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Antimicrobial Drugs

Agents that kill or interfere with the growth of microbes, including bacteria, fungi, viruses, protozoa, and helminths.

Magic Bullet Concept

The idea that certain compounds can selectively target pathogens without harming the host.

Broad Spectrum Antibiotics

Antibiotics that are effective against a wide variety of bacteria.

Narrow Spectrum Antibiotics

Antibiotics that are effective against a limited range of bacteria.

Bacteriostatic

Drugs that reversibly stop bacteria from growing.

Bactericidal

Drugs that kill bacteria, necessary for immunocompromised patients or life-threatening infections.

Beta-lactam Ring

A common chemical structure found in penicillins that is crucial for their antibacterial activity.

Penicillinase

An enzyme that breaks the beta-lactam ring of penicillin, leading to antibiotic resistance.

Competitive Inhibition

A process where a drug competes with the substrate for binding to the enzyme's active site.

Noncompetitive Inhibition

A process where a drug binds to an enzyme at a site other than the active site, inhibiting its activity.

Transpeptidase

An enzyme that forms cross-linkages in bacterial cell wall synthesis, targeted by penicillin.

Folic Acid Metabolism Inhibition

The mechanism by which sulfonamides and trimethoprim inhibit bacterial metabolism.

Superinfection

An overgrowth of bacteria leading to a new infection, often due to disruption of microbial communities.

C. elegans

A model organism used to study the effects of antimicrobial activity.

Rifamycins

A group of antibiotics that inhibit mRNA synthesis by acting on bacterial RNA polymerase.

Polymyxin B

An antibiotic that injures the plasma membrane of bacteria, effective against gram-negative bacteria.

Daptomycin

An antibiotic that binds to bacterial membranes and forms pores, leading to cell death.

Sulfanilamide

An antibiotic that inhibits folic acid synthesis in bacteria, bacteriostatic by itself.

Trimethoprim

An antibiotic that inhibits another step of folic acid synthesis, bacteriostatic alone but synergistic with sulfanilamide.

Antiviral Drugs

Medications specifically designed to treat viral infections by inhibiting viral replication.

Vaccines

Biological preparations that provide active acquired immunity to a particular infectious disease.

Antifungal Drugs

Agents used to treat infections caused by fungi.

Microbial Resistance

The ability of microbes to withstand the effects of drugs that once killed them or inhibited their growth.

Culture and Sensitivity Test

A laboratory test used to determine the effectiveness of antibiotics on specific bacteria.

Inhibitors of Cell Wall Synthesis

Antibiotics that disrupt the formation of the bacterial cell wall, causing cell lysis.

Nucleic Acid Synthesis Inhibitors

Drugs that interfere with the synthesis of the RNA or DNA of the target organism.

Bacterial Endotoxin

Toxins derived from the cell wall of gram-negative bacteria, which can cause severe immune responses.

Quinolones

A class of synthetic antibiotics that inhibit bacterial DNA gyrase, preventing DNA replication.

Tetracyclines

Broad-spectrum antibiotics that inhibit protein synthesis by binding to the ribosomal subunit.

Macrolides

Antibiotics that inhibit bacterial protein synthesis by binding to the 50S subunit of the ribosome.

Nephrotoxicity

Toxicity in the kidneys caused by certain drugs, including some antibiotics.

Phage Therapy

The use of bacteriophages to treat bacterial infections.

Probiotics

Live microorganisms that confer health benefits to the host, often used to restore normal flora after antibiotic treatment.

Antiseptics

Chemical agents applied to living tissue to reduce the possibility of infection.