Differentiate between the following pairs on the basis of what is mentioned in brackets:
Antibiotic and Antibody [Source]
Topic: Antibiotic and antibody
Answer
ANTIBIOTICS are obtained from MICRO-ORGANISMS — certain bacteria and fungi — and are taken as medicines to destroy or inhibit the growth of pathogens.
ANTIBODIES are produced by our own LYMPHOCYTES, in response to the entry of an antigen into the body.
The brackets restrict the comparison to SOURCE, so that difference must be stated plainly: one comes from OUTSIDE the body, the other is made INSIDE it.
That is the cleanest way to hold the distinction. An antibiotic is swallowed or injected; an antibody is manufactured by your own lymphocytes.
A SECOND DIFFERENCE worth a row if you have space: an antibody is SPECIFIC — each matches one antigen like a key to a lock — and the body REMEMBERS it, which is the basis of IMMUNITY and of how vaccination works. An antibiotic has no such memory and no such specificity.
| Point of difference | Antibiotic | Antibody |
|---|---|---|
| Source | Micro-organisms (bacteria and fungi) | Lymphocytes of our own body |
| Nature | A chemical medicine, taken from outside | A protein, made within the body |
| Specificity | Acts on a range of pathogens | Specific to one antigen |
| Example | Penicillin, from the fungus Penicillium | Antibodies formed after a vaccination |