according to effect on Bacteria
Antibiotics are mainly of two types, namely those that kill bacteria (bactericidal) and those that inhibit bacterial growth (bacteriostatic). These compounds are classified according to their structure and mechanism of action, for example antibiotics can target bacterial cell walls, cell membranes, or interfere with bacterial enzymes or important processes such as protein synthesis.
Classification by source
In addition to this classification, antibiotics are also grouped into natural, semi-synthetic and synthetic types depending on whether they are derived from living organisms, such as aminoglycosides, modified compounds such as beta-lactams – for example, penicillins – or purely synthetic, such as sulfonamides, quinolones. and oxazolidinone.
Classification based on bacterial spectrum
Small spectrum antibiotics affect certain bacteria whereas large spectrum antibiotics affect a wide variety of bacteria. In recent years, antibiotics have been classified into three classes, cyclic lipopeptides, oxazolidinone, and glycylcycline. The first two are targeted at gram-positive infections while the latter are broad-spectrum antibiotics, treating different types of bacteria.
Types of Vaccines
Vaccines of various types – live and attenuated, inactivated subunits, toxoids, conjugates, DNA, recombinant vector vaccines and other experimental vaccines.
Live vaccine attenuated are attenuated microbes that help induce lifelong immunity by eliciting a strong immune response. The big disadvantage of this type of vaccine is that because the virus is live, it can mutate and cause severe reactions in people with weakened immune systems. Another limitation of this vaccine is that it must be refrigerated to keep it strong. Examples of this type include vaccines for chickenpox, measles and mumps.
Inactivated vaccine are dead microbes and safer than live vaccines, although these produce a weaker immune response, and often have to be followed by booster shots. The DTaP and Tdap vaccines are attenuated vaccines.
Subunit vaccine includes only the subunits or antigens or epitopes (1 to 20) that can evoke an immune response. Examples of this type include vaccines against the hepatitis C virus.
Toxoid vaccine used in cases of infection where the organism excretes harmful toxins within the host’s body. Vaccines with “detoxifying” toxins are used in this type.
Conjugate vaccine used for bacteria that have a polysaccharide coating that is not immunogenic or recognized by the immune system. In this vaccine, an antigen is added to the polysaccharide coating to allow the body to produce an immune response against it.
Recombinant vector vaccine uses the physiology of one organism and the DNA of another organism to target complex infections.
DNA Vaccine developed by inserting the DNA of an infectious agent into human or animal cells. Thus the immune system is able to recognize and develop immunity to the organism’s proteins. Though, this is still in the experimental stage, the effects of this type of vaccine promise to last longer and can be easily stored.
Experimental vaccine others include Dendritic cell vaccines, and T-cell receptor peptide vaccines.
Key Differences Antibiotics and Vaccines
Here are some Differences Between Antibiotics and Vaccines that we have summarized:
- Vaccines kill viruses while antibiotics kill bacteria.
- Vaccines are taken once and have a permanent effect whereas antibiotics work at the time of illness.
- Antibiotics are available in various forms such as tablets, capsules, drops or ointments. Vaccines can be given orally or by injection.
- Vaccines are a method of prevention that is taken before being infected. Antibiotics are taken after infection.
- Antibiotics can come from natural, semi-synthetic and synthetic sources, Vaccine sources include live or inactivated microbes, toxins, antigens, etc.
In short: Antibiotics and vaccines are both used against germs but they work in different ways. While vaccines are used to prevent disease, antibiotics are used to treat disease that has already occurred. Vaccines kill viruses while antibiotics kill bacteria.
