Antibiotics and Selective Toxicity

Flashcards covering key terms and concepts related to antibiotics, their discovery, mechanisms of action, and implications in bacterial resistance.

Antibiotics

Substances naturally produced by molds and bacteria that kill or inhibit other microbes.

Selective Toxicity

The ability of a drug to selectively affect microbes without harming the host.

Antimicrobial Chemotherapy

The use of chemicals to kill or prevent the growth of microbes.

Penicillin

The first antibiotic discovered, in 1929 by Alexander Fleming, derived from the mold Penicillium.

Antibiotic Resistance

The ability of bacteria to survive and grow in the presence of antibiotics that once effectively killed them.

Bacterial Sensitivity Testing

Laboratory procedures to determine the most effective antibiotic and dosage for treating an infection.

Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC)

The lowest concentration of an antibiotic that prevents bacterial growth.

Disc Diffusion

A laboratory method used to assess the efficacy of antibiotics on bacteria by measuring zones of inhibition around antibiotic-impregnated discs.

Zone of Inhibition

The clear area around an antibiotic disc where bacteria cannot grow.

Synthetic Antibiotics

Man-made antibiotics developed to combat bacterial infections.

Natural Selection

The process by which bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics survive and reproduce, leading to increased antibiotic resistance.

Broad Spectrum Antibiotics

Antibiotics that are effective against a wide range of bacteria.