Intro to Antibacterial agents Flashcards
What are Antibiotics?
Chemical products of MICROBES that inhibit or kills other organisms
What are antimicrobial agents?
Encompasses antibiotics - synthetic/semi -synthetic with similar effect to antibiotics
Bacteriostatic?
Bactericidal?
Bacteriostatic - inhibits bacteria growth - protein synthesis inhibitor
Bactericidal - kills bacteria - cell wall-active agents
Minimum Inhibitory concentration
Minimum concentration of antibiotic/antimicrobial agent at which visible growth is inhibited
Antimicrobial interactions
Synergy?
Antagonism?
Indifference?
Synergy - activity of 2 antimicrobials are greater than if each one was given separately
Antagonism - activity of one animicrobial diminishes activity of other
Indifference - activity of antimicrobials is unchanged if given together
Antimicrobial Mechanism
Interrupt/inhibit critical intracellular processes/structures e.g. enzymes, molecules, structures
Selective Toxicity
Develop microbial so to target organisms without harming human host
Antibiotic targets
Cell wall
protein synthesis
DNA/RNA synthesis
Plasma membrane
Main constituent of Bacterial cell wall (gram positive and negative)
Peptidoglycan
- no cell wall in animal cells -> good for selective toxicity!
What are the main inhibitors of cell wall synthesisers?
- Beta Lactams e.g. penecillin
- Glycopeptides
Mechanism of Beta lactams
Beta lactam ring - blocks cell wall synthesis by blocking ‘penicillin binding protein’ (which constructs cel bacterial wall (NAG and NAM), not binds penicillin!)
Major classes of Beta lactams
Penecillin (-llin) - e.g. amoxicillin, flucloxacillin (for staph aureus)
Cephasporins e.g. cefuroxime, ceftazidime - broad spectrum (gram negative
Carbapenems e.g. meropenem, imipenem - EXTREMELY broad spectrum
Monobactams - Aztreonam - gram negative only (
Mechanisms of Glycopeptides
Prevents cross linking of peptideoglycans by binding directly to terminal D-Alanyl-D-Alanine on NAM pentapeptides
Example of Glycopeptides
Vancomycin
What class of bacteria are cell wall synthesis inhibitors ineffective?
Gram negative bacteria - unable to penetrate outer membrane porins
ONLY EFFECTS GRAM POSITIVE