Antimicrobials - General

Question 1

What are the 4 major mechanisms of drug resistance?

Answer 1

1) active transport out of cell (efflux pump)
2) alteration of target site
3) enzyme inactivation
4) decreased permeability of cell

Question 2

Targeting what in a microbe can allow higher doses to be safely used?

Answer 2

Any aspect that is absent in mammalian cells (ex. cell wall)