Lecture 33: Antibiotics Flashcards
Explain what is meant by the term ‘selective toxicity’?
to kill microbial cells but not the host
How does penicillin work?
It interferes with the normal formation of bacteria cell wall
How is the formation of bacterial cell wall effected by penicillin?
Inhibits the formation of peptidoglycan cross-links
What bacterial cell components are targeted by different classes of antibiotics?
- Inhibition of cell wall synthesis
- inhibition of protein synthesis
- disruption of cytoplasmic membrane
- inhibition of general metabolic pathway
- inhibition of DNA or RNA synthesis
What is the most important cause of genetic diversity in microbial populations?
mutations
What is beta lactase?
Enzyme produced by bacteria and used to destroy penicillin
How does beta lactase work?
it destroys penicillins internal ring by breaking bonds
What are the two types of gene transfer?
- vertical gene transfer
- horizontal gene transfer
How do you reduce the development of antibiotic resistance?
- decrease antibiotic utilisation
- improve diagnostics
- identify new targets
- combination therapies
