MBIO 1010 – Antimicrobial Drugs and Drug Resistance

These flashcards cover key concepts related to antimicrobial drugs and drug resistance as discussed in the MBIO 1010 lectures.

What are antimicrobial drugs?

Compounds that kill or inhibit the growth of microorganisms in a human or animal.

What is selective toxicity?

The ability of an antimicrobial drug to damage the pathogen without harming the host.

What are the two types of antimicrobial drugs?

Synthetic antimicrobial drugs and natural antimicrobial drugs.

Define narrow spectrum antibiotics.

Antibiotics that affect only microbes within a limited functional group.

What is an example of a narrow spectrum antibiotic?

Penicillin G, which works against Gram positive bacteria.

What are growth factor analogues?

Synthetic antimicrobial drugs that are structurally similar to growth factors and interfere with metabolism.

How do quinolones work?

They interfere with DNA replication in bacteria.

What does 'bacteriostatic' mean?

Refers to antimicrobial drugs that inhibit the growth of bacteria instead of killing them.

What is the mechanism of action of β-lactam antibiotics?

They inhibit bacterial cell wall synthesis.

What bacteria are β-lactam antibiotics effective against?

Gram positive bacteria and some Gram negative bacteria.

Give an example of a semi-synthetic penicillin.

Ampicillin, which is broad spectrum and acid stable.

What type of antibiotic is vancomycin?

It is a narrow spectrum antibiotic effective against some Gram positives.

What do aminoglycosides target?

They target the 30S subunit of the ribosome.

What is intrinsic resistance?

Natural resistance of some bacteria to one or more antibiotics.

What contributes to antibiotic resistance?

Overuse of antibiotics in medicine and agriculture.

What is the significance of MRSA?

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus; it is resistant to many antibiotics.

What are efflux pumps?

Mechanisms in Gram negative bacteria that transport antibiotics out of the cell.

Name one approach to preventing antibiotic resistance.

Appropriate and prudent use of antibiotics.