Antibiotics Flashcards
What are antibiotics? And 2 kinds?
Soluble compounds produced/released by microorganisms that inhibit growth/kill other microorganisms (bacteria for competition); synthetic and semi-synthetic
What are bacteria? (2)
Single cell organisms that are of the first life forms on Earth
What 4 habitats can bacteria be found in?
found in soil, water, acidic hot springs, Earth’s crust
What relationship do bacteria have w/ plants and animals?
symbiotic and parasitic relationship w/ plants and animals
Where are symbiotic bacteria found?
GI tract
What are 3 criteria for bacteria classification?
Aerobic/anaerobic, shape (rod, sphere, spiral, etc), cell wall
What are the names for rod and sphere shapes in bacteria?
Rod: bacillus (streptobacillus- chain)
Sphere: coccus (streptococcus-chain)
What are 2 types of bacterial cell walls?
Gram - (pink) and + (purple)
What is diff btwn cell walls of gram -/+ bacteria?
+: many layers of peptidoglycan (thick)
-: few layers of peptidoglycan (thin) w/ outer lipid memb (lipopolysacch and lipoproteins)
What are bacterial cell walls made of?
peptidoglycan (polysacch)
What causes the diff colours fo gram +/- bacteria?
Gram stain colours peptidoglycan purple
+: purple (outer peptidoglycan layers)
-: pink (lipid memb protects peptidoglycan)
What kind of cell wall do most bacteria have?
Gram - (lipid layer around peptidoglycan)
What is the structure of peptidoglycan?
Glycan strands w/ alternating N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc) and N-acetylmuramic acid (MurNAc) residues cross linked by peptides
What enzyme polymerizes individual strands of peptidoglycan chain?
Glycosyltransferase (GT)
What enzyme cross links peptidoglycan strands?
Transpeptidase (TP)
T/f: transpeptidase is targeted by antibiotics (penicillin binding protein)
True
What are normal flora?
Microbial species that cover our bodies (skin, mouth, lg intestine, and genitals)
When does normal flora cause problems? (2)
Immune system is weakened, gain access to normally sterile areas (perforated bowel)
T/f: pathogens require host to be immune-compromised/injured for infection
False, dont require host to be immune compromised/injured for infection
What are 4 diseases caused by pathogenic bacteria?
Food borne illnesses, STIs, skin infections, highly infectious diseases
T/f: prior to 1930/40s, it was common for otherwise healthy individuals to die from bacterial infections that are considered commonplace/non threatening
True
What antibiotics were developed in 1930s vs 1940s?
1930: sulfonamides
1940: penicillins
What does antibiotic “spectrum of activity” mean? And 2 types?
Range of bacterial species the antibiotic targets; narrow and broad
What does antibiotic “bacterial sensitivity” mean? 2 types?
Measures antibiotic ability to kill or prevent replication of bacteria;
bactericidal and bacteriostatic
What’s the difference btwn bacteriocidal vs bacteriostatic antibiotics?
Bacteriocidal: causes permanent loss of bacteria’s replicative ability
Bacteriostatic: causes temporary loss of bacteria’s growth and replication which returns after antibiotic removal
What does antibiotic “therapeutic index” mean?
Ratio of min conc needed to produce and adverse effect: min conc for desired effect (bigger is better)
What is an antibiotics “ability to penetrate” mean?
Bioavailability/ability of antibiotic to reach the site of infection
What is the most difficult challenge of antibiotic delivery?
Ability to penetrate