Control of Microbial Growth

These flashcards cover key concepts related to the control of microbial growth, including various antibiotics, their mechanisms of action, and resistance mechanisms.

Salvarsan

A compound discovered by Ehrlich used to treat syphilis.

Prontosil

The first sulfa drug used to treat streptococcal infections.

Chemotherapy

The use of drugs like Salvarsan and Prontosil to treat patients with infections.

Penicillin

A chemical discovered by Alexander Fleming derived from a mold.

Antibiotics

Naturally-produced antimicrobials produced from live organisms.

Streptomycin

An antibiotic produced by the bacteria Streptomyces griseus.

Therapeutic index

The lowest dose that is toxic to a patient or the dose used for therapy.

Bacteriostatic

Drugs that inhibit bacterial growth but do not kill them.

Bactericidal

Drugs that kill bacteria.

Broad spectrum

Drugs that affect both Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria.

Narrow-spectrum

Drugs that affect a small range of types of bacteria.

Additive

Drugs that work at the same level of effectiveness when combined.

Synergistic

Drugs that work much better when combined.

Antagonistic

Drugs that interfere with each other and cause reduced effectiveness.

Mycoplasma

A genus of bacteria that is innately resistant to penicillin due to a lack of cell wall structure.

β-lactam ring

A structure present in penicillin and cephalosporin drugs.

Competitive inhibition

The mechanism by which penicillin and cephalosporin inhibit peptidoglycan synthesis.

Cleave the β-lactam ring

What enzymes in bacteria resistant to β-lactam antibiotics do.

Peptidoglycan synthesis/ Cell wall

The structure targeted by carbapenems, monobactams, Vancomycin, and bacitracin.

70S ribosomes

The structure targeted by protein synthesis inhibitors in bacteria.

The 30S ribosomal subunit

The ribosomal subunit bound by aminoglycosides and tetracyclines.

The 50S ribosomal subunit

The ribosomal subunit bound by macrolides and chloramphenicol.

Aminoglycosides

The only bactericidal drug among aminoglycosides, tetracyclines, macrolides, and chloramphenicol.

DNA synthesis

The bacterial cell process targeted by fluoroquinolones.

Rifamycin

The drug that targets RNA synthesis in bacterial cells.

Anaerobic bacteria

The type of microorganisms that metronidazole targets for nucleic acid synthesis.

Sulfonamide and trimethoprim

Two drugs that target different steps in the synthesis of folate.

Coenzyme required for nucleotide synthesis

What folate is a metabolic precursor to.

Competitive inhibitors

How sulfonamides function, similar to penicillin.

Polymyxin B

A drug that binds and destabilizes the membrane of Gram-negative bacteria.

Isoniazid

A drug that inhibits mycolic acid synthesis.

Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC)

The lowest concentration that prevents growth in vitro.

Minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC)

The lowest concentration that kills 99.9% of microorganisms.

Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion test

The method by which zones of inhibition are measured.

E test

A commercial modification of the Kirby-Bauer test that uses a gradient of antibiotics.

Resistance

An increasing problem associated with the misuse of antibiotics.

Antibiotic Resistance

The result of alteration of the target, decreased uptake, inactivating enzymes, or increased efflux.

Combination/multidrug therapy

A method used to combat spontaneous resistance.

R plasmids

Plasmids that carry genes conferring resistance to drugs.

Vancomycin resistance

A common antibiotic resistance gene carried on R plasmids.

Spontaneous mutation and plasmid carrying a penicillinase gene

The way Neisseria gonorrhea has acquired resistance to penicillin.

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)

A strain of bacteria that is resistant to methicillin.

Viral replication

The process with targets including entry, uncoating, nucleic acid synthesis, etc.

Nucleic acid synthesis

The target of nucleoside analogs.

Synthesis of ergosterol

A common target for antifungal drugs.

Synthesis of ergosterol

The target for polyenes, azoles, and allylamines.

Griseofulvin

An antifungal drug that targets cell division.

Flucytosine

An antifungal drug that targets nucleic acid synthesis.