CGIER 22 - Antibiotics Flashcards
Bacteria vs Human Cells
- Prokaryotes
- Some similar structures to humans like cytoplasm and ribosomes
- Cyclic DNA
- No nucleus
- Single cell
- Cell Wall
- Some have flagella for movement
Group of Bacteria Based on Shape
Rod-shaped = bacilli
Spherical = coccus
Spiral shaped = sprillum/spirochetes
Human body can have near to _____ bacteria
10^14 (comparison to 10^13 human cells)
Bacteria are most abundant organisms on earth - tens of thousands of species identified
Commensal Bacteria
- Normal body flora
- Bacteria which occur on parts of the body exposed to external environment (nose, mouth, skin, GI tract)
- Commensal relationship : one (commensal) benefits, other neither benefits nor suffers
e.g. buffalo neither benefits nor suffers, bird benefits from sitting on it
bird can become parasitic if it starts poking buffalo
Staphylococcus epidermis
- Example of commensal bacteria
- Nonpathogenic
- May play a protective role in their host as normal flora (may be a pathogen in hospital environment)
Commensal Bacteria prevent pathogenic bacteria invading the body by:
- Competition for nutrients
- Secreting chemicals against them
- Stimulating immune system
Commensal Bacteria also benefit the host by:
Providing vitamins or eliminating toxins
- Bacteria in the gut make vit K2 from K1 in leafy green vegetables
- Use of senna (herb) to drive gut motility, broken down to anthracenes, stimulant laxatives
Commensal -> Pathogenic Bacteria
Commensal bacteria can become pathogenic if colonize wounds/internal organs to cause infection and disease
Only 10-100 pathogenic bacteria need to enter our body to cause infection
= Opportunistic pathogen
Can also spread through the bloodstream and infect distant organs
Bacteria vs Virus
- Antibiotics used primarily to fight bacterial infection, not active against viruses
- Bacteria 1000 nm, cell wall, cell structures
- Virus 20-400 nm, DNA/RNA enclosed in protein coat
- Viral infections much more common than bacterial infections
- Colds/most coughs/sore throats caused by viruses
Pathogenic Bacteria
- Cause disease, attacks weak immune system
- Haemophilus influenzae does not cause the flu
- Bacterial infection can cause meningitis = HiB (H i type B)
Bacterial Diseases
e.g.
Food poisoning (Salmonella)
Sore throat
Pulmonary infections
Urinary tract infection
Dental caries (Strep mutans)
Colon cancer (Strep bovis)
Staphylococcus aureus
- 50% of population carry on skin and nasal mucosa
- Act as a pathogen with different potential site of infection
- Most common source of infection in wounds, abscesses, boils
- Usually localized, but if spreads most lethal form of septicemia may result
Pathogenesis of Bacterial Infection
(chain of events leading to disease development)
- Toxigenicity
bacteria produce toxins which damage specific tissue of the host
e.g. food poisoning, cholera - Invasiveness
multiply rapidly at site of infection
overwhelm hosts defense mechanism
e.g. pneumonia, tuberculosis - Secondary infection
bacteria invade bloodstream to set up new sites of infection
Sources of Bacteria
- Contamination of food/water
e.g. cholera, typhoid - Air-borne
nasal spray (sneeze), cough (mucous)
e.g. anthrax, chickenpox, measles, TB - Contact
bacteria transmitted through physical contact with contaminated surfaces
Antibiotics
- Antibacterial or antifungal
- Natural or synthetic chemicals
- Antibiotic natural products produced by both bacteria and fungi (majority from single group of bacteria called actinomycetes), produced by microorganisms to compete against other microorganisms for space/nutrients
- Vast majority of antibiotics in clinical use are natural products/derivates, modified = semi-synthetic