Antimicrobial Resistance Lecture Notes

This set of flashcards covers key vocabulary related to antimicrobial resistance, its mechanisms, effects, and the current state of antibiotic development.

Antibiotics

Medications used to treat bacterial infections.

Antifungals

Medications used to treat fungal infections.

Antimicrobial

Substances that act against microorganisms including bacteria and eukaryotic microorganisms.

AMR

Antimicrobial Resistance, the ability of microorganisms to resist the effects of medications.

Beta-lactams

A class of antibiotics that inhibit cell wall synthesis in bacteria.

Macrolides

A class of antibiotics that inhibit protein synthesis in bacteria.

Fluoroquinolones

A class of antibiotics that inhibit DNA synthesis.

Mechanisms of antibiotic resistance

Various methods by which bacteria develop resistance to antibiotics.

Natural resistance

Intrinsic resistance due to the structural or functional characteristics of a bacterial species.

Acquired resistance

Resistance developed through genetic changes after exposure to antibiotics.

Superbugs

Bacteria that have become resistant to multiple antibiotics.

Binary fission

The asexual reproduction method used by bacteria to multiply.

Mutation rates

The frequency of errors during DNA replication in bacteria, leading to genetic variation.

E. coli

A common bacterium that can develop resistance to antibiotics.

Neisseria gonorrhoeae

A bacterium causing gonorrhea, which is showing increasing antibiotic resistance.

MRSA

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, a major antibiotic-resistant pathogen.

Teixobactin

A new antibiotic discovered in 2015 that is effective against drug-resistant bacteria.

Phage therapy

A treatment that uses bacteriophages to target and kill pathogenic bacteria.

Antibiotic stewardship

Efforts to reduce antibiotic misuse and promote proper usage.

Antimicrobial resistance hotspots

Areas where there is a particularly high prevalence of antimicrobial resistance.