UV light and Antibiotics

Radiation

The emission of energy as electromagnetic waves or as moving subatomic particles.

Antimicrobial drugs

Interfere with the growth of microbes.

Antibiotic

A chemical produced by a bacteria or fungi that in small amounts inhibits another microbe.

Bacteriostatic

Inhibits the growth of bacteria without killing them.

Bactericidal

Kills bacteria outright by disrupting their cell wall or cellular functions.

Penicillin

Beta-lactam antibiotic which inhibits the production of peptidoglycan preventing cross linking of the cell wall.

Disk-diffusion method

Determines a bacterium’s a bacterium’s susceptibility of an antibiotic.

Zone of inhibition

Clear area around the disk that indicates growth and diffusion of the organism and the antibiotic.

Mueller Hinton agar (MHA)

Allows antimicrobial agents to diffuse freely.

uvA

Not readily absorbed by most organisms and is the least lethal.

uvB

May damage DNA.

uvC

Likely to damage DNA by creating thymine dimers, has the greatest bactericidal/germicidal effect.

UV light

Induces the formation of pyrimidine thymine dimers mutations in DNA.